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Product Details
E. J. CHURCHILL
A 12-BORE 'UTILITY XXV' EASY-OPENING BOXLOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 5955,
for 1937, 25in. nitro reproved barrels (in 1993), matt Churchill-rib gold-inlaid 'XXV' and '1' at the breech end, the tubes re-engraved 'E.J. CHURCHILL (GUNMAKERS) LTD. ORANGE ST. GUNWORKS. LEICESTER SQUARE. LONDON', 2 1/2in. chambers, bored approx. imp. cyl. and 1/4 choke, treble-grip action with hidden third bite, slender fences, toplever gold-inlaid '1', automatic safety with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' detail, Edwin Smith patent easy-opening system, patent no. 372035 of 19th March 1931, acanthus scroll engraving with floral bouquets, the sides with 'E. J. CHURCHILL' in scrolling banners, the underside with 'REGAL MODEL' and gold-inlaid 'XXV', retaining traces of colour-hardening and finish, 15 1/4in. stock including 1in. wooden extension, weight 6lb. 1oz., in a canvas case
Provenance: A letter from the makers (supplied with the Lot, together with a copy of the page from the record books) confirms that gun No. 5955 was completed on the 13th December 1937 as number one of a pair of 12-bore Utility XXV Easy-Opening guns, for a B. Reynolds Esq., Druids Lodge Salisbury.
Other Notes: The discrepancy between the records and the model name appearing on the floorplate is explained in Don Masters 'The House of Churchill', Chapter 9, 'A Time For Change'.
Pre-War, the Utility Model, available with the self-opening system was the second highest grade of boxlock (bar the 'Featherweight') available after the Hercules Model.
After the War, the term 'Utility' having been extensively used as a term by the government for 'functional but not pleasing to the eye', was felt to be slightly negative in connotation, so the model range was re-branded as 'The Regal'. Don Masters writes "When the name of the Utility changed after the war, some customers who had purchased the later Utility easy-opening guns became dissatisfied, and Robert Churchill agreed to smooth out the name Utility on the cover plates of their guns and re-engrave them with the name Regal. This is the reason why, upon occasion, a Regal easy-opening boxlock comes up for sale"
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Estimate £700-900
S2 - Sold as a Section 2 Firearm under the 1968 Firearms Act