Product Details
PURDEY
A .500 / .450 (NO.1 EXPRESS) ROTARY-UNDERLEVER DOUBLE HAMMER RIFLE, serial no. 8652,
for 1872, 27 1/8in. replacement black powder only barrels (circa 1890, serial no. 1936) with finely file cut raised rib engraved 'DANL. FRASER & COY. 4 LEITH ST. TERRACE. EDINBURGH.', open sights with one folding leaf sight marked 100 and 200, ramped bead fore-sight with flip-up moonsight, carved percussion fences with side clips, partially replaced top tang fitted with a folding adjustable peep sight (original sight removed and with wooden insert at hand), rebounding back-action island locks with bolted flat side dolphin hammers, long guard lever pattern underlever with integral pistolgrip, fine acanthus scroll engraving, retaining very slight traces of original colour-hardening, 14 3/4in. figured stock with cheekpiece, sling eyes and including 7/8in. (distressed) recoil pad, oval escutcheon engraved 'EM from DCM 1872', weight 9lb. 9oz.
Provenance: The makers have kindly provided us with the following information:
No. 8652
Completed: 1872
For: Sir D. Marjoribanks
Description: A centrefire double hammer rifle
Weight: 9lb. 50z.
Calibre: 40-bore
Barrels: 29in.
Stock: 14 3/8in.
Notes:
Long guard lever
According to contemporary regulation ledgers, 40-bore rifles were chambered for .500 (3in. BPE) with papered cases
Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth, Laird of Guisachan and Glenaffric (1820 - 1894) was a Scottish businessman and politician, sitting in the House of Commons as a Liberal MP for Berwick-Upon-Tweed from 1853 to 1880 before being elevated to the peerage as Baron Tweedmouth. A keen sportsman he leased the highland deer forest of Guisachan for some years before eventually buying it outright. It was here that he had the large kennels where he was directly responsible for developing a new breed of dog - the Golden Retriever, in 1868.
The escutcheon on the gun is likely to refer to the gun being gifted to his son, Edward Marjoribanks in 1872, the year before his marriage to Lady Fanny Spencer-Churchill (daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough and aunt of Sir Winston Churchill).
With the kind permission of Diggory Hadoke, editor of The Vintage Gun Journal, please see HERE for an article all about the history of the rifle and its return to Guisachan one hundred and twenty years after its first appearance
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Estimate £5,000-7,000
S1 - Sold as a Section 1 Firearm under the 1968 Firearms Act