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Jul 28th, 2025
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,250
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,250 |
Hey Cadet, don't let my second tier rap get to you.
I shoot a solid second tier F Beesley Sle, and am quite happy with it's station in life.
Just enough, but not too much eh ol'boy!
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 605 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 605 Likes: 1 |
Hasn't got to me - it's just a brand, after all!
With a fine Beesley, you effectively have a classic Purdey, just with slighly differnt engraving!
Woodward apparently occupys a curious place though, a netherworld between 1st and second tier or BV, partly for reasons I've mentioned, but partly also inexplicable. As soon as Donald Dallas publishes a book on them they'll be first tier!
RG
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,250
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,250 |
I'd have no problem owning a Woodward, it's just my money is in a state of decay!
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 605 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 605 Likes: 1 |
It's only years of saving, going without, and passion (all while I was single and had no family or mortgage) that could afford it for me!
RG
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
Greg, your copy of the list is going in today's mail. The four that requested email copies, I have sent it. Let me know if anyone else wants this - email (you must run Excel) or paper.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
Lang alone has BV2 and Hussey alone BV3. The combined will most likely price out as BV3 (combining companies rarely lifts the lower up). I'd expect a BV3 "good as" gun to run about 1/2 of the price of a BV1; you may well have found a true bargain. Keep in mind that the shops were generally run by a master. He, for sure could get a best gun out - he only needed a commission to do so. And, there was the rub.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
Woodward prices BV1. Greener G-guns were as good as it gets. However, few craftsmen are really able to repair properly; caution called for.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
Woodward, without question, made their sidelock guns, and bought in at least some of their boxlocks. They did put their name on the boxlocks, too.
Woodwards price out as BV1. Purdey bought them to get the O/U, a better design than Purdey had at the time.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
Yep, from the standpoint of design, materials, and workmanship, the Woodward "The Automatic" is a best gun. Oh, they did make some with less finish and "graded" them (lower price), as did Purdey's.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
"The Automatic" was made in snap underlever hammer gun, snap underlever hammerless, side-lever hammerless, and top lever hammerless. While it is clear that Woodward's failed in business, I don't think it was due to design of their product or of their craftsmanship.
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