I think this is a bit misleading:
"H&H used Birmingham workshops and craftsmen,so did Churchill and Purdey. And surprise surprise they still do. But I bet they wouldn't like me to tell you who and where they are."
Sure, the makers were having lower-grade guns sourced or made in Birmingham. But there best stuff? I don't know. Purdey made those guns in their London factory, as did H&H, Boss, Lang, etc. Some parts may have come from Birmingham, but the guns were being made in London.
After the trade started to die down, say post WW2, that's another story. But I still think a lot of the best stuff was being made in London.
Today, the guns are made wherever they can be made. The orders are so low and the really talented gunmakers so rare, that it doesn't matter where they live or work. It just matters that they're doing the best work possible.
BTW: where are all the pre-WW2 Birmingham sidelocks that compare to a Boss, Purdey, or H&H Royal? I've seen a few, but not many.
Greener's G guns and Facile Princeps are real nice, but better than a top Boss? I think that's pushing it.
Powell made some nice guns, but I don't think they're as nice as London guns. Scott made some decent Premiers, including a few gorgeous Imperial Premiers. But overall,I don't think their 20th-century guns were as nice as the stuff coming out of London at that time.
OWD
Last edited by obsessed-with-doubles; 01/07/07 11:25 AM.
