Getting back to the topic of the blown Purdey barrel, David Trevallion said today (01 Mar 2019) that he has had the rib put back in place and will take two inches off the barrel, turning it into a 28" gun. He had restocked it....really had rescued this 1877 gun from a spare parts bin....replacing both hammers with old Purdey hammers he had around. He also said he and his partners had concluded that the blow-out was cause by a barrel blockage. The gun was being shot with low pressure RST shells, with a single plastic cap, unlikely to have become stuck...so he believes the blow-out was caused by snow in the barrel...there was a heavy snow on the ground at the time.
David said he has about 10 barrels in his house which have been blown, everything from the Purdey to Parkers. I told him how valuable a research tool those would be if they were photographed and analyzed. He may write an article (but I got the impression it would not be soon).
Last edited by Argo44; 03/01/19 02:56 PM.
