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Walker570
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Just picked up a neat little gun.  Midland  410 hammer gun and it is 3inch 3/4 ounce proofed.  28 inch barrels and the stock is set off perfectly for me.  Little bit of pitting in the barrels which is expected for an 80 plus year old gun. Unfortunately the Midland records no longer exist so do not know the exact date of manufacture but would think around 1952 as it is listed as Parker Hale Midland although this is no on the barrels, just Midland Gun Company.  Come next partridge season I am going to enjoy shooting this little beauty and made just slide out this next week and flight a few pigeons just for practise.

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I think you may find the Parker Hale Midland listing is the vendor not knowing what they were talking about. I don’t believe Parker Hale owned the Midland name until long after that gun was made. Your gun will be a Midland Gun Co. There will be a date stamp code amongst the proof marks.

edit to say that according to the book on Midland Gun Co. the company was absorbed into Parker Hale “after 1956”.

Edited by London Best
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Just checked in the Midland Gun Co. book and found that Midland we’re offering 3 inch hammer .410’s from the early 1930’s when the three inch fourten was first loaded.  They claimed to be the pioneers of three inch fourten guns in the U.K. Cost was £6, 10s. then. Very much looking forward to seeing it one day Neville.

Edited by London Best
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54 minutes ago, London Best said:

Just checked in the Midland Gun Co. book and found that Midland we’re offering 3 inch hammer .410’s from the early 1930’s when the three inch fourten was first loaded.  They claimed to be the pioneers of three inch fourten guns in the U.K. Cost was £6, 10s. then. Very much looking forward to seeing it one day Neville.

Yes, I was only going by the belief that Parkers took over in 1952 ish but thought that this little gun was probably made before then and may have been stock in trade so to speak. I will have a closer look at the markings and see what I can come up with.  Yes, hope we can get a day sorted at Catton early on for some partridge.  £6 was a fair chunk of money back in 1930.  Probably something like a couple of months wages for the average guy.   I now must find one of those Midland Gun Books. 

Chuffed to say the least.

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41 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yes, I was only going by the belief that Parkers took over in 1952 ish but thought that this little gun was probably made before then and may have been stock in trade so to speak. I will have a closer look at the markings and see what I can come up with.  Yes, hope we can get a day sorted at Catton early on for some partridge.  £6 was a fair chunk of money back in 1930.  Probably something like a couple of months wages for the average guy.   I now must find one of those Midland Gun Books. 

Chuffed to say the least.

Google Black Hill Books or Guy N. Smith and you will find a copy of his book. Sadly, Guy passed away at Christmas.

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Had a closer look at the proof marks etc., and it appears my thoughts may have been correct and this gun was in the white at the time Parker Hale took over. There are two distinct proofings and they could have been done between 1925 and 1954.  So could it have been proofed in the white and then proofed again by Parker Hale??    Next job will be paterning it. I have some Fiocchi #6 factory which I wll try and also if I have some left some of the new Lylevale 3 inch #7s.   Might just pattern it on a few pgeons as well

Edited by Walker570
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I sold one like this a few months back. I'd kept it tucked away for several months and told the buyer that he was only having it on the promise that if he ever parted with it I had to have first refusal.

I got it from a guy who was 84 and had been give it for his 14th birthday, I don't know if it was new then. He had 3 sons but only one with a certificate and his wife wouldn't let him have it.

It was mint. Very very few signs that it had even been used. 90% of the colouring on the action. Very basic canvas slip that he got at the same time as the gun.

Lovely thing to handle and I still regret selling.

I have 2 more but the condition is nothing like that one.

Enjoy it.

 

Edd

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