Durs Egg percussion

[Robin Hewitt]

There are a lot of percussion guns with Egg's name on them, unlike most I think this one might have been made before he died. Serial number 832.

It has unusual (downright whacky) features but the overall appearance is Eggy apart from the trigger bow.

The breeching lights to the centre, shades of Nock. Overly complicated is good, he's not sure what works best, hasn't been sorted out yet. 



The damascus twist looks like Egg but the foresight is odd.



The bridles are designed to key in to the woodwork and stop the locks moving back. Egg was no fan of percussion, "If I were to kick a fellow out of my shop, would he go off so strong on his legs as if I allowed him to walk out?"

Underneath those clunky looking bridles are perfectly sculpted friction free mechanisms.

The main springs fit inside the stirrups, as would a foot. Anyone seen that before?



Platinum pinhole vents and platinum wear plates under the barrels at the breech end. Premium grade, smoky grain walnut.



 Problem is the date... Durs became blind in 1822 and died in 1831. Forced out of retirement when he lost his fortune in a disasterous airship venture with Pauly, is this gun credible to have come out of his shop pre-1831 and have the masters approval? Bear in mind that he went insane towards the end, thought anyone who appoached him was going to attack, took to carrying a brace of pistols. His will was contested on the grounds of insanity and overturned.

I have sought expert opinion, so far one Yes, one No 

Edit: Forgot to mention, has D Egg on both locks and his "D Egg London" (plus usual arrows and stars) in gold on the top rib

[Daryl]

Lovely, odd, but lovely.

[westbj2]

Robin,
This foresight is on a Charles Lancaster gun.  It like your Egg has several other odd features. 
Jim Westberg

[Mike Brooks]

Didn't Egg have a Son in the gun business? His name escapes me at the moment. That gun could have easily came out of the Egg shop at that date and Egg Sr. having nothing to do with it. Who ever the foreman was in that shop was probably as skilled as Egg and could have easily overseen a shop turning out that quality of material.
I've always figured the signature of the man on those fine english guns had very little to do with the manufacture of it other than supply the shop and pay  employees to build the product. If you take a look at the ledgers out of those old gun shops you'll find all the top gunmakers were using many of the same top notch specialists to do the various jobs associated with getting a gun all put together.

[Warner]

Mike
Do you have any info on Wm Moore shotguns ? I have gotten interested in them due to the family name.So far all I've gotten is confused,w/all the trade name guns and Wm Larkin.

[Mike Brooks]

Nope, sorry Warner. I sold all my english gun books of that era a few years ago. I'm sure somebody here has some info.

[Robin Hewitt]

Didn't Egg have a Son in the gun business? His name escapes me at the moment.

I think there were three. Joseph was the most innovative, there's a genuine photo of Charles as Master of the Gunmaker's Company, and there was Henry.

Durs did make percussion and came through the "innovate or die" perid in the eight-teens. But could he have beeen alive when this was made. Nobody pinched his name 'til after he was dead.

The pineapple is round but still has leaves.

The weirdness makes me think it has to be very early for it's type, Joseph is a distinct possibility and so is the foreman 

This foresight is on a Charles Lancaster gun.  It like your Egg has several other odd features. 

Interesting, is that Charles Lancaster active 1826-45 or his son Charles William Lancaster?

[C Wallingford]

I know where there is a neat little 20 Ga. made by Joseph Egg. A beautiful piece and it shoots great.

[westbj2]

Robin,
I think it likely was Charles himself who made the gun.  SN is 1732 which puts it circa 1840-45.  The barrels are marked " C. L. ".  It had a small horn forend tip reminicent of a much later cartridge gun.  Also has only one ramrod thimble with no evidence of another ever being there.  It is located about 1/2 way between where the two normal ones would be.  It is marked "2" on the barrels and butt plate so there is a mate somewhere.
I had not seen this foresight arrangement before.  How common is it?
Once had a single rifle by Wilkinson ca 1835 that had even more of this wierd sort of thing.
Seems that by the mid 1840's convention took over and most of the "funny" stuff disappeared

[JV Puleo]

Joseph Egg was a nephew. I had a pair of Joseph Egg duelers with the serial number 1001. It turns out that thats the number he started with! (One of my oldest friends has them now).
In any case, the double looks good to me. The only tiny reservation I have is that about the time it was being made there were several Birmingham makers, quite as good as the best London makers, that would make fake "used" guns because a used Manton or Egg would bring more than a new "Joe Blow" no matter how well made it was. These guns are almost impossible to detect because the quality is there and they knew all about serial numbers and proper markings. I seem to remember a story about Keith Neal saying he'd seen some that quite stumped him...they looked right but something was just a little off.