C. G. BONEHILL SPECIAL BB LONDON DAMASCUS
On the forearm:
41996 Patent No. 2323
On the receiver:
41996 Patent No. 3718 1877 "2 Crossed Swords Symbols"
Underside of the barrels:
41996 12 12B Choke 12M Choke ChokeR 3 LC R "Crossed Swords and Roses"
Top of barrels:
C. G. BONEHILL SPECIAL BB LONDON DAMASCUS
It appears to be in fair condition. The forearm has the "checkered" type of engraving I have seen on other C. G. BONEHILL's that are pictured on the internet.
The stock has a pistol type grip; but there is no engraving. The butt plate has about 7/8 inch missing on the lower part. The stock has a piece missing on the underside; next to the trigger area, it is about 2 inches long and varies in depth from 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch.
I have cleaned all the metal parts with oil and tried to wipe off the years of accumulated dirt. The barrels are brown on the outside and appear to be in good condition. There are a few minor dings but this is to be expected for a gun that is this old. The bores on both barrels are remarkable good looking. With just a little cleaning; they have polished up good. I don't see any pits on the barrels anywhere.
Could someone please provide?
Approximate year this gun was made.
Approximate value based on the information I have provided.
Advise-Should I fix the broken butt plate, the chipped piece in the stock or reblue the barrels.
Thanks in advance,
Aftertime
41996 Patent No. 2323
On the receiver:
41996 Patent No. 3718 1877 "2 Crossed Swords Symbols"
Underside of the barrels:
41996 12 12B Choke 12M Choke ChokeR 3 LC R "Crossed Swords and Roses"
Top of barrels:
C. G. BONEHILL SPECIAL BB LONDON DAMASCUS
It appears to be in fair condition. The forearm has the "checkered" type of engraving I have seen on other C. G. BONEHILL's that are pictured on the internet.
The stock has a pistol type grip; but there is no engraving. The butt plate has about 7/8 inch missing on the lower part. The stock has a piece missing on the underside; next to the trigger area, it is about 2 inches long and varies in depth from 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch.
I have cleaned all the metal parts with oil and tried to wipe off the years of accumulated dirt. The barrels are brown on the outside and appear to be in good condition. There are a few minor dings but this is to be expected for a gun that is this old. The bores on both barrels are remarkable good looking. With just a little cleaning; they have polished up good. I don't see any pits on the barrels anywhere.
Could someone please provide?
Approximate year this gun was made.
Approximate value based on the information I have provided.
Advise-Should I fix the broken butt plate, the chipped piece in the stock or reblue the barrels.
Thanks in advance,
Aftertime
0
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The following information was ommitted on my previous message:
I have a C. G. Bonehill 10 gauge with exposed hammers. Here are the numbers:0 -
BONEHILL,C.G....Trade name used by H & D. Folsom on shotguns made by Crescent Fire Arms Company...No Collector Value...As discribed is Worth $50.00 as a parts Gun...In Shooting Condition....Maybe $200.00.....
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0 -
With all due respect for the Captain and his limitless knowledge (and database), I have found a bit more to add to this mix. These are the Bonehills that I'm familiar with:
Name C G Bonehill
Other Names C G Bonehill Ltd
Address 1 33 Charlotte Street
Address 2 Belmont Firearms Works, Belmont Row
City/Town Birmingham
Country United Kingdom
Trade Gun & Rifle Maker
Other Address Morville Street; Price Street?
Dates 1872-1965
Notes:
Christopher George Bonehill was born in 1831, son of a manufacturing ironmonger. He was apprenticed from about 1844 to 1851 to a Mr Aston (possibly William Aston & Co).
He established his own firm in 1851, but it was only in 1872 that he was recorded at 33 Charlotte Street with a factory in Morville Street.
In 1873 he moved the whole business to the Belmont Firearms Works, Belmont Row. It was probably about this time that the firm were appointed contractors to Her Majesty's War Department.
C G Bonehill was a Guardian of The Birmingham Proof House.
In 1880 he patented a shotgun action and stocks (No.1952).
In 1884 he registered four patents, No. 8469 covered barrels, No. 8471 covered a shotgun, and No.12586 taken out jointly with A J Simpson covered a shotgun.
In 1877 patent No. 3718 covered a shotgun action and in 1878 patent No. 2323 also covered a shotgun action.
In 1888 No.7823 covered double barrel breech actions and safety catches.
At about this time Thomas Naughton worked for the firm, he left in 1887 to join Holloway & Co as manager.
In 1895, patent No.12578 with A Tunstall covered a Martini action with a detachable barrel. There may have been another patent for a .22 conversion.
Virtually nothing is known about the firm from about 1900 to 1965 when they closed. Presumably, they contributed to the war effort 1914-1918, and presumably they suffered a lack of business in the period 1920-1935. From 1939 to 1965 they would have seen a gradual decline in business.
The firm were volume suppliers of sporting guns and rifles for export. They produced ball & shot guns and combination guns, and they made the Britannia air rifle. They were pioneers in the mechanisation of gun manufacture, making the "Belmont Interchangeable" shotguns.
