Out of the ordinary Browning

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

Old guy at the shoot who is frankly part of the furniture shuffles up to me one Sunday with a gun bag. Presses it into my chest and tells me he has something out of the ordinary in it. Safe to say in my opinion he was wholeheartedly correct. He was incredibly vague about it but he kind of is about most things. Anyone know anything about it ? Are there anymore of them out there ? Is it a one off ? If not I’m sure you will appreciate having a look at it even if it’s not you’re style you cannot help but appreciate the effort that must have gone into it.

 

[Paul120]

Go me stumped. Possibly a one off. The action shape is that of a C or D grade. Is it signed by an engraver? It may be possible to see if it relates to someone working for the factory in 1977.
If not it could possibly be an after market custom job.

 

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

Not anywhere

Go me stumped. Possibly a one off. The action shape is that of a C or D grade. Is it signed by an engraver? It may be possible to see if it relates to someone working for the factory in 1977.
If not it could possibly be an after market custom job.

it’s not signed anywhere I have seen. He must have had it some time as I just about remember it from when I first started shooting when I was 11 or so. I’m 32 now so he’s had it a good old while . It’s just such an odd looking thing I don’t pretend to know a great deal about that kind of thing but the first thing it out me in my mind of was it’s like it’s got everything possible done to it ? Like a particular engraver or customiser was trying to show off the various different things they could do. It’s certainly eye catching and he shoots it like nothing else. Then again he shoots most things like nothing else to be honest. Very much the school of as little motion as possible but all of it smooth and with purpose.

 

[jasper]

Similar thread running on pigeon watch. Similar gun but without the gold but the funny stuff going on with the wood.

 

[westley]

Wisemans of Cannock offered this sort of customising to Browning guns, and I think they still do.

 

[Paul120]

Wisemans of Cannock offered this sort of customising to Browning guns, and I think they still do.

I think it was quite popular at on time to have A1 grades customised. Wisemans did do them and some went back to Belgium where they would do them. Not sure if it was at the factory or if it was by the Engravers that had gone freelance.

Just had a couple of guns with wisemans for some repair work.
They have done a brilliant job. One of them had been messed with by some other person( not me) who had made a right dogs of it. The gun was operational but cosmetically it was awful.
I honestly thought it wasn't salvageable. Basically a £4 - 4.5K gun reduced to a £1000 basket case.
John has fixed it and I can't even see where the damage was.

 

[MartynB]

Do the initials on the trigger guard have any meaning to the current owner ? With all the fancy chequering and white line spacing it just screams ‘ USA market ‘

 

[westley]

I think it was quite popular at on time to have A1 grades customised. Wisemans did do them and some went back to Belgium where they would do them. Not sure if it was at the factory or if it was by the Engravers that had gone freelance.

Just had a couple of guns with wisemans for some repair work.
They have done a brilliant job. One of them had been messed with by some other person( not me) who had made a right dogs of it. The gun was operational but cosmetically it was awful.
I honestly thought it wasn't salvageable. Basically a £4 - 4.5K gun reduced to a £1000 basket case.
John has fixed it and I can't even see where the damage was.

We had an acquaintance, who sadly passed away last year, he had an A1 which had been done by Wisemans. Engraved, gold inlay, the works, and very nice it was too.

 

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

Similar thread running on pigeon watch. Similar gun but without the gold but the funny stuff going on with the wood.

That’s intriguing I will have to have a mooch

 

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

Wisemans of Cannock offered this sort of customising to Browning guns, and I think they still do.

Oh right perhaps it was done by them ? Strange to go to the clear effort that was made and not want to put your name on it though ?

 

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

Wisemans of Cannock offered this sort of customising to Browning guns, and I think they still do.

Oh right perhaps it was done by them ? Strange to go to the clear effort that was made and not want to put your name on it though

Do the initials on the trigger guard have any meaning to the current owner ? With all the fancy chequering and white line spacing it just screams ‘ USA market ‘

I thought it does look quite American too the initials have nothing to do with the current owner my guess would be they are the previous ones

 

[westley]

Oh right perhaps it was done by them ? Strange to go to the clear effort that was made and not want to put your name on it though ?

Check their Website, it shows some of their work. While you are there, they have a CD trap gun too, just a poor wood match between stock and forend.

 

[Westward]

I believe WB are the initials of Billy the Kid...

 

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

I believe WB are the initials of Billy the Kid...

could you imagine

 

[sich1]

thats a nice game gun, odd markings/pattern on the ejector mechanism...that might help identify it

 

[jasper]

The similar one on pigeon watch is owned by a Belgium gentleman. Here's some pics.

 

[Yorkshire Clay Shooting]

The similar one on pigeon watch is owned by a Belgium gentleman. Here's some pics.
View attachment 10665View attachment 10666View attachment 10667View attachment 10668

Yes that certainly is very close to this one. I will have try and tempt the gentleman from the ground into revealing more maybe by plying him with cigars and port . He must know atleast some of its story. I mean it’s not the sort of thing you see every day he can’t have just picked it up locally surely

 

[Serge D3]

Yes that certainly is very close to this one. I will have try and tempt the gentleman from the ground into revealing more maybe by plying him with cigars and port . He must know atleast some of its story. I mean it’s not the sort of thing you see every day he can’t have just picked it up locally surely

In my opinion, you would get more out off him by plying him with Whisky and lots off belgian blond beers. And for all I know, he might have just picked it up 2 weeks ago pretty locally (75km) for a decent price from a guy who didn’t know anything about the gun. Only that it is a 1975 B25 with woodcarving and nice D5G style engraving with no name .