doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Thoughts on Purdey non-ejector 12 bore

The old barrels could have been damascus.
Look to see it's re-proof.

Strange, but not unheard of. The barrels could have been replaced for any number of reasons....run over by a truck, an obstruction, or compossed of that inferior material damascus. Now the real questions to me are, rebarreled by whom? And the real kicker.....really original colors or not? Will they give you a 3 day inspection? If so there are several really good smiths who offer inspections.
Steve

Maybe not strange but certainly worthy of follow up. In the first place, rebarreled is not always good--depends on who did it and the quality of the job. Second, the barrels may have been damaged in any number of ways that would not necessarily have hurt the action and stock--unclean barrels after black powder shells? Third, I am starting to smell renovation which may be how the case colors are so fresh. This was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s with otherwise good guns. Reference also what Atkin Grant and Lang are doing...they take a worthy gun and "redo" it including restock or rebarrel as necessary. Guns then typically sell for half to three quarters of original value.

I typically dislike rebarrels as the weight distribution very rarely survives as intended by the maker. There are exceptions, of course, so you'd have to look at the gun.

Ken, go carefully. Time for the call to Purdey's. Do they know anything about the new barrels or the refinish? If not, then go very, very carefully. Some old refinishes, if very well done, can be hard to tell from OE. Don't hesitate to get it into the hands of a real Purdey's expert, like XC.

The London Barrelmaker that I have used for the last'Several Years'Has no trouble making and fitting new bbls to Guns(& DB Rifles)Matching the Original weight, or giving the Client weight Forward or weight to the Rear. The Best Barrel Makers who have been building Barrels since their early TeenYears,Know their Trade'I recently had a 12 bore Purdey Hammer-Gun, c 1881,(Keeping 1 pr of the 3 Original pr of Damascus Bbls.)Re-Barreled with 2 New Pr of Steel Barrels, 12b 2.3/4"x32"...20b 2.3/4"x32".Mr Barrel-Maker made a 'Saddle on the 20b tubes, so that the Original Splinter Forend fitted perfectly on both pr of the New Bbls and still fitted the Orig. 30".2.3/4"x 30".I have Re-stocked the gun back to original Purdey Dims, Steel Heel & Toe Protectors,(Re-Engraved to Original pat. by the Young 'Master Barry Lee Hands)Charcoal Blued by the Master"Turnbull"The weight and Balance with the 30" tubes,very nearly matches the balance when the 32"tubes are on the gun. Yes the 2 pair of 32" tubes weigh exactly the same.I Bored & balanced the New Stock so it feels 'Proper"(According to 35 of the 36 People who have"Thrown the Gun to their Shoulder") Thanks for the"Star Rating" Rocketman' Will you be in Reno?? cc/dt

XC - sadly, I wiil not be at Reno. Work sometimes gets in the way of fun. I remind myself how much I like work as I pay the bills and eat. Hope you have a good show. Maybe next year.

Purdey made Beesley actioned guns for several years as non-ejectors until Wem patented his ejector for them. (There may have been an interim ejector design but I forget.)Contemporaneously, it's funny that Teasdale even questions the necessity for ejectors for driven shooting because you have loaders and a pair of guns. More recently, Gough Thomas praises the configuration for the "rough shooter" on a budget. A call or email to Purdey will put the matter straight with your gun. Does it have arcaded or acanthus fences carved?