w richards london laminated stock help?

owensgreg

owensgreg

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hello I am new to the site and I just got a old gun that was passed down from my father and the rear stock is basically falling apart, the trigger guard is broken, minor damage to the front stock and the barrel has some pitting and a crack in one barrel.. between the barrels it is stamped "W Richards London laminated steel"
under the barrel there are some stamps that look like two crossing swords or possibly axes? with a larger dot on top possibly a crown and a smaller maybe "v" shaped dot placed between the swords. there are also a couple numbers stamped where this symbol is and they are "98 5 9" with spaces about that far apart. all these stamps are on the action under the break of the barrels.. on the action itself it has a very introcate carvings and designs which are also on the barrel, on the side of the action above the triggers there are two birds flying along with other designs and a banner that reads "W-Richards". I picked it up today(from the guy that was holding onto it for me, long story short dad passed away someone was asked to hold it till i could legally own it, guy moved away I recently got my pal and arranged a pickup)anyways i've done a little bit of research and know its not a Wesley Richards but can't find much else out, i'd like to be able to find out how old it actually is what is could be worth not that i'd ever sell it but MOST importantly i want to have it fixed i don't care about firing it I just want it too look better and possibly mount it for display. any help or advice would be greatly appreciated
 
No, the gun won't be a Westley Richards but here is a short blurb taken from the net.

"There is also a British W. Richards which has been located in Liverpool for most of its history, but was founded in London and may have operated an office there later. They made shotguns and sold guns made by others under their name. The name is still in use, under a new owner. http://www.wrichardsguns.co.uk/ "

Your gun does not have Belgian proof marks so it could very well be by the above maker. Too bad about the condition as it holds little value in its present condition. The cracked barrel is a major problem. However, if you just want it fixed up to "look better" as a wall hanger the barrel really won't be an issue. Fixing up a gun or restoring is very expensive if you are paying. In this case though, it depends on how far you want to go and how accurate you want to be as far as making it look better. Prices could vary widely depending on what and how well you want it done. Can you post pics?
 
Basically just like to have the stock fixed and possibly a new trigger guard. Dont really care about the value its a beautiful gun and the sentimental value is huge for me.. any ideas or info on a possible new rear stock and trigger gaurd?
 
Thanks for the link the proof marks look identical to number 32 on appendix d of the british military firearms from 1650-1850. The legend says it was a proofmark made after 1812
 
From your description it is a Birmingham proof mark used from 1812 to 1904. Are there any other marks or writing on the barrels or barrel flats such as "not for ball" or the word choke or a diamond with 12/c (or different gauge number) inside it?
 
Cant figure out how to post the pictures? And the only writing on the gun that I have found is the proof mark that looks like two crossing swords with the crown above and a v below which are located under the barrel with the hinge open. The mark is on both sides under each barrel. On one side it also has the numbers "98 5 9" stamped a bit further up under the barrel.. on the top rib between the barrels it is etched W-Richards London Laminated Steel.. other than that the only other writing is the W-Richards etched in the banner
 
Another possibility is that the gun was made in the US and the barrels were shipped in the white which might explain why it just has inspection marks. Besides there also being guns made in Belgium marked W. Richards (besides english marked W. Richards guns), I read that there were also guns made in the US that were stamped W. Richards. How accurate this info is I don't know.
 
Need a GOOD in-focus shot of the crossed sceptres, please. I have the London and Birmingham Proof Houses list of dates and codes right here in front of me -w we might be able to tie it down.

tac
 
Where is the crack in the barrel that you mentioned? Also the laminated term on the upper rib means that the gun has damascus barrrels and implies that you would be wise to stick with black powder loads or low pressure smokeless loads. The trigger guard you might be able to find at a gun show if you are really lucky although it probably would not be for a W Richards. For the stock, why not try making one out of fir yourself. If it turns out well enough you could make a walnut one but I would practice on a less expensive wood first

cheers mooncoon
 
The stamp is a crown and crossed sceptres .
William Richards built some fine firearms but also built many economy guns for the colonies as did many of the English shops.
many of these had OEM Belgium made barrels , with the gun proofed in Britain, but in those cases they would be stamped " not English made".
BTW I noticed that the hammers do not match either , which would indicate that the gun had been worked on before, for what that is worth! :)if you do not want yo shoot it, I 'm sure dome careful gluing could fix it up and like Mooncoon said, you may be able to pick up a trigger guard at a show.
Cat
 
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