Wm Schaefer & Sons 12 GA Side by Side Double Shotgun Antique, Extra Barrels

SOLD FOR: $3,425.00

WOA#:  WY240611RD059

Make: Wm. Schaefer & Sons built on Anson & Deeley frame.

Model:  Side By Side Break Open Shotgun

Serial Number: 172943

Year of Manufacture: 1870s-1880s

Caliber: 12GA

Action Type: Break Open

Markings: On the bottom of the 30” Barrels and 28” Barrels, there is a brass badge that says “R.M. Waldron” the 30” and proof marks. On top of both barrels is an inlaid gold badge that says “WM.R SCHAEFER & SON BOSTON” The 30” barrels have additional gold engraving near the bead sight and on the chambers. The wood foregrip has gold engraving towards the frame and an engraved flower with gold accents. There is scrollwork where there is no gold engraving. The frame is covered in scrollwork, with a gold badge depicting a dog on both the left and right side, and a gold inlay that goes around the edges of the frame. The trigger guard and the action release are engraved with scroll. There is a gold Badge on the trigger guard depicting 2 birds and a gold badge on the action depicting a bird. There are engraved brass inlays on the right and left side of the stock behind the frame. The safety “SAFE” is a gold badge. The tang is engraved in scroll work. There is a brass badge inlay on the bottom of the buttstock.

Barrel Length: 2 barrels. 30” and 28” both with fixed chokes

Sights / Optics: Both barrels have a brass bead sight

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is 2 piece checkered foregrip and buttstock with rounded semi pistol grip. There are some scratches on the buttstock. The checkering is sharp. There is a rubber buttplate that is not original to the shotgun attached. Lop 14 ½” and 13 ½” from the triggers to the rubber buttplate. The stocks rate in Very Fine condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Refinished

Bore Condition: All 4 bores are bright and clean. There is no erosion in any of the barrels. The Bores rate in Excellent condition.

Overall Condition: This shotguns retains about 0% of its original finish. The 30” barrel has lost most of its bluing. The 28” has 85% of its bluing left. The bores are clean and whoever refinished this shotgun did a fantastic job. Aside from some scratches this shotgun looks amazing. Overall this shotgun rate in Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle/pistol/shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.  Box, Paperwork &

Accessories: 1 30” barrel and 1 28” barrel. 1 Sock for extra barrel.

Our Assessment: John Deeley is well documented in the firm’s historical records. His name appears regularly in patent applications and business correspondence. However, John Deeley (the elder of two John Deeleys with Westley Richards patents to their name) was not, by training a professional gunmaker. He was an accountant (and father to the other John Deeley who went on to co-patent the Westley Richards ejector).

The gunmaker at the centre of the Anson & Deeley patent of 1875 was William Anson, who was an actioner. He was appointed foreman of the action shop at Westley Richards in 1873, at the age of thirty three. This appointment came a year after he patented his forend fastener (No.953 of 1872).  The ‘Anson Push-Rod’ was immediately successful and it still the most widely favoured means by which to detach a forend from a double gun or rifle.

Having established his flair for invention and been promoted, Anson collaborated with John Deeley (the Elder) to create a revolutionary new action which took the gun trade by storm. Patent 1756 of May 11th 1875 was his finest work. At the time, centre-fire hammer guns with rebounding locks were the prevailing technology. They were beautiful, functional and, for many sportsmen, would never be surpassed for elegance of form and function. But they were, essentially, mostly still merely hammer-gun lock plates with the hammers moved inside. The demand for improvement was constant and guns with internal hammers which cocked automatically were destined to be the future. Murcott had patented his ‘Mousetrap’ in 1871 and shown that ‘hammerless’ guns could be made in a manner that was aesthetically acceptable and functionally workable. 

These early ‘hammerless’ guns were cocked by means of the operating lever.

Anson & Deeley used the barrels as a lever instead; their weight, rotating on the hinge pin, activated cocking dogs and they, in turn, cocked the locks. Simple, with robust parts, few in number. It was a total departure from anything built before. The system was ideal for factory production and it would soon become the gun for everyman; a strong, reliable, pleasant, largely waterproof and dust-proof design, requiring little attention.

You can find photos of Anson and Deeley shotguns but you cannot find one with this level of engraving, inlays and attention to detail. This shotgun is a piece of art fit for royalty or a museum. This writer was unable to find any Anson & Deeley shotgun depictions with similar aesthetics. This is a very rare firearm and a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a shotgun manufactured by the company that invented this style of shotgun. Aside from a few scratches it is in excellent condition and is ready to be put on display. This is a must have for any firearm collector. Please see our photos to understand the true level of craftsmanship in this firearm. Good luck on your bid! -M.C

Wm Schaefer & Sons 12 GA Side by Side Double Shotgun Antique, Extra Barrels
Wm Schaefer & Sons 12 GA Side by Side Double Shotgun Antique, Extra Barrels