Help needed - Info on my old hammer gun-W.J. Jeffery(Pics)

[Grumpy]

Black powder proof marks. Bored 13/1 ( nominal .719" bores ) The original 2 3/4" chambers indicate it was built as either a live pigeon gun ( early trap ) or a wildfowler.
Has percussion type fences so is older than CC`s gun.
If the bores are good ( no deep pitting and good wall thicknesses ) It should be safe for 1 1/8 oz nitro loads.
Will have been built by a trade maker in Birmingham.

If in good order, British built hammer guns are good and effective game guns - they`re only junk if they haven`t been looked after - I lengthened the chambers on a 1879 Pape live pigeon gun to 2 3/4" and submitted it for a nitro reproof ( it was still on it`s original black powder reproof ) at the Birmingham proof house which it passed with no problem. 130 years old with a modern nitro proof makes a lie of the statement "that all such guns are 100 to 150 year old pieces of junk and have no reliabilty only good for keeping in the show window."
None of the guns I`ve submitted for reproof ( 30-40 over the years ) have failed.......of course I check that they`re not crap before buying.

[herb]

Thanks Grumpy for the info, really appreciate it.

Did Jeffrey mark the barrels with the length of the case like this gun "2 3/4 CASE" ? I have posted on a few other forums & on another forum there was a difference of opinion about this as many of them don't remember seeing case length so marked on any gun.

The lock up is very very tight and the right bore is mint left barrel is shiny with 2-3 spots about 6 inches before the muzzle. What would be the approx value in UK.

A few pictures to illustrate the barrel thickness...





Herb

[Grumpy]

That "2 3/4" Case" stamp is a proof house mark - the chamber length was not always applied but was more often done when it was a non-`standard` length ( 2 1/2" being the `standard` chamber length. )

Value in the UK ? Not a lot, the gun has minimal engraving, appears to have been filed around the underside of the chambers, has a good amount of removed rust ( the dark `staining` on the breech faces, muzzles, etc ) and a replacement stock. Around £300-400 retail.

The wall thickness needs to be measure 8" ahead of the chambers.
Looks like the left barrel is more tightly choked than the right.

By the way, does the gun have a filed rib ? Can`t tell properly from the pictures but if it does, that, combined with the 2 3/4" chambers would indicate that it is almost certainly a live pigeon gun.

[herb]

The rib is filed so must be a pigeon gun. Is it the lack of a recoil pad which indicates a replacement stock? Thanks.

[Grumpy]

Sorry Herb, I thought you had said that it had a replacement stock but reading back I see that was CC`s gun. Won`t make any difference to the value in this particular case.
The gun would NOT have had a recoil pad fitted.
It`s a `LIVE Pigeon` gun by the way - not a `pigeon` gun. `Live pigeon` was the original form of competitive Trap shooting in which live pigeons were released from a box trap ( hence why `Trap` shooting is so named ) at varying distances. Often involved side-betting ( sometimes for very large sums of money. ) `Live Pigeon` trap shooting was banned in the UK in 1921 and clay targets eventually substituted.
Live Pigeon guns make good all-round game guns and are still usable for clay shooting.
Providing the wall thicknesses are good your gun will be a useful all-rounder and should last for many more years if looked after.
I know that there is no facility for re-proving in India but the use of Nitro loads should be OK ( noting the caveat re the wall thicknesses. ) Limit the use to 1 1/8 oz ( 32 gm ) game loads or 1 oz ( 28 gm ) clay cartridges.

[herb]

Thanks Grumpy, This is my only hammer gun and I would like to add one or two more hammer guns to my collection, all this information will help me identify a good gun if and when I come across one.

Herb

[Sam Kunal]

I also saw a WJ Jeffery Shotgun in nice condition. Action was still tight.Only shallow pitting in the barrels.It was already booked so could not buy it.