A 2 year project to bring new life to this James Woodward .450 Express has come to completion.
Letter from Purdey says the rifle was finished & sold in July 1895; evidently held on stock for some years as surrounding Woodward serial numbers date to circa 1893.
28" steel barrels with Henry rifling, 8lb 14oz, rebounding locks with stalking safeties, fully engraved steel buttplate, 14 11/16' LOP.
Except for the obviously wrong front sight the rifle was in otherwise original state.

This was a collaborative effort with my guy Steve Bertram (bouldersmith) and Aaron Little; Steve in charge of metal restoration, while Aaron Little relaid the barrel ribs and reregulated.
The barrels were separated at the muzzles and had a bodgered non original front sight; rear sight had been banged up, and the ring of engraving at the breeches needed some TLC. A small splinter of wood was missing from the forend as well.
Steve made a proper new caterpillar front sight, restored the rear sight, had his engraver guy restore the engraving at the breeches, then restruck & polished up the barrels and did a 1st class "London" reblack. Steve fixed the forend wood such that one would never know that it had the missing splinter replaced.
The buttstock was a bit "dry" so I addressed that issue with Linseed oil.
- Mike

Shameless plug for Steve Bertram: http://www.bertramandco.com
Aaron Little can be found on FaceBook….(I don't go there any longer)

Before:

After:

]

Very nicely figured wood: