Richard 28 ga shotgun

[moenl]

I have recently aquired my dad's old 28 ga. hammer shotgun. He got the gun from an uncle when he was 12 years old, around 1930. He never knew the origin or age of the gun, but always wondered. The name on the receiver just says RICHARD. Under the barrels, it has the oval with the letters E over LG, and it also has the crown on top of the oval. There is a number between the barrels of 3971G. On top of the barrels, between them it says Belgium Laminated Steel.
Does anyone know the age or origin of this shotgun? Is it a true laminated steel barrel?
Thanks for any information you could provide.

 

[chevyforlife21]

it sounds like a off maker as there were many especially with that serial number i once had a old tobin shotgun that was a off maker with only a 4 digit serial like you described 1890 yet it looked 5 years old. as for the laminate part that is referring to the gun not being made of Damascus steel.

 

[Jim Watson]

Well, it is obviously Belgian made, the ELG proof mark shows that.

As to the Richard brand name, it was the custom of cheap makers on the Continent to fudge well known British names to get their advertising value.

Laminated steel is different from Damascus only in the fine details of construction and appearance. It is not what most folks now consider adequately strong and safe to shoot with smokeless loads, maybe not at all.

 

[Jim K]

Several Belgian makers used variations of famous English names. "Richard" and "Richards" were intended to make the buyer think he was getting a product of the famous Westley Richards. Other names used were "W.W. Greene" for W.W. Greener, "Webbley" for Webley, and the like.

Those guns were made to a price in Liege and imported into the US by the ton in the 1880-1914 era. Some were reasonably well made, but over the years most have been worn out and are dangerous to fire. Most had Damascus barrels of low quality, and aside from any other problems, that alone would make them dangerous to fire.

There is no collector value, though sometimes they bring a few dollars as decorators for display over the mantel or in a "Western" theme restaurant.

Jim

 

[moenl]

Thanks for the info, it will remain a keepsake to me, and my family. The old gun has taken its share of Phesants, back in the 50's and 60's. It is now officially retired.

 

[oneounceload]

If you have a qualified gunsmith who knows old SxS, you could have him check it out to see whether it is shootable or not. IF it is in good condition it MAY be able to be fired using low-pressure loads from folks like Polywad or RST - but, again, ONLY after it has been checked and given a clean bill of health

OR, depending on barrel wall thickness, it could be rebored and sleeved to allow shooting....

OR you might be able to get a set of 410 tubes installed and use them

 

[Jim K]

I could be wrong, as I certainly have been often enough, but I think it would be a fair bet that if moenl had the barrels lined, it would cost him many times what the gun is worth.

People talk a lot about lining barrels, but there is a dilemma. If the gun is valuable enough to be a collectors' item, lining the barrels will decrease the value. If it is an inexpensive gun in average or worse condition, it is not worth spending that kind of money on.

Jim