Dear all.

I have just acquired a Manton & Co double rifle. The calibre is in .500 Nitro for black powder. The serial number is 5168.

It has apparently only recently returned to the UK from India where it has spend most of its life. It is in good condition overall and to the extend it makes you wonder whether some of the budget guns of today will ever last as long as some of these old classics.

Can anyone help me in terms of aging this rifle? We guess around 1900, but we are not sure. Also, does anyone know anything about the caliber? From what I can tell, it seems to fill the gap between the 3 inch black powder round, and the later .500 nitro. Its a bit of a transitional caliber. All I can find is in Cartridges of the world which seems to have it at 3500 ft/lbs, so its no slouch. Does anyone know of any other historical or other load data about this caliber on the web?

I look forward to your replies.

Andrew