Webley and Scott Damasccus shot gun

[T*O*F]

Roamer,
We have provided much documentation, but you have not yet told us EXACTLY how your gun is marked.  Please provide us with that information....close up pictures would be good too.  The simple fact remains that you cannot have a gun dated before the company was formed.   I am thinking you that have a Scott gun rather than a Webley & Scott gun.

[Daryl]

Makes sense, TOF - gotta be a WC Scott, rather than a Webley and Scott. - Same withmy friend's gun. It's been close to 20 years since I fondled it.

[Feltwad]

It looks as though you gun was made by William and Charles Scott 1840-62 and Son 1862-95.Gun and pistol makers of 11, Lench St 1840-41,33 Lench St and 21  Loveday St1842-48,from 1848 to 1895 they were in several establishments which included Shadwell St,Bath St, Bagot St,In 1872 they advertised the manufacture  of Double Cape Rifles and the  Jacob Celebrated rifle.They were also the best known  English shotgun maker in the world market during the late 1800,s with a large market in North America.
Feltwad

[T*O*F]

Would any body have any suggestions of the loads and shot for goose shoot

Another little known fact about English doubles is that they were purpose built.  Most often the purpose could be ascertaned by the engraving on the lockplates showing the specific games species; ie, quail, woodcock, pheasant, ducks, etc.

Guns for close in shooting generally were of smaller bore and regulated at 25 yards with recommended loads, pheasant guns at 40 yards, and waterfowl guns at 70 yards.  There was a corresponding increase in barrel length and weight as well, and rib heighth also varied with purpose.

Loading a quail gun with a goose load and expecting to hit passing waterfowl at 50-70 yards might be an exercise in futility.  They didn't have screw in chokes back then to allow multipurpose use of a shotgun as we do today.

[Dphariss]

All of my findings are from practical use over several decades of shotgun shooting ,W.W.Greeners writings are mostly of the nitro period of early breech loaders .
Feltwad

BP was still widely used when my 1896 Sixth Edition of "The Gun & Its Development" was published.
pgs 528-529:
"Of late years it has been the rule to use large grain-powder, as No.4 or 6; only a few of the most conservative sportsmen retaining the old-fashioned fine-grained powders.
For general use in 12-bore guns the No.6 is too large and not sufficiently quick in its action."
The paragraph that follows this explains that coarse grained powders, like #6, pattern better but can produce lower velocity. "The small grained powders, whilst giving great velocity, generally cause the pellets to scatter much more rapidly..."

C&H #4 from what I can learn, is about like FF Goex and maybe a little coarser than FF Swiss. No.6 is about like FG Goex.

I take this to mean that they do not recommend fine grained powders.

Dan

[Feltwad]

The powders which you refere to in Greeners book are mostly for cartridges ,these would have been loaded for guns with choke boring's ,the powders most common at that period were manufactured by Curtis And Harvey and Pigou,Wilks and Laurence,as I said Greener was mainly for the breech Loader than the muzzle loader,it was his father William Greener who was most associated with the muzzle loader who was in business first at Newcastle Upon Tyne  and Birmingham.
Feltwad

[doug]

     I think if you look closely, that "fire twist" is actually "fine twist"

     I load my 12 guage guns with 80 gr of 2F and 1 oz of shot.  Seems to pattern OK. Velocity around 1100 fps, if my memory is correct.  I think it is a mistake to use too much shot for a given powder charge and leads to poor patterns.  Also think it is important to use a card wad on top of the cushion wad for a good pattern.

[roamer]

OK
Barrel length     31and1/8
gun length         48
name                 W&C SCOTT & SON
Top of wedge    London Fire Twist or Fine Twist