Update
6th January 2016
Welcome to my
January 2016 Update.
A very Happy
New Year to you all!
I hope you
all had an extraordinary Christmas holiday and New Year celebrations.
Unfortunately
I developed flu on Christmas Eve and have had to indulge in much warming liquor
and rich food to ease my way through the celebrations and into the New Year.
All totally medicinal, I assure you! However, through the induced haze, it
looked like everybody was having fun so no harm done.
The weather
here in Blighty has been very weird; the first proper frost in East Anglia
occurred on New Year’s Day, about two months late. We have had loads of rain,
acres of associated mud, and plants that should be dormant until the spring are
producing shoots and even flowers! The poor northwest and -east of the UK has
been deluged by the worst floods in recorded history, it just goes on and on.
Our dogs have
been pretty unaffected by it all; they need no encouragement to gravitate to
the warmest and driest place: usually a few inches in front of the log burner.
Their Christmas presents from Chrissy were LED illuminated collars which they
wore with dignity for much of the holiday period. With the flashing feature
selected, I worried that it might bring on an epileptic fit but they seemed
totally unconcerned by their lighthouse appearance.
Moss
& Tilly on a rare, frosty morning walk. Heritage Guns ‘HQ’ in the
background.
Moss the
Delinquent Labrador has been suffering with a stubborn infection of his ‘water
works’, possibly a side effect of a tumour or benign growth, and it does not
bode well for him seeing out 2016 but I’m not giving up on him just yet. Tilly
has been enjoying her first season of ‘picking up’ on the local estate; she
doesn’t achieve a great deal but loves the noise, excitement and intriguing
smells. STOP PRESS: She retrieved her first partridge and hen pheasant on 2nd
Jan so perhaps she is not going to be a complete waste of dog food!
Sue,
the lead picker-up with her springer Ted and German longhaired pointer Rosa,
and myself with Moss & Tilly between drives at Great Bradley Estate.
Notwithstanding
the effects of flu, I have been in the workshop every day over the holiday
trying to get ready for the Beinfeld Las Vegas show 22nd to 24th
January and am delighted with the fantastic guns that are coming together for
that event.
For those not
aware, the Riviera hotel has finally closed for redevelopment and the Beinfeld
show has transferred to the Westgate (formally the LV Hilton, about 400 yards
due west) where there is going to be a bit of a space issue for 2016, improving
in 2017. I don’t think this is going to impinge in any way on visitors to the
show, the exhibitors might be a bit grumpy though!
As to the
Heritage Guns stand, we will apparently be located at booth C7: turn left on
entering the Sporting Arms hall and take the 3rd isle on the right.
Or at least that is the theory!
Please note that full
details and prices for some of the guns below will be available shortly. I am
cataloguing them over the next ten days and will let you know as they are
uploaded.
At our booth
you will be able to see the following:
One of this
year’s show-stoppers, a beautiful James Woodward & Sons ‘Automatic’ snap-underlever,
12g SLE. Cased is its original Oak & Leather with many accessories. This
gun sports its original 29” Whitworth steel chopperlump barrels and fabulous
walnut stock and forend.
James
Woodward & Sons 12b SLE no 4376 (barrels in blacking process)
Another
notable gun is a 20g Holland & Holland sidelever, backaction hammergun with
original 30” x 2 ½” Damascus barrels and highly figured walnut. Considerable
traces of original colour hardening in protected areas. (No photo available just yet)
Next on the
list is a 29” x 2 ¾” Damascus barrelled 20g by William Powell and Son. This
time their classic patent lift-up toplever, original highly figured walnut bar-in-wood
(no cracks!) and stunning engraving.
William
Powell & Son 20b BiW Hammergun no 5806
While on the
subject of small bores, we will have a delightful Damascus barrelled 28g
toplever Watson Bros hammergun with contemporary canvas case. The engraving and
original hardening colour are quite remarkable on this little beauty.
Watson
Bros 28b Hammergun no 4606
For 16g
aficionados, we have a lovely 30” x 2 ¾” Damascus barrelled Murcott
‘Mousetrap’. The old French walnut on this gun carries a beautiful smoky figure
from its 140 odd years and the barrels’ Damascus pattern has been lovingly rebrowned.
