Alexander & Richards 14 Bore ML Shotgun

Welcome back to Firearm Friday, where we take a moment to dust off another piece of history from the Owen Guns museum collection. Each week we shine a light on a firearm that tells a story about the craftsmanship, technology, and people of its time. Today’s piece is a fine example of a mid-Victorian percussion double-barrel shotgun.

A style of firearm that would have been right at home in the hands of a sportsman heading into the countryside with a pouch of black powder and a pocket full of percussion caps.

This elegant 14-bore muzzle-loading shotgun, dating to roughly 1825–1855, carries the name “Richards” on the barrel rib. At first glance this name can easily lead to confusion with the famous English gunmaker Westley Richards. However, this particular firearm is not connected to that well-known firm.

Instead, it represents the work of the Birmingham gun trade, the industrial heart of British gunmaking during the 19th century. Birmingham operated very differently from the large London gun houses. Rather than a single maker producing every component, the city functioned as a network of highly skilled specialist craftsmen who each produced individual parts of a firearm.

A key clue to the origins of this shotgun can be found hidden beneath the barrels near the proof marks, where the name “Alexander” is stamped. This marking almost certainly identifies the barrel maker, a member of the Alexander family who were known to be working as barrel forgers in Birmingham during the mid-1800s, the proof marks indicate it is the third heir of the Alexander family John Alexander.

These craftsmen produced the twist or Damascus steel tubes that formed the barrels, forging them from layers of iron and steel before they were finished and proof tested at the Birmingham Proof House. Once completed, these barrels would be supplied into the trade where other specialists assembled the finished firearm.

From there the gun would have passed through the hands of several different craftsmen. A lock maker produced the percussion locks and the distinctive dolphin-head shaped hammers, a stylish design popular during the 1840s and 1850s. An actioner fitted the barrels to the action, a stocker shaped and fitted the walnut stock, and finally an engraver and finisher completed the decorative details. The finished gun was then sold under the name of a retailer, in this case Richards, whose name was engraved along the top of the barrels.

The shotgun itself displays many classic features of the period. The back-action locks allowed for a stronger wrist in the stock while keeping the gun light and well balanced. The barrels appear to be twist or Damascus steel, once finished in a rich browned pattern that would have subtly revealed the layered metal beneath.

Decorative brass breech lines accent the rear of the barrels, while small silver and brass details throughout the gun highlight the understated elegance typical of Victorian sporting arms. Even guns built for practical use in the field often carried touches of decoration that reflected the pride and skill of the craftsmen who built them.

The 14-bore chambering is another interesting feature. During the mid-19th century this was a very practical sporting gauge, providing a good balance between weight and shot charge for hunting birds and small game.

Guns like this would have been used for pheasant, partridge, rabbit, and other upland game, and many similar shotguns were exported throughout the British Empire. It is entirely possible that firearms of this type made their way to Australia during the early decades of colonial settlement, where they served farmers, hunters, and settlers in much the same role.

This Richards-marked shotgun therefore represents more than just a single firearm it is a window into the remarkable collaborative system of the Birmingham gun trade, where skilled craftsmen each contributed their expertise to create practical and elegant sporting arms.

The hidden “Alexander” mark beneath the barrels reminds us that behind every name on a rib were often several anonymous makers whose work helped shape the firearms of the Victorian era.

And that wraps up another Firearm Friday from the Owen Guns museum collection. After all, back in the days of black powder and percussion caps, a sportsman only had two shots, a ramrod, and just enough time to reload before the birds figured out he wasn’t nearly as quick as he thought he was.