This fine shotgun is truly a piece of living history, originally built in 1897 for the Marquess of Zetland, Lawrence Dundas. Gun No. 15948, had originally been created as the second gun in a pair and had been ordered as an unusual and highly valued model, Back Action Ejector Hammerguns. These guns stayed with the Dundas family until 1937 when the guns were sold to a Count O’Brien, little can be told of the new owners, as the records we have access to show precious little on the name. Past 1937 the histories become quite foggy, as it is noted that recoil pads had been fitted upon the new sale and there is no mention until the 1960’s, where Gun 1 of the pair had been sold again through James Purdey & Sons, thusly splitting the two guns. Eventually Gun No. 15948 found her way to her most recent owner, by the initials LCT, and through this new ownership likely received the majority of her unrecorded alterations, all of which intended to restore what had been lost over a century of use.
Now to condition, Gun No. 15948 is in excellent overall condition, she has received an new stock, so gone is the silvers pad and instead a finely grained stock of walnut with a beautifully checkered butt, in the traditional manner. The years of use had likely weighed heavily upon the barrels, and as such they were sleeved to return them to their original condition. internally, this gun is practically perfect, the ejectors are still perfectly timed and the triggers break cleanly with little effort. The wear to be found on Gun No.15948 is light to moderate, showing some use after her alterations, with a few light bruises to the stock and mild wear around the muzzle from cleaning.