Update
7th January, 2017
Welcome to my
first Update of 2017.
Now that Christmas
and the New Year celebrations are all behind us, I would wish you all a very
successful and happy 2017.
Our Christmas
was spent on the Isle of Mull with good friends Guy and Jane and her three
children. We narrowly missed having the trip scuppered by Storm Barbara which
closed down most ferry crossings for the Friday and Christmas Eve but we sailed
to Mull a day earlier than planned and avoided the worst of the rough seas. Storms
Barbara and Conor battered the island until Monday and we spent most of the
time hunkered down with a glass of something warming, recovering from the
traditional food excesses! Some bracing walks were taken and of course the three
dogs had a ball but I was glad when Tuesday dawned calm and dry and I set off
to meet Paul Chauvet at Pennyghael for a day’s hind stalking.
Having
checked zero on the range, and one false start where an hour’s walk and a
deserted ‘hill’ proved to us that we were in the wrong place, I finally got to
take a suitable yeld hind with my Schultz & Larsen 7 x 57.
Anyway, our
return south was uneventful and on New Year’s Eve I had a great day out with
Tilly, picking up on the local estate. This turned out to be a rather grey day
but dry with a good breeze and the birds flew well, the Guns did their bit and
a record bag was achieved. Tilly worked really hard all day, bringing many
runners to hand whilst being more reluctant on dead birds. She almost seems to
be saying ‘I ran all the way over there, now you can walk the last couple of
steps to collect my retrieve’, little minx! I have tried several strategies to
combat this habit but she has circumvented them all so far!
Since our
return home, I have been finishing off some lovely pieces to exhibit at the
Beinfeld Las Vegas Antique Arms Show, 20th – 22nd
January. A few of these are just nearing completion as I write but if all goes
well, they will be on display and I will endeavour to get their details
uploaded to my web site before I fly out of the UK on 18th Jan.
Please forgive the paucity of information, photos and lack of final prices in
the meantime.
Latest additions to the exhibit list
for Las Vegas
J. Coster of
Edinburgh 20g Boxlock NVN
A delightful
little twenty bore with 30” Damascus barrels and a 15” replacement, one-piece
stock. Maker’s canvas and leather case. Excellent MWT’s and chokes.
Holland & Holland Royal 12g SLE no
12319
Classic early
Royal in fantastic condition. 28” TIG sleeved barrels and 15” replacement,
one-piece stock.
G. Thorpe Bartrum
of Braintree 12g G&P Patent Bar-action Sidelock no 1001
Famous Gibbs
& Pit patent, toplever action. Combined lever and barrel cocking. 14 ¾”
replacement stock. 28” Damascus barrels. Excellent MWT’s.
Other fantastic guns to view at Las
Vegas
Henry
Atkin (From Purdey’s) 12g SL no 274
Some may recall this gun from some
time back. In the meantime, we have TIG sleeved it to the original barrel
length and have had Teague Interchangeable Chokes fitted.
This gun is probably the earliest
hammerless gun in the highest condition we have ever handled and has to be seen
to appreciate the remarkable crispness of engraving and much remaining colour.
Aesthetically it gives many nods to its hammergun forebears including a half
cock bent!
Holland
& Holland 16g ‘Climax’ SL no 7455
Bought at
auction with thin and badly pitted barrels, TIG sleeving was the only option to
bring this lovely gun back into service. What is unusual is the quality and
condition of the action and wood: quite considerable amounts of original
hardening colour are apparent is protected areas and the 15” original one piece
stock is a classic bit of old French walnut.
J
Purdey & Sons 12g Bar in Wood Hammergun no 11892
Restocked
professionally some decades ago, this lovely old Purdey wears its 130 odd years
with great aplomb! With top lever, Purdey bolt and ‘hidden 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.
J&W
Tolley 16g Bar Action Hammergun no 6404
When we took
this gun in for restoration, the hammers had been radically shortened, probably
with a hack saw. With careful laser welding we managed to restore them to their
original size and shape, engraved and properly case hardened to match the rest
of the lock patina. The barrels feature the original recess choke borings as
indicated by the use of ‘CHOKE’, instead of ‘NOT FOR BALL’, after the
bore/muzzle measurements.
James
Woodward & Sons 12g Thumblever Bar Action SLE no 4641
We have been very
privileged to handle several Woodward SLE’s in recent years and without exception
have been blown away by their quality. They appear to hold good condition much
better than many of their contemporaries and this one is a particularly fine
example. Sporting a thumblever, as does the Atkin # 274 listed above, it is
obviously harks back to a previous era but none the worse for it. Barrels were
beyond saving so TIG sleeving was prescribed and Teague Interchangeable chokes
fitted. This is a most lovely gun and would be the pride of any game or clay
shooters collection. Presented in Leather & Brass case with reproduction
label and some accessories.
James
Purdey & Sons 12g Self Opening SLE no 11368
A lovely
antique Purdey with original highly figured 14 ½” stock, wonderful ‘fleur-de-lys’
fences and 28” TIG sleeved barrels. Presented in its Maker’s Oak & Leather
case with some accessories.
Holland
& Holland 16g No.2 Back-action sidelock no 8787
Originally
built as a 12g and converted to ejector around 1900, we have TIG sleeved this
lovely old gun to 16g as one of our ‘Accipiter’ series and returned it to an
extractor, as the ejectors were anything but reliable. As they say, ‘Less is
more’!
T
Murcott 12g Back-action Hammergun no 7032
Lovely old 30”
Damascus barrelled gun with a strong 14 ½” replacement stock.
Charles
Lancaster 12g SLE no 7776
In recent times the stock & forend wood has been professionally
replaced with a lovely piece of well figured walnut with very good dimensions.
Another big plus is that the gun was built with Southgate ejectors which is a
huge relief for anyone who has had to deal with a malfunctioning Perkes patent
mechanism more commonly found on Lancasters. Presented in its Leather and Brass
case with a reproduction label and some accessories. 30” Damascus barrels.
Another
T Murcott, this time a 16g ‘Mousetrap’ Bar-action Sidelock no 2446
30” Damascus
barrels and beautiful antique French walnut, is there anything more lovely?
And
last but very much not least, a 12g Boxlock Ejector by AJ Russell no 29701
30” Damascus
barrels, grip safety and a selective ejector. What will they think of next?!
Most
of the guns mentioned above are nitro proofed for a minimum of 2 3/4"
cartridges and all are pre-1897.
I
very much look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the
Beinfeld show at the Westgate Resort & Casino, Las Vegas 20th-22nd
January. Space permitting, we will have a good range of antique and modern
accessories for sale so swing by and have a rummage!
Lastly
a reminder that we now have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heritage-Guns/1456166597974211.
Facebook is not everybody’s cup of tea but we will post photos and news there
that are not relevant to our main web site pages.
Enjoy
your guns and shooting wherever you are!
Toby Barclay
Links
to our show venues can be found on our Home page.