Do lend lease trench guns exist? Are they marked in a similar fashion to the 1911A1 pistols?
Do lend lease trench guns exist? Are they marked in a similar fashion to the 1911A1 pistols?
Doubtful but anything is possible.
I have never seen shotguns listed in the small arms sent to England as L-L, and have never seen a shotgun with British proofs.
Here is one coming up for sale
https://live.amoskeagauction.com/m/l...my-items%2Fall
Doubtful that it's a Lend Lease gun. It's a post WWI production shotgun made in 1920. It's probably not even a military shotgun. More likely a commercial trench gun either sold to Great Britain or somehow just made its way to Britain.
I should have been clearer in my post. I have never seen a U.S. military shotgun with British proofs. The shotgun in question doesn't show any U.S. property markings, and missed the L-L shipments by some 17 years.
Amoskeag describes the proofs as import proofs, but anything military was not proofed until released by the military for commercial sale.
"Additionally, the left side of the barrel is marked with crisp British import proofs,"
It is a 1920 gun. According to the Winchester Polishing Room serialization records, that is the year the serial number was applied to the receiver. When available for a particular model Winchester firearm, those serialization records are the most accurate source for dating a gun.
As far as the bayonet adaptor, It might be correct. I have data on even later made commercial Model 97 trench guns in the 800,000 range that have the "Pat Appl For"mark on the bayonet adaptor and also a couple with the "Patented 1918" mark on the adaptor. Winchester must of had some leftover WWI adaptors that they used on some of the interwar made trench guns.
That would make it 21 years too early for Lend-Lease.
Yes, way early. And as you mentioned, there's nothing in the Lend Lease small arms lists showing shotguns. And aren't there some records of direct sales to Britain before the Lend Lease program? I don't think there is any mention of shotguns in those records either.