JohnfromUK,
Many manufacturers, and especially those of higher quality, have been tempted to emit Purdey or have to produce shotguns of their brand but with the requirement of the Beesley system and self-opening Purdey.
I have some of these shotguns:
- English as the BOSS and an Artisan. And we know there are others like Atkin and more...
- Germany as Otto Geyger & Co,
- Belgians like Aug. Francotte,
- Russia of the mark TULA and the,
- Spanish brands AyA and Ugartechea.
Then we have several manufacturers that use the Beesley system but with changes and a different process of self-opening, as is the case of the Belgians Bury, A. Jos. Defourny, L. Brancquaert, from Spain to Victor Sarasqueta model 211, the Ugartechea model 1041 and perhaps others I do not know.
There are rumors over time that the Purdey British would have threatened Ugartechea for making copies of their system. In a very recent conversation with Don Ignacio Ugartechea, now about 88 years old, informed me that he never had any problem or legal issue with the British and that this information circulating in some forums is false, perhaps because he stopped producing this model .
The decision to abandon the production of this model had to do with its high cost and complexity, namely the sensitivity of automatic extractors. The ones it produced had to be adjusted frequently and that was not good for the brand's reputation.
I admit that in AyA similar situation will have happened, since only good and great masters gunsmiths are able to make a good adjustment of these shotguns and this is very expensive and for that reason little interesting for the great part of the producers of shotguns.
I accept that the validity of the Patent Beesley / Purdey is now out of date and therefore accessible to all shotgun producers.
