Posted by John L. on October 13, 2007, 7:30 am, in reply to "Date of manufacture"
Hello Jim, That the forearm # doesn't match the rest of the gun is a pretty good indicator that it's not original. If the gun is indeed an O grade, then it was definately produced prior to 1913, but the number doesn't fall into the published ranges for a gun produced during that period. Are the barrels Damascus? That info could help nail her down in that Damascus barrels were standard on O grades prior to 1907, when London fluid steel barrels became an option. The SD&G markings indicate the distributor Shoverling, Daley, & Gayles. I'm not sure of the dates when they were a player with Elsies, but maybe someone else can chime in with that info and it may also help solve the mystery. Good luck, John