T
Murcott ‘Mousetrap’ 16g SLNE no 2446
And so on to some
more 12g’s.
We will have
two 12g hammerguns for you, a Boss RUL baraction with 30” x 2 ¾” TIG sleeved
barrels. Fantastic original wood and lovely engraving as you would expect.
Boss
& Co 12g RUL Hammergun no 2717
Next a new
and very exciting stock item:
A seemingly
‘ordinary’ RUL backaction hammergun, from the little known gunmaker Maloch of
Stirling but beneath the crisp bold foliate engraving, considerable remaining
CCH, lovely wood and beautiful Damascus there lies a VERY rare Stanton patent
rebounding mechanism. Designed solely to facilitate rebounding conversions on
backaction guns, it uses a fabulous mainspring and uniquely shaped tumbler, as
pictured below. It also has ‘Loaded Indicators’ mounted in the fences, yellow
metal pins that protrude when a cartridge is loaded. We have never seen another
example of these unique mechanisms and combined with the fabulous condition of
this gun, it is a must for any serious collector of British hammerguns.
The
lock internals from Maloch RUL 12g Hammergun, no 12244.
Left
cocked, right fired.
A.
Maloch of Stirling RUL 12g Hammergun no 12244
And to finish
up with we have a further six 12g sidelocks:
Firstly we
have two guns by Henry Atkin, both from the period shortly after he left Purdey
to set up on his own. Both built in the Boss/Grant style, probably by John
Robertson of Boss fame, no. 397 is a classic toplever, SLE with Robertson style
interceptor sears and the most beautiful fluted fences, best foliate engraving
and 28” x 2 ¾” TIG sleeved barrels. In contrast, no. 573 is actually stamped JR
on the back of the action so was at least actioned by the great man. The latter
gun features a sidelever and the most unusual interceptor sears: operating like
an H&H but actually blocking the main sears as well as the tumblers. No one
I have met has seen anything like it and they may well be unique.
The barrels on this gun are 30” x 2 ¾” TIG sleeved.
Henry
Atkin (From Purdey’s) 12g SLE no 573 (Barrels in blacking process)
No
photo of no 397 available just yet.
Then we have
an absolutely fabulous Charles Lancaster 12g SLE made in 1896 with beautiful
Damascus barrels, this gun has been restocked and has new forend wood. The
engraving is as fresh as it came out of their workshops and there are many
areas of original CCH in protected places. Fortunately this gun was made with
Southgate style ejectors and the internals are as bright and clean as the
outside so this should be a real trouble free shooter and of the very best
quality.
Charles
Lancaster Assisted Opening 12g SLE no 7776
No inventory would
be complete without a Purdey and this 1884 gun is a real treat. TIG sleeved
with 28” x 2 ¾” barrels, oak & leather case, original stock and crisp
engraving, it shows the tremendous skill of the Purdey craftsmen that produced
a shotgun that has no doubt seen considerable use but is ready to give several
more generations of service. It was built as a non-ejector but converted
probably in the first few years of the new century and the quality of the
conversion is quite remarkable.
James
Purdey & Sons 12g SLE no 11368
The next gun
by FT Baker is a real sleeper, apparently part of a deceased estate in Germany,
it came into the UK via an auction house and we managed to acquire it for
stock. I really couldn’t believe the incredible condition of this gun. It
appears to be all original and we have done little but clean and service it.
Accompanied by its contemporary leg of mutton case, this gun has to be seen to
be believed.
FT
Baker Needham Patent 12g SLE no 6778
Last but certainly
not least is a really delightful Gibbs & Pitt patent SLNE retailer by R
Roper & Son of Sheffield. The amazing thing about this gun is that it still
retains the original Full/Full chokes and really good wall thicknesses in its
30” Damascus barrels. With its sidelever opening and loads of original CCH it
is a real gem of a gun and ready and waiting for a chance to be used on
wildfowl or long pheasants with soft shot.
R
Roper, Son & Co Gibbs & Pitt patent 12g SLNE no 30540
Full details can be found
via links on the Stock Page.
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.