Stephen Grant & Sons 12 Bore Sidelock Ejector with Sidelever and 30” Nitro Damascus Barrels

Description:
This is a superb example of a Best London sidelock ejector from this highly respected gunmaker, made in the heyday of the British gun trade. Interestingly, the dating of this gun is a bit ambiguous: 5876 puts it is the ledger for 1888 but the Not For Ball proof marks were only used until 1887 and the company didn’t become ‘and Sons’ until 1889. The likely answer is that the gun was built and proofed ‘in the white’ as a gun for stock in 1887 or earlier, the number reserved for a No.2 gun in 1888 when gun No.1 was built and the gun finished as the No.2 of a pair in 1889. It would appear that the gun was made an a non-ejector, which was quite common in pairs where the loader could extract the spent cartridges by hand, and converted to ejector probably in the early C20th using the by then out of patent ‘Southgate’ over-centre mechanism and the Beesley ejector trip, aka Holland & Holland ‘AB’ ejector which is still in use today. This conversion has been beautifully executed and finished, looking for all intents and purposes as an original fitting.

The action is delightfully engraved, probably by Sumner, shows traces of original hardening colour and is in crisp condition. The original wood has beautiful figure and dimensions and the nitro reproofed 30 3/8” Damascus barrels are in good clean condition. With its elegant sidelever, this all adds up to a strong gun that is a joy to shoot and should give many years of service on game or clays with normal maintenance. Presented in a beautiful oak & leather case, relined with ‘Windsor Red’ all-wool baize with some vintage accessories and a reproduction Stephen Grant & Sons trade label.
The action is of traditional bar action sidelock design and features: Sidelever opening, operating a classic, double bite 'Purdey Bolt';Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide; Roger's cocking levers; 9 pin bar action locks; Interceptor sears; Disk set strikers; ‘Southgate’ ejectors tripped by shoulders on the cocking levers and Anson's push rod forend catch. Gun weight 6lb 12oz. Engraving style Very Best fine foliate scroll (probably by Sumner) with traces of original hardening colour. Beautiful, fluted fences engraved with acanthus leaf. Gold inlaid SAFE. Triggerguard and forend iron engraved ‘2’. Barrels, action flats & forend iron marked ‘5876’. Locks signed ‘STEPHEN GRANT & SONS’. Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½ lbs Rear trigger 4 ¼ lbs.

The original Damascus barrels are 30 3/8" in length, chambered for 2 1/2" (65mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'through' lump construction with soft soldered ribs. Top rib is of the smooth, concave game type. Birmingham reproof for 2 ½ ” nitro powder cartridges in 1989. The right barrel is bored 0.735 with a constriction of 0.000 for Cylinder choke. Minimum wall thickness is 0.026. The left barrel is bored 0.738 and has a constriction of 0.022 for Modified choke. Minimum wall thickness is 0.022.

The original Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is lightly cast-off for a right-handed shot, features well defined drop points, a white metal oval engraved with family crest of bird and is finished with a vintage (maybe original) 1” ‘Silvers’ rubber recoil pad. The forend features a finely engraved steel tip and has inlet repairs to the knuckle and forward edge. The gun balances exactly on the hinge center. Stock dimensions are 14-1/2” by 1-5/8” by 2-1/8”. Cast off for the righthand shot.

The 24 (approx) lines per inch checkering has been freshened to its ori1ginal pattern. The stock is finished with a traditional linseed oil based preparation as used on best guns by one of the top English makers. This finish uses no grain fillers to achieve its deep, smooth lustre, only many hours of alternate build and flatting off of the surface.

   ***   US Agent for Heritage Guns UK   ***

***   Please note that the photographs are part of the description. Buyer is responsible for all shipping, insurance, and any other related charges. I give a 3-day non-firing inspection period which begins when it arrives at the buyer’s FFL or specified address if the gun is classified as an Antique. Returns at buyer’s expense.  
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $9,195.00