James Purdey and Sons, Audley House, South Audley Street, London.
12 bore Bar-action, Bar-in-wood, Hammergun
No. 11892
Year of manufacture: 1884

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Heritage Guns' Comment

This gun represents a great opportunity to acquire a fine condition example of a sporting hammergun made by this illustrious maker.
Restocked professionally some decades ago, this lovely old Purdey wears its 130 odd years with great aplomb! With top lever, Purdey bolt and 'secret 3rd bite' it has all the best features of its type and no cracks in the bar wood, a common problem with this design style.
With the engraving still crisp on the locks and action, a nicely figured replacement stock and TIG sleeved steel barrels, this gun would make a very classy tool for clays or game.

WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT US.

The action is a Bar-in-wood design and features:
Double triggers;
Stanton's patent, bar-action, rebounding locks;
Low level Dolphin hammers;
Sprung strikers;
Percussion fences;
Top lever operating a 'Purdey Bolt' by way of a 'Scott Spindle;
Purdey's 'Secret' 3rd fastener,
Hackett's snap forend fastener.
Engraving style Best fine bouquet & scroll. 'PATENT' engraved on toplever.
There is slight corrosion to the lock plate edges.
Gun weight 6lb 12oz
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½ lbs Rear trigger 4 ½ lbs
The TIG sleeved steel to steel barrels are 28" in length, chambered for 2 ¾ " (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, concave, game type.
Birmingham reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2016.

Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

 
Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction
Right Barrel
18.5mm (0.728")
0.730"
0.029"
0.015"
(Light Mod)
Left Barrel
18.5mm (0.728")
0.730"
0.024"
0.020"
(Mod)

Replacement Straight Hand Stock and original Splinter Forend are crafted from nicely figured walnut. The stock is cast-off for a right-handed shot, features well defined drop points, a vacant white metal oval and is finished with a ¾" traditional leather covered recoil pad. There are light internal improvements to the inletting for the locks (invisible from the outside).
The forend features a nicely engraved steel tip, three inlets to the forend edge and a plugged shake near the knuckle.


 Well Figured walnut

The 22 lines per inch chequering has been refreshed to a traditional design.
The stock is finished with a traditional linseed oil based preparation as used on best guns by one of the top English makers. This finish uses no grain fillers to achieve its deep, smooth lustre, only many hours of alternate build and flatting off of the surface.

Approximate stock measurements at date of publication:

Pull to Heel
Pull to Bump
Pull to Centre
Pull to Toe
14 1/2"
14 5/8"
14 11/16"
15 1/8"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 1/2"
1 5/8"
2"
Cast-off at Comb
Cast-off at Heel
1/8" (approximate)
1/4" (approximate)

For the purposes of these measurements, 'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8" from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).

Patents Exhibited include:
'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
Purdey's 'Secret' 3rd fastener patent no 397 of 1878;
Stanton's rebounding lock patent no. 367 of 1867;
'Scott Spindle' patent no. 2752 of 1865;
Hackett's forend fastener patent no 964 of 1878.