Crown W proof mark, etc.

[John]

Hello !

This is my first post...
1.) I was wondering about the Crown W proof mark. It signifies a choke bore barrel. But, how much constriction does it need to have before it needs to wear the Crown W ? (IE: What if it had a very light improved cylinder choke ?) I ask because I am looking at a very nice S&K shotgun that has no Crown W on the right barrel flat, yet that barrel is claimed to have a modified choke constriction. Is that "OK", or is it indicative of someone "adding" constriction ?

2.) Also, this shotgun has a hinged rear sight dovetailed into the rib ! On a shotgun ??? Is that unheard of ? Would that affect the value ?

3.) Lastly, while the barrels bear a serial number, there is a single, 5 digit number in between the barrel flats. It's not the serial number, and there is no proof date/ledger number... So what could this other number be ???

Thanks guys !

John

[mike ford]

John,
I don't know how much constriction is required before it is marked "W", but they were made before plastic wads, etc and are usually pretty tight. If you post photos of the proof marks we might be able to tell you more. If there is a 16 in a circle, this means it has a 65mm 16ga chamber. If it has another 16 with a / and a 1 or 2, this is the diameter of the bore ahead of the chamber. While unusual, I have seen one with the bore marked in the 15 ga range.BTW Choke is not determined really by constriction, but by % of shot in the pattern. I would be interested to see if this barrel has a crown G mark. This would mean it was proofed for a solid bullet, and would explain the folding rear sight. If not, it still might have the sight for slugs (see other threads for new Brennekes comming in). The 5 digit number might be the date, we would need photos to know. I hope this helps.
Mike