Help identifying shotgun

M

mmcintyre1220

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Tillsonburg, Ontario
Looking for information on this shotgun. I have found similar ones online but nothing exact. Any information would be awesome. Trying to determine what it is and what the value is. I am trying to sell it for a family friend who is in need of money















 
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The maker would be G.B. Orfei and the gun model is called Three Rings (Tre Anelli). It is dated for 1967 manufacture (XXIII).

Marks on the barrels (special steel 44m) and receiver (spearman/Hoplite) seem to be common to sort of pre-made commercial blank guns that many small gunsmiths in Gardone Val Trompia (the centre of the gun trade in Italy, with dozens and dozens of shops) would use as the basis of their output. Small one-man shops wouldn't be doing full custom work, especially if they weren't established smithing families, so pick a barrel set, receiver block, and add engraving and shape the wood.

Ordinary marks are the Gardone proving house (shield), smokeless powder proof, final proof. 12 gauge bores (obviously), 2-3/4" chambers (single star on the smokeless).

Chokes are denoted by stars on the barrels: one is Full and two is a half step down, or Improved Modified.

Does the butt plate have Diana with bow and hound on it?

Double triggers, no ejectors. You have the gun so you'll have to tell us what the barrel length is, whether the stock is cast for a left-handed shooter, or other details.

This doesn't strike me as very elaborate, with minimal decoration, ordinary wood grain; I would guess this wasn't made to order, but rather a workaday shotgun on a ready-made SxS box-lock action. All that said, it probably shoots and handles excellently, but the obscurity of the Orfei name means no huge value.
 
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The info above is spot on. It is a lower grade gun by an obscure maker which will affect value. Because condition looks to be not too bad, I would say around $450.00 give or take depending on the day and the buyer. Just my opinion.
 
red_bailey said:
The maker would be G.B. Orfei and the gun model is called Three Rings (Tre Anelli). It is dated for 1967 manufacture (XXIII).

Marks on the barrels (special steel 44m) and receiver (spearman/Hoplite) seem to be common to sort of pre-made commercial blank guns that many small gunsmiths in Gardone Val Trompia (the centre of the gun trade in Italy, with dozens and dozens of shops) would use as the basis of their output. Small one-man shops wouldn't be doing full custom work, especially if they weren't established smithing families, so pick a barrel set, receiver block, and add engraving and shape the wood.

Ordinary marks are the Gardone proving house (shield), smokeless powder proof, final proof. 12 gauge bores (obviously), 2-3/4" chambers (single star on the smokeless).

Chokes are denoted by stars on the barrels: one is Full and two is a half step down, or Improved Modified.

Does the butt plate have Diana with bow and hound on it?

Double triggers, no ejectors. You have the gun so you'll have to tell us what the barrel length is, whether the stock is cast for a left-handed shooter, or other details.

This doesn't strike me as very elaborate, with minimal decoration, ordinary wood grain; I would guess this wasn't made to order, but rather a workaday shotgun on a ready-made SxS box-lock action. All that said, it probably shoots and handles excellently, but the obscurity of the Orfei name means no huge value.
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Awesome thanks alot for all your help I really appreciate it. I figured it was a lower end Italian made shotgun because it was lacking a known manufacturer . The butt plate does have diana with a bow on it! any significance ? The barrel length is a hair under 30 inch. The stock does not seem to have any cast to it. Overall condition is 9/10 imo with the only issue being a few scratches in the stock ( basically only deep enough to remove the clear coat). The gun itself feels very well made and i defiantly have to shoot it before i sell it. I know it functions well and everything works as it should . I put 2 hulls in with live primers only to test the firing pins, they left very positive strikes with a decent trigger pull.
 
mmcintyre1220 said:
The butt plate does have diana with a bow on it! any significance ?
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Of course; Diana is a huntress and going back to classical times is nearly always depicted with a bow, and often with hunting hounds. (Hounds play a gruesome part in the tale of Artemis and Actæon [Aktaion]; Artemis being the predecessor in Greek myth to Diana.) The attributes of bow, quiver, spear, hound, and stag can be found on coins 2.400 years old with the female figure of Diana (if anybody wants to discuss ancient coins, I'm up for it). She is a frequent nude subject in Renaissance art, still with bow and hound, if you want to have a peek.

