J. Woodward & Sons “The Automatic” 12ga –6LBS. 7OZ., BEST SIDELOCK, CASED

James Woodward & Sons holds a special place among the great London gunmakers. Woodward was never a large-volume maker, but its guns have a distinctive character all their own—elegant, mechanically sophisticated, beautifully proportioned, and finished to the standard expected of a true London Best Gun.

This Woodward “The Automatic,” dates to the 1898–1903 period according to the surviving Woodward serial-number records. It comes from a wonderful era of London gunmaking and displays many of the details for which Woodward is so admired.

The sidelock action is covered in beautifully executed fine English scroll engraving, extending over the lockplates, action body, fences, top strap and furniture. The maker’s name appears prominently on each lockplate, surrounded by flowing scrollwork that remains crisp and beautifully defined. Particularly attractive are Woodward’s sculpted arcaded fences, along with disc-set strikers and cocking indicators incorporated into the sidelocks, each with a gold reference line. Traditional double triggers, automatic safety, automatic ejectors and the gold-inlaid “SAFE” detail complete an action that is both mechanically interesting and unmistakably English.

The straight-hand stock is fashioned from strikingly figured walnut with bold, flowing grain through the butt, paired with a splinter forend. The proportions are graceful and purposeful.

The re-proofed Woodward barrels have been Birmingham Nitro Proofed for 2¾” chambers at 3¼ tons per square inch, with .729″ bores recorded at proof. This represents the heavier 2¾” service-pressure standard of that British proof era.

Of particular note, the barrels were later professionally fitted with a Briley interchangeable screw-in choke system. While not original to the gun, the Briley installation makes this Woodward unusually adaptable for a vintage London game gun, allowing the shooter to tailor the choking to different shooting situations rather than being committed to a single pair of fixed constrictions. The complete assortment of supplied choke tubes is detailed in the specifications.

Many British 12 bores are heavy and unwieldy; this beauty is a sub-6½-pound Woodward Best gun with modern stock dimensions, 2¾” chambers and Briley tubes making it a tremendously usable vintage game gun. You can take this 125-year-old London Best to South Dakota for pheasants, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula grouse cover, or your local sporting clays course and change the chokes to suit the day. That is a very different proposition from buying an old 2½” 12-bore choked tightly and putting it in the safe.

Serial number 5335 brings together the qualities that make Woodward guns so fascinating: distinctive London styling, sophisticated sidelock construction, beautiful traditional engraving and wood, and the wonderfully refined handling of a best English game gun. Its later 2¾” Birmingham proof and Briley choke system add a practical dimension to a Woodward built more than a century ago.