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Well, it isn't quite as old as I thought it would be. 1902 won't miss it by more than a year either way. This is a Webley A & W C 1st Model with intercepting sears. The Webley & Scott Trade Mark is still clearly visible on the flats. The use of this mark seems to have been discontinued just a bit later. This gun was originally a best grade boxlock of excellent quality. If you want to see what it looked like when new, go over to the Double Rifle Photos and Archive Forum, and view CptCurl's string on his G. Gibbs .450 3 1/4" NE. Same model, just built for a different retailer, and of course, in a different caliber. The .303 is early enough to have shoe lump barrels, while Curls .450 is chopper lump. These two guns are 3-4 years apart. Yeah, the wood is toast. It was originally stocked with panels and drop points. Checkering and points are gone, and the remaining panels are vestigal. The engraving is so worn in places that I have to wonder if it could be rechased at all. The floor plate appears to be sprung. The guard bow has been smashed out of shape at one time, or is a poor replacement. They never had that shape. A fellow I know just bought a very similar Webley built double in .450/.400. It needs restocking too, and is slightly off face. It has a minor pitting issue on the action that will need to be resolved, but isn't in an engraved area, yet won't be cheap to fix. Very similar engraving that is in great shape. It has excellent bores. Overall, it's in much better condition than that .303. Price was a little over $4K, which I considered fair. That .303 needs a lot more work. As long as the bores are good, I'd think $1000 to $2000. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |