Went a bit nuts at my last gun auction
Picked up these three vintage side by side shotguns pretty cheap as that’s my main area of interest these days.
First is a W Richards 10 gauge that was a bit of an impulse buy. There are actually two makers who marked W Richards on their shotguns - William Richards was a distant cousin of the famous English gunmaker Westley Richards, who put only his first initial on his gun. And if someone happened to mistake it for a Westley Richards, what could he do? There was then a Belgian firm who stamped their cheap export guns W Richards, making them essentially a knock off of a knock off.
This one is a back action side lever with twist steel barrels. It’s unfortunately missing a hammer and has a nasty dent in the barrel but is otherwise in really nice shape. I bought it chap figuring it was Belgian, and the design suggest late 19th century construction. But when I got it I was surprised to find it had British nitro proofs from after WW2 and the original proofs had been obliterated. That said, while I’m not sure, from the quality I actually think it’s British and should be a shooter with appropriate low-pressure loads.
The next is a Husqvarna Model 52 12 gauge from 1916, and is in really nice shape. I’m consistently impressed with the quality of Husqvarna guns and the low price they bring on the market. This one was originally chambered for 2 1/2” shells but has been opened up for 2 3/4” and might even make it out on a grouse hunt or two.
The last one is the real winner, an AH Fox Sterlingworth from 1911. Fox was one of the great American gun makers and this one is particularly interesting because unlike all his other guns these very early Sterlingworths have a recessed hinge pin and rounded frame contour like a Parker Bros, his main competitor. The Sterlingworth was the economy grade Fox and Ansley Fox didn’t even originally want to make one, so I find it funny he made it look like a Parker at first. This one unfortunately has a poorly fitted recoil pad, but I got it crazy cheap so even if I have to spend some money fixing that I’m still ahead.