From about 1900, C G Bonehill were the main suppliers of rifles to the "Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs". The Society was founded to encourage rifle shooting amongst working class men, and it was largely responsible for establishing smallbore rifle shooting as a sport in England. For this purpose, old .303 Martini-Enfield rifles were re-barrelled to .22 rimfire and sold at very reasonable prices.
Christopher G. Bonehill was born in 1831 in Birmingham.
In 1851 he founded the firm C.G. Bonehill for the manufacturer of Firearms, including military and miniature rifles, Sporting guns and Air rifles.
He was based at :-
Belmont Firearms Works
Price Street.
Birmingham.
He pioneered the use of machinery for the manufacturer of Shotguns, and the interchangability of components.
Many of his guns were marked "Interchangable"
Bonehill made the "Belmont" range of Anson & Deeley actioned shotguns along with a range of Sidelocks, with optional removable sidelocks and single triggers.
C.G. Bonehill was Guardian of the Birmingham Proof house for 28 years.
The firm continued until 1965.
http://www.4-10.freeuk.com/nostalgia21.html
Bonehill, C. G. Also known as Belmont Firearms Works in Birmingham, England, c.1851.
With the rise of American pride in its industrialized arms industry after Samuel Colt's efforts at the London International Exhibition of 7851, foreign made arms became increasingly viewed as inferior to those made within the borders of the United States This impression grew and spread throughout the 1850s, 60s and 70s to the point that foreign arms were viewed with almost universal disdain by American sportsmen To many the growing importance of the American arms industry found its best expression in the displays set up by firms such as Colt, Remington, Smith & Wesson and Winchester at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia. The varied nature and uniform high quality of their product lines assured the public that American arms had no equals. Thus, it would appear to be somewhat of an anomaly that a mere four years later the Winchester Company began importing English shotguns for sale under their name in New York City.
The reasons for the Winchester Company's actions were purely economic. Having established a dominant position within the repeating rifle market, the firm wanted to expand its influence into other areas. Recognizing that the dynamics of the arms trade were rapidly changing and that the demand for double barrel shotguns would soon exceed the production capabilities of those American companies manufacturing such arms, Winchester's management decided to aggressively attack that market. Though Winchester could have easily built its own shotguns, the costs of developing and then tooling up for such a new model would have been both cost prohibitive and time consuming. As he had been advised that conditions were ripe to take over the market, Oliver F. Winchester decided that the simplest expedient was to import first quality shotguns from abroad. Consequently, in early 1880 Winchester entered into an agreement with Christopher G. Bonehill of Birmingham to produce double barrel shotguns bearing the name of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Sold through the company's New York City Depot, these shotguns retailed for prices between $40 and $85-not insignificant amounts for the period (as a point of comparison a Colt Model 1873 Single Action Army Revolver sold for approximately $20 at that time). In 1881 the Winchester Company changed contractors and began purchasing shotguns made by Richard Redman of Birmingham. Though of the same design and quality, Winchester was able to sell Redman's shotguns for considerably less (from $36.50 to $66.50) than Bonehill's. In addition, the company began marketing even lower priced English shotguns by other makers.0 -
Hello aftertime...
I too have to disagree with the good Capt... The information posted by nononsense is spot on. However, the gun you have is not one of those that was made specifically for Winchester. Instead, it is one of the standard C.G. Bonehill guns. On the rib between the barrels, you should see the address... that will help us to approximate the date of the gun.
The barrels on that old gun were originally "browned", and it would be a colossal mistake to "reblue" them. As for your question on repairing the buttplate and chipped stock, I can't really say... at least not without seeing the extent of the damage myself. The same goes for the value.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Man! That knocks My hat in the creek...Here's where My Source is located...
OFFICIAL Guide to GUNMARKS, Third Edition, 1996 By Robert H. Balderson, Heading TRADE NAMES.....Page 17......
I have Boothroyds also.....just did'nt take the time to research it further...Assumed My database was correct....Shame on Me...!...On that Note....I'll just Hang My Head in Shame and go stand in the Corner....
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0 -
Gentlemen,
I have a C.G. Bonehill SxS 12 Gauge/Boxlock. I was cleaning the gun and discovered the marking "Not For Sale" stamped on the underside of the barrels. I'm thinking this would be somewhat unusual? Have any of you seen this marking before? Significance?
Randy0 -
Look again....
"NOT FOR BALL" is more probable.0 -
Lettering is kind of worn but it appears that you are correct.
Is this gun of any value or is it just a wall hanger?
FYI...The right side hammer does not lock and the right firing pin is missing. The forestock has a large chip out of it. Otherwise it's in decent condition. No dents to the barrels. Could stand some work on the finish but decent.
Thanks0 -
It appears that Aftertime and I may have the same model....(Same patents, etc, etc)
Aftertime, is your gun mechanically sound? Between the two of us we may have enough parts to make one complete gun
RP0 -
Bert H.,
On top of the rib between the Barrels...
"C.G. Bonehill London Fine Damascus"
Thanks
Randy0
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