I am trying to find out some information on a side by side shotgun that belongs to a friend of mine. It is an exposed hammer gun with back action side locks. The lock plates on both sides have the words "W Richards" on them. I am assuming this stands for Westley Richards. It has a straight grip stock with a steel butt plate. There is no wood on the fore-end, and the lever for breaking the action open is on the fore-end. It pivots 90 degrees to the right to break open the barrels. The gun looks to be quite old. According to my friend it belonged to his father, and he got it when he was fairly young. It has a rust brown finish and is in fair condition. There is a crack in the wrist of the stock, and the half cock notch on the right hammer no longer works very well. He said he has not shot it in about 15 years. The barrels are fluid steel, and the action is still tight. The serial no. is 10XX.
Can anybody tell me if it is in fact a Westley Richards as I suspect, and how old it is? He is also interested in the value although he has no plans to sell it. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark
Can anybody tell me if it is in fact a Westley Richards as I suspect, and how old it is? He is also interested in the value although he has no plans to sell it. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark