RONALD S. GABRIEL
AMERICAN & BRITISH 410 SHOTGUNS
© 2003 by Ronald S. Gabriel
All rights reserved.
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700 East State Street • Iola, WI 54990-0001715-445-2214 • 888-457-2873www.krause.com
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2003108028
ISBN: 0-87349-679-5
eISBN: 978-1-44022-397-6
Designed by Stanard Design Partners
Edited by Joel Marvin
Manufactured in Singapore
DEDICATION
PHILIP LOUIS GABRIEL 1908-1993 IDALIA ORTIZ GABRIEL
For their constant moral compass by which I have tried to guide my life.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 THE GENESIS OF THE 410 GAUGE
Chapter 3 BALLISTICS OF THE 410 CARTRIDGE
Chapter 4 VARIOUS ACTIONS USED TO BUILD THE 410
Chapter 5 THE BROWNING SUPERPOSED 410
Chapter 9 WINCHESTER, THE MODEL 21
Chapter 10 INTERESTING EARLY 20TH-CENTURY AMERICAN 410 SHOTGUNS
Chapter 11 ATKIN, GRANT & LANG
Chapter 13 E.J. CHURCHILL, LTD
Chapter 14 COGSWELL & HARRISON
Chapter 15 JOHN DICKSON & SON, LTD
Chapter 17 CHARLES HELLIS & SONS
Chapter 19 PURDEY with WOODWARD POSTSCRIPT
Chapter 20 WEBLEY & SCOTT, LTD
Chapter 21 WESTLEY RICHARDS & COMPANY
Chapter 24 OTHER BRITISH GUNMAKERS
Chapter 25 INTERESTING TYPES OF SMOOTHBORE 410s
Chapter 26 ROOK RIFLE/410 SMOOTHBORE CONVERSION STORY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The photography is an important part of this book. Each of the photos is duly credited. Five photographers deserve special mention. R.J. Clark of Cameo, Norwich, England, did many of the British guns. G. Allan Brown of East Haddam, Connecticut, and Mike Levasheff of Los Angeles, California, did a number of American and a few of the British guns. Glenn Campbell of Los Angeles, California, photographed a potpourri of important guns, papers and cartridges. Paul Goodwin of Newport, Kentucky, did the largest number of guns and accouterments including the front and back cover. The quality speaks for itself.
Virtually all the individuals who provided information for this work are referenced accordingly. The generosity of the gun companies who opened their ledgers to me is especially noteworthy since the gun trade in general and their clientele in particular tend to be especially reserved in divulging information.
Donna Bledsoe, CMT has been my professional secretary, researcher, editor and transcriptionist for over 33 years. This work, as well as others, could not have been sustained without her skills. The course of my last three decades owes much to her ability, humor, loyalty and charity. Stacy Ann Winters has provided over two decades of support, affection and much more for my various professional and avocational endeavors. Pamela Jane Hobbs took in hand my life and provided the organization and tranquility to finish this project. I am well aware of my heavy debt to Idalia, Donna, Stacy and Pamela.
PREFACE
It is unlikely that a work of this kind, with its vast use of numbers and dates, will be errorless. Such errors brought to my attention will be corrected in future editions, if any.
The extensive use of references and communications is to credit the knowledge and work of others. If I have fallen short on this account, it was not willful.
The valuation of guns, though of great interest to all, has been