John P. Clabrough was born in England where he learned the gun making trade. He travelled to U.S.A. as a young man, worked in a few gun shops there. Finally opened his own gun shop in San Francisco. He moved back to England in 1873 to manufacture shotguns for the american market. His business was a great success. At this time his guns would be hammer guns. He later manufactured hammerless guns. He sold the business to D. V. Johnstone in 1892. Johnstone continued making Clabrough guns and also his own brand.