My latest V. Bernadelli S. Uberto I imported by Charles Daly has only whetted my appetite for a true "best gun". But yesterday, shooting with Bladeswitcher, I became envious of his Webley and Scott boxlock English gun, which is a very nice gun, but even his Webley is not a "best gun".
What I want, is a sound, attractive, used "best gun" , that is:
1. A sidelock
2. Made to very high, hand made standards
3. Is a light game gun of approximately six and a half pounds, or slightly more.
4. Made in the pattern of the best English sidelock "best guns" from Purdey, Holland and Holland, or Boss.
5. Cosmetic flaws are acceptable, so long as they don't detract from the overall experience of owning a true "best gun".
What's the lowest price of entry into the realm of a true "best gun"?
To further the discussion, what are the price and quality differences of examples of a good, sound, used sidelock "best gun" from the U.K., Spain, and Italy, or anyplace else in the world a true "best gun" would come from?
Any opinions of what I should look for, would be much appreciated.
I have bought my first Double Gun Journal ca. 1991 and have been playing this game for long time. I would modify that VB and enjoy it by putting money into hunting opportunities instead of trying to find 'best gun' SLE from England. Buying 'best gun' will be expensive because it will entail buying double with either H&H or Beesley actioned "self-opening" gun (mechanism cocks on closing making it easy to open but harder to close) or their clone made elsewhere.
Once upon a time, before the Great Recession wiped out every one of my wealthy condo developer buddies who used to go to Winner, South Dakota each fall for a pheasant hunt, I stopped at Cabela's in Mitchell, and looked at a very nice Purdey.
The man said it was only $10,000, because the chambers had been lengthened to 2 3/4", and it was originally a 2 1/2 inch gun, and hadn't been subjected to reproof. It would likely be all right, but they would not guarantee the barrels would stand proof. Not very reassuring.
The gun was quite a bargain, he said, compared to another one on the rack that looked just like it, that was sixty thousand dollars.
Then I went on to Winner, where one of my wealthy friends let me hunt that afternoon with one of his Purdeys, one of a pair he'd only paid thirty thousand for the pair, many years ago.
All in all, the Purdey was a very nice gun, and handled about like my Ithaca Model 37, which is a great complement to the Purdey. It looked much like the Grulla the same man showed me, with beautiful engraving and gold filled screws, he said was only a six thousand dollar gun.
I have more guns than I can shoot, if I shot one a week for a year.
I appreciate all your well thought out advice, but my conservative nature has me wanting to send off my Bernardelli to Mike Orlen and have the chokes opened up to something more "game gun" than IM/F, and shoot the hide off the thing at skeet, causal trap, sporting clays, and the doves I shoot in the fall here in Missouri.
Buying a "best gun' is sort of like buying a genuine 28 gauge Model 12 Skeet Gun. It might be the real deal, or it could be a 16 gauge Model 12 counterfeited into a 28 gauge. Somebody could screw me to death buying a best gun, and I'd be standing there just smiling, not knowing enough to avoid my screwing.
And if I want to admire great craftsmanship, all I need to do is take one of my Browning Superposed shotguns apart, and peep up inside.
I'm not saying I won't eventually buy a best gun.
But I'm going to try out a lot of best guns, first, and buy one that my gunsmith pronounces as sound and good, and it might be another V. Bernardelli.
They made some best guns, too, with sidelocks and nice engraving. I see them listed in the Gun Trader's Guide.
And their box lock S. Uberto I guns imported by Charles Daly, handle about like that Purdey I tried, or an Ithaca Model 37, take your pick.
I own bunches of Ithaca Model 37's, but only that one boxlock light game gun from Italy.
It will do me, for now.
