Here we have a very interesting pair of guns. For a start they are not a pair. In fact, they are nothing like they at first appear.
One was made by Purdey in 1895 and the other in 1899. One originally had 31" barrels, the other had 30" barrels. One was made as a non-ejector and the other 'with provision for ejectors'.
Today, they look superficially like a pair of guns, but quite a strange pair! They have 28" barrels, which is OK for a game gun but short for a pigeon gun. Yet, they have the stippled rib surface and intermediate bead sight one might expect to find on a trap gun.
They also have long, curved, very nicely made, beaver-tail forends. The work involved to make this alteration goes beyond the exchange of wood. The forend iron has been elongated to facilitate these forends and finished beautifully.
To make the pair match, the original barrels have been cut and fitted with inter-changeable chokes, not the invisible Teague type, more like 1980s Berettas.
Both guns have also been re-stocked. Again, surprisingly for a pigeon gun type re-build, with straight-hand stocks, rather than a pistol hand of some kind.
I have to observe, the work has been beautifully done by whatever gunmakers took on the task. However, the aesthetic the project manager was seeking is far from what today's market desires.
The guns are actually in tip-top mechanical condition. They feel good in the hand and will, I'm sure, be effective on the clay ground.
Perhaps what is most interesting and striking about these guns is the engraving. They originally sported Purdey fine rose and scroll. Even a cursory glance shows this no longer to be the case.
Now, the two look like a pair (although one remains a non-ejector, while the other has had ejectors fitted). Someone spent a great deal of money getting a top class engraver to completely re-engrave the guns with bold foliage and flower motifs,
Game portraits have been laid onto this background in a different style. One gun sports woodland game birds, while the other has, very nicely done, representations of various ducks. One has a turkey on the underside of the bar.
The style of the guns suggests to me 'American circa 1980', with the shorter barrels, beavertail forends and old-fashioned chokes. However, the engraving looks rather later, while still depicting an American bias in its themes.
The addition of gold inlay to the breech ends of the barrels and to the maker's name on the rib (gothic lettering) and locks adds some jazz to the finish.
I actually do not know who had the work done, nor when, nor by whom. I cannot fault the workmanship, everything is beautifully executed. However, very little about these guns meets the usual demands of the modern market. A cynic might say that someone has taken a £7,000 gun, spent £25,000 on it and made a £10,000 gun.... and then done it again!
I may be wrong, fitting a gun to a buyer is the trick every dealer hopes to pull-off. There may be someone out there for whom these guns are exactly what they believe to be beautiful and practical. With one being a non-ejector, they may sell better as single guns.
Whoever does buy them will get a unique and beautifully conducted resto-mod in Purdey form. They are nothing like original but they are superbly done, if their specificatons fit your ideal.
I shall find out this week, when I test them, but I suspect they will shoot very nicely. This kind of project is expensive to undertake and those commissioning such work normally have a clear idea of what they want; and a good reason for wanting it.
Once upon a time, these guns came off the bench as the realisation of someone's dream.
Now, I just need to find someone alive today who shares that dream!
Diggory Hadoke
Published by Vintage Guns Ltd on (modified )
