doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Relative strength of action in Purdey Self Opener

As I recall the W-W M-21 torture proof test, the Purdey digested some 150+ proof loads before anything let go. The M-21 went 1000+ and was still "tickin'" at the stop of testing. On thed other hand, vulgate experience is that a Purdey will digest a lot of proper ammo.

DDA

Some of us "goofs" don't feel the need to wear a watch when we have a cell phone in our pocket. It doesn't need to be water resistant if you don't need it to begin with........same as with a "Self Opener" gun.

SRH

It was not loose when I bought it...I also had a plane jane untouched W.C.Scott 10ga. that the action got loose in pretty short order shooting 12 ga. guage mates in it.

True Rocketman but not a fair test. Bit like saying that a John Deere tractor is superior to an Aston Martin DB5 because it can get farther across a ploughed field before becoming bogged down. A Purdey game gun would be made to perform with the intended ammo. I've never had a gun shoot loose given a diet of the correct ammunition. The Proof House had a Boss shotgun that they retired still in good order after having had over a million and half cartridges through it. Poor maintenance is the worst enemy of guns. Lagopus�..

Lagopus, testing to support advertising is usually "thin ice" indeed. And, yes, this test was made for W-W advertising. We need to recognize that robustness to high pressure/high recoil is not necessarily the same as robustness to firing cycles. Despite the M-21's robustness to proof loads, I've known a number to develop a hitch in their get-alongs. On that Boss thing, I have read that there were no records of maintenance but there are rumors of regular check-ups that likely included some new parts. Buying a used gun is a roll of the dice. Buying 100+ year old guns is "blind hogs rooting for acorns." ;-}

DDA