I’ve always liked vintage Charles Daly side-by-sides, and I think they’re some of the finest boxlock shotguns ever made.
So when this 12g came up for auction on Gunbroker.com a few weeks ago, I was thrilled. But not as thrilled as some guys. This double hammered down for $6,125 — WAY than I wanted to pay for it (a far more than I thought it would bring).
Take a look at. What do you think — is it all original? Or is it totally redone? I think it’s all original, including the finish on the bbls.
This SxS was built in the 1890s, but not by anyone named Charles Daly.
Charles Daly was a businessman, not a gunmaker. He started branding guns with his name on them around 1875. At first, he used several makes in Europe. But by the late 1880s, he had settled on Heinrich A. Lindner for most of his shotguns.
Lindner was a gunmaker in Suhl, Prussia (which is now Germany). Lindner took Westley Richards brilliant Anson & Deeley shotgun action, tweaked it, and made it his own.
In its day, this gun was one of Daly’s lower-grade models. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t high quality (or inexpensive). Everything Lindner made was beautifully built. You can see that in this gun. From the proportions of the action and the stock to the shaping of the triggers and the finish on the metal, everything is well done.
When this gun was built, the shooting world was experiencing a fad for lightweight, 12-gauge shotguns. Belgian and German makers like Francotte and Lindner responded by building twelves that came in right around 6lbs.
Prussian Charles Daly Lindner Empire Grade Damascus 12ga 26″ Featherweight:
- Make: Charles Daly made by Charles Lindner in Prussia
- Model: Empire grade Featherweight
- Action: Side by Side
- Serial number / year: 1046 / late 1800’s early 1900’s
- Finish: The Damascus twist is a very pretty pattern and shows well. The receiver is mostly in the white but we do see traces of the original case color under the lever and in the non-contact areas.
- Caliber: 12ga – we do not know the chamber length.
- Barrel Length: 26″ with fixed cylinder chokes
- Bore Condition: Excellent – both are clean, smooth and bright.
- Stock/grips: The stock and forend are in great shape with light use and handling wear. The checkering is still fairly sharp. We do not see any cracks, breaks or repairs.
- LOP: 14″
Prussian Charles Daly Lindner Empire Grade Damascus 12ga 26″ Featherweight Prussian Charles Daly Lindner Empire Grade Damascus 12ga 26″ Featherweight
I too think the gun is all original and in very high condition. I was stunned by the final price. I was prepared to pay $3,000 or thereabouts but it ran through that like water through a paper napkin. Someone sure wanted it badly! I do think the bidding was legitimate though with the number of different bidders. I do know a number of German Gun Collectors were hot after it.
Yeah – I was shocked. I was outbid before I had a chance to bid.
But a lot of stuff on GB has been bringing crazy money. Did you see this?
https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/893964938
That’s a $3500 gun, maybe. The seller did a brilliant job of presenting it and building a story around it. Then he got lucky with timing.
Thanks for the comment.
Gregg
Looks original but agree that the price seems very high for a 12ga, though maybe the featherweight increases the value. Personally, if I want to shoot 1 ounce, I would rather shoot a 16. Took me several years to find a gun similar to the one shown in 16ga but it is mine now. Cost me a bit over $8k at Rock Island and then a bit more for Pete Mazur to re-black the barrels. But the 16 Lindner is very rare; someone who knew told me that only 5 similar guns were imported to the US.
Yeah – it was a lot. But it was a very nice, original gun. And it had decent stock dimensions.
Enjoy your 16. Those are great guns.
Gregg