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9 comments

Date Votes
  • nord
    All are trade guns. The first with back-action locks is almost certainly an antique, but it can't be proved.

    The others?

    If Damascus tubes then probably antique, but again unprovable as records do not exist.

    So the answer is no. C&R's, but not antiques under our laws.
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  • 11b6r
    W. Richards is an effort to cash in on the Westley Richards name. These are listed in the Sears catalog at the turn of the century (about 1906 IIRC) so, no, they were still being made after the date.

    Do not think any of the 3 can be proven to be antiques- so they would go as C&R as you listed. Without serial numbers, if the maker was still making shotguns after the date, I don't think you can prove your were BEFORE the date.
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  • rhmc24
    As others say, no proof of when. The Richards is very likely from earliest breech loading period from type 'bottom swing' breech latch. The middle one is probably early 1900s. The Royal Gun Works is almost identical to my grandfather's that he bought used in 1886. Actually a very good quality gun that I shot hundreds of times in the 1930s before it became dangerous to shoot smokeless in damascus barrels. Still in the family.
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  • David Nunn
    I had a feller trying HARD to get me to sell him the W. Richards direct, claiming it is an antique. I asked him for proof, and all he had was a patent date on another W. Richards shotgun.
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  • slumlord44
    You could do it, but if questions come up, you had best be prepared to prove date of manufacture is before, I believe it is 1895. I have a C&R and have the same problem of being able to prove the gun is over 50 years old. As you are an FFL, I would never do it unless I could prove it.
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  • v35
    The W.Richards is a Belgian gun and not a Westley Richards at all.
    All the guns appear to have been fired with smokeless as can be evidenced by the gap between barrel and breech from stretching.
    The last one has a homemade trigger guard and a split barrel that had once been nicely repaired with solder and reseparated.
    These are decorator guns that should be made inoperable.
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  • David Nunn
    I never called the W. Richards a Westley Richards, and am aware of the subterfuge. I also know full well that the three guns are decorators, not to be fired, and have advertised them as such.

    As little as I have in them, if they don't sell, they may wind up on the wall here.
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  • He Dog
    So we can conclude you are the only antique in the bunch Nunn?
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  • Grasshopper
    I like the "Buffalo nickel" one![:)]..Quite a piece of decor.
    nambu
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