Proof marks for shotgun

[Roguemeister]

I am looking at an old 20g hammer gun and was hoping someone here was more knowledgeable than i am. I am assuming some of the markings have faded away with time though?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BBCT]

TRy this for starters:

https://www.nramuseum.org/media/940944/proofmarks.pdf

[Fire-stick]

A bit more info on the Shottie relating to the maker and country will help isolate the markings.

The proof mark designs and info contained therein varies for different countries in early era proof marks.

A clear higher definition photo will also help if available.

Cleaning the stamp marks with a toothbrush to remove residue and enhance them helps.
Baby powder into the marks enhances them even more for a clearer visual of the finer details.

[Roguemeister]

Thanks. Will try the advice to get some better image quality.

Its an old Jeffrey 20g hammer gun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fire-stick]

I'll look through my saved documents and screenshots of the various proof marks I have from when I looked up on an old hammer shottie I had and cleaned up to try match some that I can make out on a larger screen for the time being.

[BBCT]

Thanks. Will try the advice to get some better image quality.

Its an old Jeffrey 20g hammer gun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Without wishing to (over)state the obvious, concentrate on the British Proof Mark information because it's a Jeffrey. If you Google "British Shotgun Proof Marks" you will come up with an almost infinite amount of information because they seem to be the best recorded. If you're trying to work out a date of manufacture it also helps to be able to identify certain features of the shotgun. eg if it has a Greener Cross Bolt then the date of patenting that feature gives the earliest possible date of manufacture (approximately so, anyway). Patents were valid for 14 years so if manufactured by another manufacturer during that 14 years there should be a patent use number stamped somewhere on the gun. No patent use number and made by a different manufacturer means it was probably manufactured at least 14 years after the patent date.

If it has hammers it was probably made before about 1900, but because so many of the shotguns from that era were "made to order" with specific individual features desired by the buyer, you can often find guns with features way out of sync with the typical shotguns of the period.

This could become the biggest rabbit hole you've ever gone down..... I've been there so I know.... ;-)