2066

TRULY SUPERB, HIGH ORIGINAL CONDITION, HENRY ATKIN

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:6,000.00 USD Estimated At:12,000.00 - 18,000.00 USD
TRULY SUPERB, HIGH ORIGINAL CONDITION, HENRY ATKIN
HAMMER DOUBLE RIFLE WITH ORIGINAL OAK & LEATHER CASE & A FINE ARRAY OF ORIGINAL ACCESSORIES. Cal. 450 BPE. S# 400. Bbl. 28 1/8". Amongst the London gun makers, the name Henry Atkin may not be as well known as some of the others, but the guns & rifles he produced are some of the finest ever built. Almost all of his production was of "best" quality. This early rifle (circa 1891) has 28 1/8" steel barrels w/ Metford rifling. Top rib is of laminated steel & fitted with 1 standing 2 nested folding leaf express rear sight marked for 100, 200 & 250 yds. & silver bead front. Top of rib is engraved "Henry Atkin (FROM PURDEY'S) 18 Oxendon St. Haymarket, London". Barrel flats are stamped with London black powder proofs for 450 cal. Bottoms of barrels are stamped with serial number & makers initials "HS". A sling eye is soldered midway along bottom rib. Round bodied case hardened Jones underlever action is fitted with isolated backspring rebounding locks with front sliding stalking safeties. Locks are fitted with tall round bodied serpentine hammers. Action is well filed around fences & features side clips. Action & locks are engraved with near full coverage miniscule shaded scroll within small scroll borders. There's a circular burst of scroll on bottom of action. "Henry Atkin" is in scrolled rib & on each lockplate. Trigger guard has a checkered spur to form a slight pistol grip. Serial number is at the bottom of grip. Dark somewhat fiddle figured & nicely mottled European walnut straight grip buttstock measures 14 5/8" over checkered & engraved steel buttplate with short top spur. Stock features beaded shadowline right hand cheekpiece & point pattern grip checkering. A sling eye & vacant silver oval are on toeline. Matching splinter forend has Anson release. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: gun is housed in its original oak & leather case with brass corners & central medallion. Top of case is embossed "A.W.M.". An old shipping label is also on case which reads "Per Goods Train" "A.W. Merry Esq." "Belladrum" "Beauly Station" "Highland Railway" "Via Lockerbie & Dunkeld". Interior is lined in scarlet cloth with gold embossed Germyn St. "Henry Atkin" label in lid. Bottom compartment holds unmarked square oil bottle, bullet mold by Greenfield for .450 conical bullet which is complete with matching rosewood handled pins for casting both hollow point & round point bullets, ebony handled striker key, horn handled .450 cal. German silver chamber brush, brass bullet fixer by Hawksley, Purdey marked .450 cal. broken cartridge extractor, ebony wad rammer, .450 cal. double handled brass & blued steel capper & decapper, ebony handled turnscrew, ebony handled powder measure & brass cleaning rod marked "Greenfield" patent with rotating head. Also included is a green & red box of 5 Kynoch .450 3 1/4" black powder express cartridges. CONDITION: exceptionally fine. Barrels retaining over 90% original blue with some silvering on sharp edges & around muzzles & a few scattered minor marks. The streaking of the laminated steel rib is evident. Action retains 80-90% original case hardening color, silvered mostly around bottom from normal hand wear & on sharp edges. Locks & hammers retain approximately 95% of their original color. Case hardening on trigger guard is silvered at grip. Buttplate retains a considerable amount of original blue but with considerable loss due to flaking. Stocks retain nearly all of what appears to be original oil finish, perhaps with a bit of added oil as maintenance. Checkering is lightly worn & there are a few scattered marks & dings. Forend shows a bit more wear & a few minor bumps from being rested on some support while being fired. Bores are excellent, bright & shiny throughout with a few minor pits toward breech end of right barrel. Action is tight, barrels are on face, locks are crisp, safeties work. Case leather is still relatively light in color but has a number of bumps & marks & some minor scuffs & most likely has a protective layer of shellac. Original straps & handle are good, interior cloth is fine with a couple patches of minor insect damage in lid with some soiling & compressions in bottom compartment. Accessories are generally fine to very fine. Rifles from this period are not uncommon, but many saw considerable use. Examples with the quality & condition exhibited by this rifle & its accessories seldom come to market. (01-18141/MGM27). ANTIQUE. $12,000-18,000.