Heritage Guns Update 10th April, 2024
I hope you and yours are all well and enjoying the approach of summer. The weather here has been very mixed: ranging from the warm to chilly with lots of blustery days thrown in. It is all very confusing and I fear that the wildlife and plants are going to get a nasty surprise: at least us humans can usually shelter in our homes and workspaces.
Tilly and Kiwi, our rehomed lab bitch, are bumbling along
okay. 10 year old Tilly continues to manage well on a tiny dosage of anti-inflammatories
to keep her hips moving whilst Kiwi, who will be 6 this October, seems as fit
as a fiddle if totally clumsy. However, it must be admitted that she is the most
foolish dog I have ever owned albeit perhaps the most endearing: she tries
terrible hard to understand what is required of her but never seems able to
retain her lessons for more than a few minutes! But it is hard not to love a
dog that wants nothing more than to be within 6 feet of you at all times.
In just 12 days’ time, my partner
Mandy and I will be boarding our flight to Dulles to attend The 25th Southern Side by Side Championship & Exhibition. It
runs from 25th to the 28th April and we very much look
forward to seeing you there.
Anyway, to guns…
So far I have six new stock guns looking for a good home:
Firstly, a lovely 1893 Stephen Grant & Son 12b SLE presented in its modern lightweight leather case. This is a lovely gun with original 30” Whitworth steel barrels and a very nicely figured restock.
Stephen Grant & Sons 12b SLE no 6492
Stephen Grant & Sons 12b SLE no 6492 in its leather case
Next up is a gorgeous 1890 Holland & Holland 1st Type Royal with two sets of barrels, both 30”, one 2 ½” Nitro and the other 3” Nitro. Presented in a leather case blocked for both sets of barrels.
Holland & Holland Royal 12b SLE no 12561
Holland & Holland Royal 12b SLE no 12561 in its leather case with both barrel sets.
Then we have a couple of 20b hammerguns:
Firstly a lovely sidelever, ‘Island’ lock backaction by Edward Paton & Son. This Scottish maker really pushed the boat out on this one and the engraving and wood is stunning! Presented in a canvas & leather case with some accessories.
E Paton & Son 20b Sidelever Hammergun no 2855
E Paton & Son 20b Sidelever Hammergun no 2855 in its canvas & leather case.
The second 20b hammergun is quite a gem: rebarrelled by the makers, this 1874 William Powell & Son lift-up toplever hammergun features ALL the patents that are more commonly found on the 12b examples. Stunning wood and a lovely relined Oak & Leather case complete the package.
William Powell & Son 20b BiW Hammergun no 5881
William Powell & Son 20b BiW Hammergun no 5881 in its
O&L case.
The last hammergun that I am bringing is a glorious 1886 BiW 12b by James Purdey & Sons. Original 31” Whitworth steel barrels, fresh 2 ¾” Nitro proof and its original highly figured stock make it a very exciting prospect for fans of these guns.
James Purdey & Sons 12b BiW Hammergun no 12185
James Purdey & Sons 12b BiW Hammergun no 12185 in its oak lined case.
The final entry into my stock list is a lovely 1892 James Woodward & Sons 12b SLE no 4689. This has TIG sleeved 29” x 2 ¾” barrels and is choked ¼ & ½ (IC/Mod). It sports a replacement semi-pistolgrip stock, new forend wood and a relined leather and brass case with accessories.
James Woodward & Sons 12b SLE no 4689
James Woodward & Sons 12b SLE no 4689 in its leather
& brass case.
Guns from my previous
exports yet to find new custodians are:
Firstly, a
spectacular, true pair of James Purdey hammerguns in their original, relined
case. To find a complete pair of hammerguns is very rare indeed and we restored
these in parallel to maintain the true pair ethos and keep them almost exactly
the same in all respects.
1871
Pair of James Purdey 12b Hammerguns no. 8521 & 8522
Next, with lots of original colour, chopperlump Whitworth
steel barrels and a very smart ‘Rifle Green’ relined case. Nitro reproof 30” x
2 ½” x Cyl/IC and a 15 3/8” replacement highly
figured stock.
1891
Holland & Holland 12b Royal SLE no 12860
1891
H&H no. 12860 in its Leather and Brass case.
And we are still looking for a suitable guardian for the lovely William Powell SLE no 9622. This gun is not only a fascinating insight into the way the bespoke gun trade worked but also a truly lovely gun.
William
Powell & Son 12b SLE no 9622 (with hammers replaced by engraved blanking
discs)
Next, a very pretty J Blanch & Son 12b backaction SLE with its original 2 ½” x 28” damascus barrels and boldly figured stock.
Pre-1896
J Blanch & Son 12b Backaction SLE no 5601
Pre-1896
J Blanch & Son 12b Backaction SLE no 5601 in its leather case
Well, that is about it for now. We look forward to seeing you
all in Sanford, NC.
Keep safe and enjoy the spring!
Very best regards,
Toby Barclay
Historic Guns For The Modern Sportsman
