Charles Lancaster .500ex Oval bore singleshot

[rigbymauser]

An english gundealer send me these photos of an attic find near London.

Lancaster rifles with oval bore above .450cal are rare. Here is a real piece untouched from the victorian era. Maybe the last shot from this rifle was fired in the 1880s-1890s. I am a big sucker for this "junk". It creates walletdamages...

 

[Tom Leoni]

Uuuh.... Martini (drool).

 

[Red Leg]

Makes me bitter and unhappy just looking at it.

 

[R.M.C.]

That's quite an attic find lol its frickin beautiful

 

[Caldix]

Hi, it’s been a while since you posted this SB Lancaster oval bore. I came across your post when ‘googling’ Lancaster “oval bore” and “wraps”, for a 1873 DB Lancaster cf 14 (yes, fourteen) bore DB rifle smoothbore 2nd patent. The provenance I got from Lancaster mentions “1½ in. WRAPS shell ball 2½ ins. Case”. I was lucky enough to score in the same auction a 14-bore HP (= “shell”) bullet mould with the same serial number. Bullets from this mould could be pushed with little force through the barrels, so I assumed bullets to be paper patched, and I’m glad to see my assumption confirmed from the “Instructions for Loading Cartridges for Breechloading Rifle” in the lid of your gun case, so thank you.

I’m used to paper-patching bullets for some other oldies, but the “1½ in.” doesn’t make sense: for two layers of papers, this is to short, and as for the depth of the patch this is too long. I found here in France some dozen cardboard 14-bore cartridge cases and are about to make me some ammo, but will have to improvise on the paper patch.

 

[analog_peninsula]

Stunning. An item of real beauty.

 

[rookhawk]

An english gundealer send me these photos of an attic find near London.

Lancaster rifles with oval bore above .450cal are rare. Here is a real piece untouched from the victorian era. Maybe the last shot from this rifle was fired in the 1880s-1890s. I am a big sucker for this "junk". It creates walletdamages...

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I'm a few years late to the post but wanted to compliment the Lancaster. I'm a huge fan of his guns and rifles, having owned several over the years.

To armchair quarterback your gun, it's a really pristine example. If it were mine, I'd do three things to it: 1.) Professionally clean the gun, removing a lot of the surface oxidation and grime, minimizing any surface rust. (that gun will shine up to 95% condition). 2.) I'd put a new S.W. Silvers pad on it just like the existing one. 3.) I'd have the case professionally rebuilt, lift the labels, relay new baize, reinstall the original labels, clean all the tools, put all the tools in pouches, refit them back to the restored case.

In short, conserve the gun, restore the case. Nothing good happens to wonderful guns with lots of original tools shuffling around in a compromised case.

Total cost for the above tasks: $700? Value increase to this remarkable gun for the effort put forth? $3500? Loss of originality to the gun itself? zero. (the gun had a steel plate removed when the silvers pad was installed, so you're not un-originalizing the gun with a replacement pad)

Overall, probably the nicest single shot oval bore martini I've seen.

 

[Caldix]

If 'rigbymauser' has been so fortunate as to acquire this perfect cased Martini Lancaster, I should add the suggestion to mail to Lancaster for providence. Apart from the DB smoothbore in the pic I posted (with another pic attached), that belonged to an Indian Maharajah, I've been able in the past, on the basis of providence from the makers, to link a 10-bore H&H Paradox to a British Captain and his sporting adventures in Somali land, as well as A 43-bore Purdey DB rifle to another British officer in India and his adventures with the gun. Finally, to be quite honest, I am no great fan of 'restauration', prefer preservation.

 

[Caldix]

As you would have guessed, 'providence' should of course be PROVENANCE.
In my opinion always the first reflex after acquiring a firearm of one of the great gunmakers should be to try to get provenance. May cost a bit (or a bundle) but it makes the gun so much more interesting.