An Extremely Rare .450 (50-Bore) Pin-Fire Bastin/Harvey System D.B. Sporting Rifle

An Extremely Rare .450 (50-Bore) Pin-Fire Bastin/Harvey System D.B. Sporting Rifle By W. J. Harvey, 68 South Street, Exeter, No. 4380, Circa 1860 With rebrowned twist sighted barrels each rifled with five spiral grooves and signed in gothic script along the rib between the breeches, folding leaf back-sights each with central platinum line, case-hardened long slender tang engraved with foliate scrollwork, swept fences en suite, sliding breech-action and hinged lever all decorated en suite, the lever with blued spring-catch and sliding the barrels for loading and unloading, signed border engraved case-hardened detented back-action locks each decorated with foliate scrollwork, dolphin hammers en suite, pierced for extracting cartridges and each with blued safety-catch behind, lightly figured butt (some old bruising) with chequered grip, chequered fore-end, border engraved steel mounts comprising butt-plate and serial numbered trigger-guard, the latter with chequered spur and decorated with two blackcock in a landscape on the bow, vacant silver escutcheon, sling mounts, and traces of original finish, London proof marks 66 cm. barrels Footnotes: This rifle appears to incorporate Harvey's British Patent No. 1056 of 26 April 1860. See I.M. Crudginton & D.J. Baker, The British Shotgun, Volume One 1850-1870, 1979, pp. 84-85 William James Harvey is recorded at 68 South Street, Exeter between 1855 and 1870. He is famous for his hammerless percussion revolver incorporating his British patent No. 2602 of 26 May 1853 For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing