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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Double Rifles
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mbatten
.224 member


Reged: 15/08/19
Posts: 15
Loc: BC Canada
R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE
      #355171 - 15/07/21 12:35 PM

Recently, I purchased this double rifle at auction in Canada; the link below gives a description of the same rifle when it was sold in 2012 by Holt's:

https://auctions.holtsauctioneers.com/asp/searchresults.asp?sale_no=A1062&st=D&pg=12 (see Lot 926)

Somehow, the rifle made its way to Canada, and I have become the latest custodian.

It is engraved 'R T Pritchard' on locks and barrel, but the case label is marked 'R T Pritchett'. There is no maker's name inside the locks, but they are very much like the fine Brazier locks on a similar Alexander Henry rifle.

I know that 'R T Pritchett' made guns and was an accomplished artist, but has anyone come across other guns by 'R T Pritchard', or could confirm that 'Pritchard' and 'Pritchett' were one and the same?

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93x64mm
.416 member


Reged: 07/12/11
Posts: 4204
Loc: Nth QLD Australia
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: mbatten]
      #355182 - 15/07/21 09:18 PM

Lovely old warrior you have there mate - looks in very fine form indeed.
I especially love that delicate old filigree engraving, just superb.
Great pickup, I hope it still had all the accompanying tools when you got a chance to grab this!

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27009
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: 93x64mm]
      #355184 - 16/07/21 01:01 AM

Well done. Some of those selling prices are - like WOW (LOW)!

--------------------
Daryl


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

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kuduae
.400 member


Reged: 13/01/10
Posts: 1792
Loc: middle of Germany
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: DarylS]
      #355187 - 16/07/21 03:00 AM

Maybe real maker and retailer? “Boothroyd’s Directory of British Gunmakers” has a Pritchard & Son at 108 New Street, Birmingham and a Robert Taylor Pritchett at 4 St. James St., London, but both are 1860s entries.

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mbatten
.224 member


Reged: 15/08/19
Posts: 15
Loc: BC Canada
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: kuduae]
      #355251 - 17/07/21 04:24 AM

Gents:

Thanks for your observations and compliments! The rifle still has the loading tools, except for a bullet mould, but I have a couple of those. I look forward to working up some loads and seeing how it shoots compared to my Alexander Henry 450 BPE double. They could almost be twins!

Perhaps the name(s) will remain a mystery; I suppose that's part of the appeal in collecting these things.

Cheers!

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rigbymauser
.400 member


Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1972
Loc: Denmark
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: mbatten]
      #355325 - 19/07/21 04:03 AM

I have searched in my gunlibrary for Pritchard. Nothing comes up. When this written I will search some more.

Edited by rigbymauser (19/07/21 04:05 AM)

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27009
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: rigbymauser]
      #355327 - 19/07/21 05:15 AM

The label does say:

London
R.T. Pritchett
Rifle and Gun Maker

--------------------
Daryl


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

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mbatten
.224 member


Reged: 15/08/19
Posts: 15
Loc: BC Canada
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: DarylS]
      #355356 - 20/07/21 01:59 AM

Perhaps he spelled his last name either way, or maybe the engraver was confused and mispelled 'Pritchett' - who knows?

Edited by mbatten (20/07/21 02:02 AM)

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Parabola
.224 member


Reged: 09/01/21
Posts: 26
Loc: England
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: mbatten]
      #355906 - 10/08/21 07:04 AM

Pritchard seems fairly certainly an engraver’s error, perhaps he was a bit deaf or simply confused by poor handwriting.

Once the rifle is finished it becomes disproportionately expensive to try to correct this sort of error.

I remember being shown a modern hand built muzzle loader. The engraver had misspelled the maker’s first name - I thought it best not to comment on it.

On Pritchett the man and the bullet he invented there is a recent YouTube video on Paper Cartridges which is well worth watching.

Parabola

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mbatten
.224 member


Reged: 15/08/19
Posts: 15
Loc: BC Canada
Re: R T Pritchard or Pritchett? 450 BPE [Re: Parabola]
      #355974 - 12/08/21 01:57 PM

Thank you! An excellent presentation indeed!

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