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R Watt Side by Side
- Thread starter gizamo
- Start date
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Russ T Frizzen
70 Cal.
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- Nov 9, 2004
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Beautiful wood and a beautiful shotgun. Quality never loses it's luster does it.
Mike Brooks
Cannon
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2005
- Messages
- 6,686
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just another early feature is all. very cool gun, take good care of it.
Mike, ~ thanks...
One last thing for anyone who is willing to offer an opinion :hmm:
Here is a picture of the Sideplate showing the makers mark. I might have to reconsider the makers name. Old eyes are easily fooled. But getting the pic of the lock in the right light showed much greater detail.
What are you gents reading here?
giz
One last thing for anyone who is willing to offer an opinion :hmm:
Here is a picture of the Sideplate showing the makers mark. I might have to reconsider the makers name. Old eyes are easily fooled. But getting the pic of the lock in the right light showed much greater detail.
What are you gents reading here?
giz
It looks like "R Watt Jnr" [junior] to me.
Of course, it could have been furnished by the Brimingham trade to a jeweler or some other retailer that wasn't primarily a "gunmaker" and isn't listed anywhere as such. Since most "gunamkers" didn't actually make guns, the name often only represents who sold it. We tend to associate the B'ham trade with middle to lower quality guns but there were also makers who could rival the London trade if the market demanded it.
One of the real curiosities are B'ham made guns of London quality with fake London makers marks that were made new to be sold on the used gun market. This was because a used Manton or Mortimer would sell more readily than a new gun by an unknown maker regardless of how good he was.
By the 40s & 50s its likely that most London guns, or at least the locks and barrels, were really made in in Birmingham.
Of course, it could have been furnished by the Brimingham trade to a jeweler or some other retailer that wasn't primarily a "gunmaker" and isn't listed anywhere as such. Since most "gunamkers" didn't actually make guns, the name often only represents who sold it. We tend to associate the B'ham trade with middle to lower quality guns but there were also makers who could rival the London trade if the market demanded it.
One of the real curiosities are B'ham made guns of London quality with fake London makers marks that were made new to be sold on the used gun market. This was because a used Manton or Mortimer would sell more readily than a new gun by an unknown maker regardless of how good he was.
By the 40s & 50s its likely that most London guns, or at least the locks and barrels, were really made in in Birmingham.
Mike Brooks
Cannon
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2005
- Messages
- 6,686
- Reaction score
- 33
I'll go with JV's deciphering. Nice high quality engraving job, top drawer gun in it's day.
