Update 2nd May 2016

 

Welcome to my May 2016 Update.

 

I am safely home from the USA and have spent the last few days dealing with inevitable fall-out from being away from home for a week.

 

My homecoming was not of the happiest as my first duty on return was to arrange for Moss the Delinquent Labrador to be put to sleep. During my absence he had gone downhill fast and it was only through the hard work of my wife, and our village friends while she was out at work, that he was kept reasonably comfortable until my return. Anyway, the deed was done in a peaceful way in the back garden. The sun was shining and he slipped off to his final sleep with his head in my lap. Tears were shed but I am relieved that he left us with all his family around him.

 

I hope your patience and email server will forgive the inclusion of a couple of photos of the old boy:

 

The day we picked him up in 2005:

 

 

In his prime in about 2010:

 

 

And on his last long walk, the weekend before I left on my trip to USA with home in the distant background.

 

 

The weather here is truly spring-like with a gloriously warm day yesterday, so we had a lovely day cutting lawns and tidying the garden. The hawthorn in the hedges is in full bloom and the birds are going berserk building nests and feeding young. Swallows are back in the ‘cart-lodge’ and depositing their calling-cards on the cars, several pairs of goldfinches are building nests in the smaller, dense conifers and arguing endlessly over tufts of cobweb and dry grass and a pair of trusting mallard have discovered the spilled bird food under the tit feeder.  We have a population explosion of rabbits hereabouts but fortunately we had invested time over the last few years in making the garden rabbit proof (as well as Tilly escape proof!).

 

My trip to North Carolina to exhibit at Deep River Sporting Clays’ Southern S/S Championship event went very smoothly. With the exception of huge downpours on Friday, the weather was largely warm and sunny and a very good time was had by all.

I was most disappointed that the Damascus Dickson Round Action was not ready to be exhibited at Deep River. However, the engraver had not finished all the restoration engraving and it will be some months before it is back together. A great shame.

Otherwise I had serious interest in several of my stock guns, sold a few and was able to return long term restoration projects to others so it was a very worthwhile trip.

 

First thing Saturday morning, mixing it with the Big Boys: Griffin & Howe and Holland & Holland share the sponsors’ tent:

 

 

Musical entertainment, courtesy of a fabulous Blue Grass band:

 

 

As is my way, I have left some 16 guns on consignment with trusted friends. Bob Nay of Macnab Fine Firearms has taken the lion’s share but we have also entrusted 6 guns to New London Arms where Stewart McDowell is going to be uploading full details on his web site.

 

Latest Additions to the Stock List

 

J Purdey & Sons 12b  ‘Island Lock’ Backaction Hammergun no 12191 On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

A lovely, classic Purdey hammergun with 30” TIG sleeved barrels.

 

J Blanch & Son 12b Sidelever Backaction Hammergun no 5591 SOLD SUBJECT TO INSPECTION

I just love Blanch guns and here you have a classic: sidelever, backaction. What’s not to like?!

 

Holland & Holland 12g SL with 30” original steel barrels no 20192 SOLD
Later Royal style gun with baraction locks. Interesting, silver presentation plaque on side of stock.

 

Holland & Holland 20g SLE with TIG sleeved 26” barrels no 11971 On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms
Lovely, early Royal gun with baraction locks. This gun has had an eventful life and now sports a well figured replacement stock and completely new forend equipped with Southgate ejectors.

 

James Woodward & Sons 12g Hammergun with 29” Damascus barrels no 3417

Snap underlever with backaction locks and probably unique variant on the Purdey Bolt concept. Rather than a bolt that slides back and forth, this gun has a pair of scissor type bolts, hinged at the front that snap into a long bite in the side of the lumps. A very rare beast. Beautifully figured stock and lots of original hardening colour.

 

Henry Clarke & Son 16g Backaction SLE with 30” TIG sleeved barrels. 4th of our ‘Accipiter’ series. On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

Originally built as a 12g, this has been my very own ‘go-to’ gun for game and clays over the last 12 months while I explored the proposition of having my late father’s Blanch SLE rebarrelled as a 16b. I have to say I have been won over by the delightful, steady handling of this gun and my clay scores and game shooting averages have been a revelation. There is no doubt now that I will get the work done on the Blanch to mimic the Clarke.

 

Edwinson Green 20g Hammergun with 28” Damascus barrels and replacement stock and forend wood.

A lovely little gun, engraved with fine foliate scroll and beautifully restocked. We have just had this gun reproofed for 2 ¾” nitro as it was very close to its upper proof limit.

 

Other guns on consignment in the USA are:

Henry Atkin 12g SLE #397 On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

Henry Atkin 12g SLE #434 Cased On consignment with New London Arms

Henry Atkin 12g SLE #573 On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

Stephen Grant 12g Triggerplate NE #5276 PROVISIONALLY SOLD

Holland & Holland 16g SLNE #8787 On consignment with New London Arms

Holland & Holland 12g SLE #14908 On consignment with New London Arms

Charles Lancaster 12g SLE #7776 On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

A Malock 12g BA Hammergun #12244 On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

T Murcott 16g Mousetrap SLNE #2446 On consignment with New London Arms

James Purdey & Sons 12g SLE #11368 Cased On consignment with New London Arms

R Roper 12g SLNE #30540 On consignment with New London Arms

AJ Russell 12g BLE On consignment with Macnab Fine Firearms

 

Details of all the guns can be found on our stock pages with links to the person holding the gun on consignment.

 

Most of the guns mentioned above are nitro proofed for a minimum of 2 3/4" cartridges and all are pre-1897.

 

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.