doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Purdey with 2 1/2 chambers increased to 2 3/4

I've saw him mention it before on here just never knew where it came from.

I thought it came from Star Trax....OB-1..BBV

You know, Ken, a guys got to know his limitations. With all due respect, if you are asking if a gun can be converted back to 2 1/2 inch from 2 3/4, I going to guess you have much, much more to learn about guns in general, good guns and best guns.

Don't feel bad. So do I. So do most of us, if we are honest.

You are also going to have to think about what you are going to use the gun for. If the gun is mostly for fawning over, with a small bit of perfect bluebird day shooting thrown in, and the knowledge you will sell it sooner, rather then later, this isn't your gun. Lowell can tell you about that. Guns really aren't good investments and if that is the primary concern, you may need to look elsewhere.

Keep in mind, most 'chicks aren't impressed by Purdeys. So, don't buy it to impress anyone other than yourself.

HOWEVER, if a Purdey is all you have ever wanted, if you have burned for one for half a lifetime, and you are going to use it, and use it hard, for all manner of hunting, and can use the gun with the same limitations it had when it was new (low pressure ammunition EITHER 2 1/2 or 2 3/4 length, the length of the ammunition means NOTHING, the pressure level means EVERYTHING) and pay for an inspection by someone like Kirk Merrington to give it the OK for that use, it may just be the perfect Purdey to be buried with some day, a great price for a top gun with lots of life left at the end. You could use it the rest of the time you have on earth, and never really need anything else.

You have to answer questions like these before you buy the gun, not after.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Best,
Ted

JoEY, better board-up those windows, don't want you to catch a cold this winter!

I got them bOarded up lOw'e.

Take a 2 & 1/2" gun to about any American Gunsmith and the first thing they are going to tell you is "you know we can lengthen those chambers to 2 & 3/4".

I believe in leaving chambers as found. I'm sure the long chambers will effect the collector value of the gun but not necessarily the shooter value.
For a shooter I'd be more concerned about the 'bore diameters, wall thickness, choking and the rest of the gun' than the chambers...Allot of these old guns are honed mighty thin by the same guys that like to cut chambers and chop barrels.

I have a matched set of Purdey hammerguns with the chambers opened to 2 3/4". I was not real happy that this was done, but other wise, the guns are in very nice shape and I really liked these guns, so I went ahead a purchased them.
The wall thickness in the relieved area is still plenty thick and the bores in great shape. I bought these guns to shoot and do they ever shoot. I am glad I got them.

Ted, your straight-up post cuts straight to the heart of it.

Ted, That was great. You got right to the point. It is good advice!

I on the other hand tend to buy the less expensive guns knowing I will move up as I gain more knowledge and experience. I am therefore careful with my purchases in the hope I will not lose much when I sell so I have more to spend on the better guns- whatever that is.

I am having lots of fun with the ones I have now and as my tastes become more complex I will still have fun in the future with my new ones.

Hj - It is a system for making a quick estimate of the value of a Brit or Continental SXS guns of 1890ish to 1960ish vintage of 12 gauge in the USA retail market; DR, small bore, extra finish, O/U, etc. can be less reliably estimated with a multiplier. It also works for deciding if the price asked seems to fit to the gun in hand. It has 405 pigeon holes of value in five layers of nine by nine (81 pigeon holes each) charts. The five layers are based on the Brand Value (BV1 to BV5) attributable to the maker's name. The 9X9 charts are based on simplified Original Quality level (OQ1 ("best" grade) to OQ9 (farmer/colonist grade)) by simplified Current Condition level (CC1 (pristine) to CC9 (wall hanger)). It will generally place guns +/- 10%.

Originally, I worked on the concept to help "organize" the guns in my mind. As I worked, I realized that there was an organization within the market. The problem was that most people never see guns in an organized presentation. Without organized data, it takes a lot of guns to begin to make a picture of the market. The current idea is to jump-start the understanding of how the guns lay out and what prices the markest ascribes to which guns.

To those addicted to the magic of Brit/Continental guns, sorry. I realize that this is about like showing up at a Harry Potter convention carrying a science book. But, I personally find plenty of room for both scienc and magic in my life. I just prefer to get down toward science in financial dealings.

For those who have spend a fair bit of their live learning to intuitively judge values, I think this system helps. Commerce usually does much better in the presence of information.

To Homelessjoe n my mate Lowell,
Can you to start a private thread, to get it out of your system?
I find reading this thread that when i see a lowell / joe exchange I tend to fast forward, which is a shame.
Lowell, you have produced some truly awesome posts, but Joe's bbl length fixation is bringing you down man
love
Frank

That's your perogative mate'e.
love
jOe