James Purdey and Sons, Audley House,
South Audley Street, London.
12 bore Bar-action, Bar-in-wood Hammergun
No. 12185   No. 2 of pair.
 Year of manufacture: 1886

   

Link to Gun record from J Purdey & Sons.

Click on these images for more detail.

Heritage Guns' Comment
This gun represents a great opportunity to acquire a really fine condition example of a sporting hammergun made by this illustrious maker. Unusually, it is in very original condition and wears its nearly 140 years with great aplomb! With its top lever and Purdey bolt it has all the best features of its type and no cracks in the bar wood, a common problem with this design style. It also exhibits four features less often seen: Apted’s safety on the trigger (an anti-doubling mechanism); a sprung front trigger (‘loose’ in Purdey’s parlance), loaded indicators and ‘Shield sunk to rib’.
With the engraving still crisp on the locks and action, beautifully figured stock and original 31” Whitworth steel barrels, this gun would make a very classy tool for clays or game.
Presented in its oak lined leather case, relined with burgundy baize, with some accessories and its Makers’ label.

A gorgeous gun at only £9750

The action is a Bar-in-wood design and features:
 Double triggers; Front ‘Loose’ trigger; Apted’s anti-doubling mechanism;
Stanton’s patent, bar-action, rebounding locks; Low level Dolphin hammers;
Sprung strikers; Purdey’s patent loaded indicators; Percussion fences;
Top lever operating a 'Purdey Bolt' by way of a ‘Scott Spindle;
Anson’s pushrod forend fastener.
Engraving style Best fine bouquet & scroll.  Toplever engraved ‘PATENT’.
Locks signed ‘J PURDEY & SONS’. Action bar, forend iron and triggerguard engraved ‘2’.
Gun weight 6lb 10oz              The gun balances ¾” in front of the hinge pin.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½  lbs Rear trigger 4 lbs
 The original Whitworth steel barrels are 31" in length, chambered for 2 ¾ " (70mm) cartridges
and are of brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, swamped, game type. There are a few small marks in the LH barrel.
Birmingham reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2023.

Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9"
from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction

 Right Barrel
18.7mm (0.736")
0.740"
0.024"
0.015" (Light Mod)

Left Barrel
18.7mm (0.736")
0.740"
0.022"
0.017" (Mod)

The Original Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is lightly cast-off for a right-handed shot, features well defined drop points, a white metal oval engraved with a heraldic device and is finished with a chequered butt. There is a small inlet repair to the body of the stock. The forend features a finely engraved steel tip.

Highly Figured Walnut

The approx. 18 lines per inch chequering has been refreshed to its original pattern.
The stock is finished with a traditional linseed oil based preparation as used on best guns by one of the top English makers. This finish uses no grain fillers to achieve its deep, smooth lustre, only many hours of alternate build and flatting off of the surface.

Approximate stock measurements at date of publication:

Pull to Heel
Pull to Bump
Pull to Centre
Pull to Toe
14 3/8"
14 5/8"
14 5/8"
15 1/8"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 1/2"
1 5/8"
2 1/4"
Cast-off at Comb
Cast-off at Heel
Negligible
1/8" Approximate

For the purposes of these measurements, 'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8" from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).

Patents Exhibited include:

 'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
 'Scott Spindle' patent no. 2752 of 1865;
Stanton's rebounding lock patent no. 367 of 1867;  
Purdey’s loaded indicators patent no 1464 of 1866;
Apted’s anti-double patent no 3606 of 1884;
Anson's forend fastener patent no. 3791 of 1872.