Conway With Rare Early Form Grip Safety. Sn 20950 Muzzleloader 14 Bore/gauge

C1840 English Conway Manchester Single Barrel 15 Bore Muzzle Loading Single Barrel Percussion Sporting / Hunting Shotgun With Rare Early Form Grip Safety. Sn 20950 - 20950

Thomas Conway was an English Gunsmith with premises in Manchester at 179 Chapel Street, 3 Market Street & 43 Blackfriars Street, Deansgate between 1803-1852. Samuel Conway was an English Cheshire based Gunsmith. In 1840 he is recorded as having premises at 4 Middle Hillgate Stockport (see page 196 of Brown’s book British Gunmakers Vol.2).This is a single barrel percussion shotgun made C1840. It has a 31” brown wash steel barrel & measures 47 ½” overall. The barrel’s smooth bore has just staining & residue consistent with age and use. The barrel has a small bead fore sight and the rear sight consists of a shallow groove. It has all original walnut stock which has bumps and bruises to be expected with age and use (there is an old contemporary repair to the stock at the rear of the action which can be seen in the images and is totally secure). It has a steel butt plate with extended tang, steel trigger guard with extended tang & Dolphin hammer. Behind the trigger is a rare to find early form grip safety bar (the cocked hammer cannot be fired without the grip safety being pressed at the same time as pulling the trigger). The action plate has foliate engraved decoration and is signed ‘Conway’. The top of the barrel has partially visible ‘Manchester’. The shotgun is complete with wood ramrod which has a brass end cap. It’s cocking and firing actions work crisply. The price includes UK delivery. NB As an antique muzzle loading percussion shotgun no licence is required to own this item in the UK if retained as part of collection or display. Sn 20950

£475.00