Gee guys, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

I know virtually nothing about the heritage or pedigree of my Belgian 12 bore.

Obviously, it's a knock-off of a Holland & Holland Royal, and it was obviously made pre-WW2; maybe pre-WW1. It's a game gun, not a pigeon gun. It weighs 6lbs., 14 1/2 oz. with 72cm (28 1/4") barrels. The funny thing is, the fit and finish of this gun exceeds that of just about every H&H I have seen. (Boy, that statement ought to start a shit-storm!) Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it represents the market value of an H&H.

I was told by Fred that the gun was made to be marketed through a Dutch emporium. The only marks on the gun, engraved on the barrels and on the sidelocks is something like this:

Ned Wapenmagazcin V/ H. S. De Jager Haarlem

This is probably not exactly right because it seems to me (recollection now, as the gun is not in front of me) that one or two characters in the inscription do not come from the standard 26 characters of the English language. If anybody can shed any light on this I would be most grateful.

Back to the Fred Roberts topic. I've not met Fred. He seems like a heck of a nice guy from the emails and conversations we have had. Again, I think he is impeccably honest, so I don't think you risk sending your hard earned dollars into a foreign black hole, provided you come to terms on a deal.

Curl