I digress; the butt plate is another off-the-shelf part you may find used by other shops in the area at the time.

The career of the Orfei shop seems to have been short-lived, given that it is pretty Google-proof. He would have apprenticed as a young man under another gunsmith, and eventually hung up a shingle on his own shop, but there is no continuing family legacy. He probably couldn't make a go independently, and got hired on at the Beretta factory for instance.

The Gardone Proof House will have records of the various registered craftsmen, but I don't know if they offer a provenance service. Speaking Italian and paying a fee might be involved…

I did manage to find this twin of your gun (serials 114 numbers apart), but it's just a guy looking for information and not getting any replies. Hey, he's got a picture of the Diana medallion on the butt!

I was going to say $600 for the gun on a good day, but that was before I saw all the safe kisses on the wood. Nobody likes those. The $450 is a good valuation. Even though you can't fill in a matching hard high-gloss finish, maybe you can down-play them with a little rub on the scratches with extra fine steel wool and an application of linseed oil?
 
red_bailey said:
Of course; Diana is a huntress and going back to classical times is nearly always depicted with a bow, and often with hunting hounds. (Hounds play a gruesome part in the tale of Artemis and Actæon [Aktaion]; Artemis being the predecessor in Greek myth to Diana.) The attributes of bow, quiver, spear, hound, and stag can be found on coins 2.400 years old with the female figure of Diana (if anybody wants to discuss ancient coins, I'm up for it). She is a frequent nude subject in Renaissance art, still with bow and hound, if you want to have a peek.

I digress; the butt plate is another off-the-shelf part you may find used by other shops in the area at the time.

The career of the Orfei shop seems to have been short-lived, given that it is pretty Google-proof. He would have apprenticed as a young man under another gunsmith, and eventually hung up a shingle on his own shop, but there is no continuing family legacy. He probably couldn't make a go independently, and got hired on at the Beretta factory for instance.

The Gardone Proof House will have records of the various registered craftsmen, but I don't know if they offer a provenance service. Speaking Italian and paying a fee might be involved…

I did manage to find this twin of your gun (serials 114 numbers apart), but it's just a guy looking for information and not getting any replies. Hey, he's got a picture of the Diana medallion on the butt!

I was going to say $600 for the gun on a good day, but that was before I saw all the safe kisses on the wood. Nobody likes those. The $450 is a good valuation. Even though you can't fill in a matching hard high-gloss finish, maybe you can down-play them with a little rub on the scratches with extra fine steel wool and an application of linseed oil?
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Thanks again for more of your information i really appreciate it. Yes i know the scratches take away from the value. I want to sell it as is so the seller knows what he is getting. The scratches are just into the clear but it sure makes it look bad. I myself would redo the stock if i was to keep it . Very interesting gun , not sure if i want to buy it for myself now lol.
 
A modest Italian double but the metal work looks very good condition, and it appears that no idiot has messed with the screws.
I think the valuation of $450 is about as good as it might get, given the unknown maker. It is proofed for modern cartridges, but not the optional reinforced proof. I would be tempted to open the choke of the right barrel to IC or Light Modified for upland hunting.
With the white line spacers removed, and refinished stock with a little darker stain, this would be a first class working gun. I think this type of gun has more merit than the new crop of CZ shotguns.
 
saskbooknut said:
I would be tempted to open the choke of the right barrel to IC or Light Modified for upland hunting.
With the white line spacers removed, and refinished stock with a little darker stain, this would be a first class working gun. I think this type of gun has more merit than the new crop of CZ shotguns.
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Yes, this is likely a reliable gun that will give many years of hunting use. As mentioned, if one wanted to open up the one barrel and do a refinishing to the stock, it would be a pretty nice working field gun with not a big bunch of money invested. And yes, every bit equal to or better than the entry level SxS's being offered new.
If one wanted, I would try using some mild rubbing compound and some Howards Feed & Wax on the stock as a lot of those scratches might disappear.
 
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