Heritage Guns Update 17th April, 2023
I am delighted to announce that the US Consulate has finally come good with the issue of my visa to enter the USA so I am frantically busy, putting together all the guns, clothes and materials necessary to put on my first US show since February 2020!
In case you have been living under a stone for the last decade, the show I am heading towards is the brilliant Southern Side by Side Championship and Exhibition held at Deep River Sporting Clays, Sanford, NC.
When I first exhibited here, back in the early 2000’s, I was not overly complimentary but how wrong I was! Every year since it has grown in size and diversity, showcasing the very best specialist dealers of wonderful classic, vintage and antique shotguns, rifles and their accessories. You will also find vendors of sporting books, clothing, outfitters, engravers and much more besides.
The food trucks are legendary and when not eating, chatting with knowledgeable specialists or grazing the tables of exquisite firearms, one can head out on the clays course and show everybody just what a demon shot you are with any gauge gun you might have to hand!
Anyway, enough of my waffle, come and see for yourself and have a fantastic time with likeminded souls.
All details can be accessed through the Deep River Sporting Clays web site.
As I wrote back in March, I rehomed a pair of labradors in November, mother and daughter from a farming couple whose growing family had made them two dogs too many. The mother had settled in fine but the daughter was struggling with a lot of stuff. Anyway, long story short, yesterday Fern left us to go to a lovely retired couple who had been looking for a young dog to replace their recently deceased old girl. It was a hard decision to make but I know that it was the right one: she will now have the undivided attention of two people who have had dogs all their lives and want to continue the tradition.
Anyway, to guns…
I have recently uploaded details of the last two guns that will be travelling out with me to exhibit at the Southern. They are as follows:
Firstly, a delightful, 20b sidelever boxlock non-ejector by JD Dougall & Sons: 28” x 2 ¾” replacement steel barrels, strong restock and relined leather & brass case.
JD Dougall & Sons 20b BLNE no 4105
And in its relined case:
The second gun just uploaded is a spectacular 1892 12b Holland & Holland Royal SLE with two barrel set: 28” x 2 ¾” steel replacement and 30” x 2 ½” damascus originals. With fantastic, full coverage of bouquet and scroll and a beautiful oak & leather case, blocked and relined for both barrel sets, this is a gem!
Holland & Holland 12b Royal SLE no 14246
And in its relined case:
In case you missed my previous Update, here are the other tasty morsels that I will be exhibiting:
A J Blanch & Son sidelock non-ejector with 28” nitro proof damascus barrels, beautiful wood, really spectacular engraving and lots of original hardening colour: built on the Scott & Baker patent no 761, this gun is an absolute beauty!
Pre-1887 J Blanch & Son 12b SLNE no 5494
And in its relined case:
Next is a little gem of a 28b hammergun by the Hampshire gunmaker Edwin Chamberlain. This gun is sleeved and nitro proofed for 2 ¾” cartridges and has quite spectacular wood although the action is border engraved! Obviously the original owner placed the quality of his wood far above fancy engraving!
Circa-1890 Edwin Chamberlain 28b Hammergun no 41159
And in its relined 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 last but not least,
pre-1881
Baraction 20b Hammergun by Frank Hipgrave of Huntingdonshire.
Nitro reproofed Damascus 28” x 2 ½” x IC/Cyl barrels and 14
½” well figured stock. Leather bound, canvas Brady case.
pre-1881
20b Hammergun by Frank Hipgrave in its Brady canvas & leather case
Meanwhile, Bob Nay of
Macnab Fine Firearms already had several items of mine in Virginia, USA:
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
Then we have another Blanch 12b, this time a BLE from around
1900, complete with interceptor sears and replacement steel barrels by the
Maker.
1900
J Blanch & Son 12b BLE no 6135
Recently returned to the USA after a little TLC in our
workshops is this extraordinary, unique Powell SLE with non-functioning
hammers, specified by the customer as a new gun back in 1893!
Unique
1893 William Powell & Son 12b SLE with non-functioning hammers no 9622
And lastly, an extremely rare, un-messed-with
1897 James Woodward & Sons 12b SLE complete with original barrels and stock
and many accessories. Sadly we have had to split this wonderful pair of guns
and just the No.1 gun remains, complete with its double case.
1897
James Woodward & Sons 12b SLE’s no’s 5166 (only No.1 gun remains for sale)
Well, that is about it for now.
Keep safe and enjoy the spring!
Very best regards,
Toby Barclay
Historic Guns For The Modern Sportsman
