American & British 410 Shotguns. Ronald Gabriel

American & British 410 Shotguns

American & British 410 Shotguns - Ronald Gabriel

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market for only three 410s after World War II. It was by then called a 700 series gun, reflecting modest cosmetic advances (see gunmaker chapters).

       Sidelock Guns

      It was not until after World War II that the expensively made bar-action sidelock 410s became well known, mostly catering to the American market. The large majority of Purdey’s hammerless bar-action 410s were manufactured after World War II (see Purdey chapter). Holland & Holland manufactured its first recorded bar-action hammerless sidelock in 1963 (see Holland & Holland chapter). Large majorities of the rare “Best” quality 410s by Westley Richards, Wilkes, and Boss have been manufactured since World War II, again for the American market. The Westley Richards “Best” quality drop-lock is a singular exception in that they made several for export trade to an affluent clientele in India between the two world wars (see Westley Richards chapter).

       Conclusion

      We have seen several transitions in the 410 bore. In England, they had been initially made as a walking stick and then as a back-action hammer sidelock gun. This was followed by the hammerless sidelock and boxlock doubles. There was a corresponding transition from a 2-inch to eventually a 3-inch shell. A further evolution occurred in the quality and in the nature of the action such that the post-World War II era 410s, most of the “Best” 410s of British manufacture, were bar-actions. This is not to say that they did not make a high-quality boxlock 410 for the domestic and export trade, especially by firms such as Webley & Scott, Churchill, Jeffery, and Westley Richards.

      In America, the 410 was introduced as a single-barrel inexpensive gun during and just after World War I. The high-grade double 410s introduced in the middle to late 1920s in America were not manufactured to any significant extent after World War II. Various very well made 410s continue to be available in the American market from several popular manufacturers including Browning, Winchester, Remington, Mossberg, Stevens, and Marlin.

      It was in the early 1950s when Ithaca and Smith ceased their double gun production of all gauges. The Winchester Model 21 410 was introduced after World War II and ceased effective production in the mid-1960s (see Winchester chapter). A Browning over/under, manufactured in Belgium, represented a high quality double and is still being manufactured under special circumstances (see Browning chapter). As in England, the shell progressed from a 2-inch to a 2 1/2-inch, and finally to a 3-inch shell with continued use of a 2 1/2-inch shell in skeet shooting.

      In the following chapters, I will make an effort to detail and summarize existing knowledge of the 410 gauge for various important manufacturers. This will include the American and British firms with additional sections on the Browning Belgium 410. The intent of this book is to provide a substrate of documented and reliable data upon which others can build in the future. The hope is to provide some evidentiary basis for what is otherwise a pure art form of 410 shooting and collecting.

      The final purpose of the book is to persuade the reader that the beauty of shooting a 410, especially for the young, is that the rewards of patience and good form are a broken target and harvested game.

       The Genesis of the 410 Gauge References

      1 There is now emerging evidence that some of these guns were made in a Colt factory established in England.

      THE 410 CARTRIDGE

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      One way of researching the origins of the 410 shotgun is to review the history of the 410 cartridge. The cartridge may have germinated from the old 44-40 caliber rifle cartridge used famously in the Winchester Model 1873, the Winchester Model 1892 lever action, and the

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