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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Single Shots & Combination Guns
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lancaster
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: buckstix]
      #329639 - 25/06/19 01:45 PM

a good end for this story, congratulation

--------------------
Norwegian hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet
.
bringing civilisation to the barbarians

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DarylS
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: buckstix]
      #329652 - 26/06/19 01:32 AM

Cool Letter to have.

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Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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degoins
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: DarylS]
      #329655 - 26/06/19 03:01 AM

Accurate and a real Bland!! Cant get much better!!

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93x64mm
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: degoins]
      #329659 - 26/06/19 06:22 AM

Going to give the "holy black" a crack Buckstix?

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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: CptCurl]
      #329665 - 26/06/19 01:59 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Show me 13 rounds on a B-17 target at 100 yards with blackpowder and I will send you a Victorian Rifleman Provincial shooting medal.





Hmmmmm.....

That's an interesting proposition! All the more interesting because I just now checked my stock of loaded ammo - exactly 13 rounds.









It's quite windy here today. Maybe this afternoon!

Curl



You earned a Bronze medal with that target. You are the second person to submit a target with no holes. We had a fellow do that at the Victorian Rifleman gatherings a few years back two years in a row. He fired all 13 rounds, submitted the target, I scored his target, up to 75 points earns a Bronze medal. He paid his $10 entry fee and I awarded him the medal.

--------------------
DD, Ret.

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DoubleD
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: buckstix]
      #329666 - 26/06/19 02:09 PM

The letter certainly explains the quality of this gun

Does this gun bear the address as the letter says it should. If it does you never showed that to us.

I don't see any explanation as to why a gun from Bland made in 1888 doesn't have and Sons on it. The Company was T. Bland & Sons since 1872. Curious.

The is letter gives this gun it's own history. If you ever pass this gun on you should include the letter.

Congratulations owning such a wonderful rifle.

--------------------
DD, Ret.

Edited by DoubleD (26/06/19 10:38 PM)

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buckstix
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: DoubleD]
      #329669 - 26/06/19 10:11 PM

Hello DoubleD,

Thanks for the reply.

When I submitted my request for information, I included the same pictures as those shown above in my opening post. Some time later I got a phone call from Mr. Baker himself asking about the barrel address. I told him there was none. It was his opinion that the barrel address was likely lost from several re-blackenings over the years, as evidenced by the thinning top edges of the Birmingham Proof and 450 caliber marking on the barrel, just ahead of the receiver. It was common practice to re-blacken rifles every time the hunter returned from Safari, which in some cases lasted one or more years. In addition, the barrel shows a later sight upgrade which may also account for the lost address.

As far as the T.BLAND stamping goes, this was an early "no-frills" gun, likely rushed (as recorded) for an upcoming 1886 Safari. Since it was specifically documented as "no engraving" it did not go to the engraver, who would have been the one that added the Bland identifier on the receiver. In addition, since the barrel address would have been hand engraved on the barrel by the engraver, there is also the possibility that for this reason the barrel address was never applied because it was not sent to the engraver. All this was discussed and concluded that it is hard to second-guess the reasoning of Thomas Bland from 133 years earlier. Anything is possible.

However, with the matching serial numbers and assembly numbers on all the individual parts, and because the configuration exactly matches the 1886 records, it was determined that it was an original Thomas Bland creation.



--------------------
"You never pay too much for something, you only buy it too early."

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lancaster
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Re: Martini 577-450 Sporting Rifle - Help with proof marks [Re: buckstix]
      #329701 - 28/06/19 04:42 AM

so many times when you think it could not be there will be one or two specific reasons it could be happen

--------------------
Norwegian hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet
.
bringing civilisation to the barbarians

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