Bulldog:

Just call J. J. on the phone, and ask him to give the Lang a quick once over and let you know what he thinks. I doubt he's even glanced at it yet. If he likes it, have him do a complete evaluation.

From my own experience with them, and that of others in deals that I've been privvy to, I'd say your take on Champlin is accurate. I prefer buying from them so that I don't have to worry. When I deal with others I'm paranoid.

Still, if you feel the need to have an evaluation done elsewhere, have them send it down to Kirk Merrington in Kerrville. He's a British gunmaker, formerly with Churchill's. He's primarily a shotgun guy, but is, in my opinion, competent to do an evaluation of a British DR, including evaluating the quality of the redo.

As far as researching it, get in touch with Ken Duglan at Atkin, Grant & Lang. If I remember what Cyril Adams (the fellow who sold AGL to Duglan) told me correctly, the records that survive are the ledgers as opposed to the day books. Historical data is still available though. Don't expect Lang's records to show the source of a bought in gun. The records of the London makers usually don't. I got lucky with the gun I mentioned, in that the records show the gun to have been completed 27 years after the date of proof. It didn't lay around Webley for that long.
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