Product Details
CHARLES LANCASTER, LONDON
A RARE AND IMPORTANT EX. PATTERN ROOM COLLECTION EXPERIMENTAL .577 PERCUSSION OVAL-BORE TRIALS RIFLE, serial no. 4,
fully provenanced from the 1862 rifle trials, with 39in. oval-bored barrel signed 'LANCASTER'S PATENT' at breech and '151 NEW BOND ST'T LONDON' forwards of the rear-sight, block and blade fore-sight, 800 yard lader rear-sight, London proofs as a '25-bore' at breech, solid top-tang, borderline engraved bar-action lock and hammer, the bar signed 'C. LANCASTER', walnut three-quarter stock of Pattern '53 type with brass furniture, the heel-plate numbered '4' on the spur and with a Pattern Room inventory number painted to the toe, three iron barrel-bands and iron jag-ended ramrod, strong traces of finish throughout and together with an extensive file of research on the rifle together with a copy of the original receipt of purchase from the Pattern Room dated 1983 and a copy of the entry for rifle number '5' from the Enfield Pattern Room catalogue
Other Notes: Despite a good showing during the trials, the Board eventually rejected the Lancaster submission on the grounds that whilst proving extremely accurate, changing trends were leaning towards smaller calibres and breech loading. This was Lancaster's last attempt to get a rifle adopted by the Board of Ordnance. This particular rifle is number '4' of the five rifles originally supplied
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Estimate £3,000-5,000