PRESS RELEASE
Henry Atkin (Gunmakers), T/A Atkin, Grant & Lang of Windmill Lane, St Albans Hertfordshire, hereby notify the public that a change of ownership has been agreed. The company has been purchased by Mr Diggory Hadoke, who will now be responsible for all trading and manufacturing operations. Mr Ken Duglan will continue his association with the company as a consultant.
Mr Hadoke, who is known as a writer and as the owner of vintageguns.co.uk, assumed operational control today and is excited that he will have the opportunity to bring added value to the brand and continue with the good work built up over the three decades of Mr Duglan's involvement with the firm.
Atkin, Grant & Lang will continue to make best English sporting shotguns, carry out service, repair and renovation work and develop other areas of the business.
Well done. Hope your venture does well in the future.
Congratulations. Bill Murphy
Congratulations and Good Show as they say. I wish you the best of luck and a most successful venture.
God Speed to you!
Greg
Diggory - that is a great opportunity for you. Best of luck!
It's nice to see a committed double gun enthusiast in charge of a firm of their stature.
Jim
Congratulations Dig and the best of luck in your endeavour.
Great news! Best wishes for a profitable and satisfying new adventure.
Good on you, Dig, and best wishes for the venture.
Can I now get a gun made up with my picture inlaid on the action? Everyone else has refused.
Goodness gracious Diggory, that's one bold move. Good luck on the venture. Lagopus..... p.s. I hope that you are not putting up the records search fee; I was just about to send details of a Lang gun in :-)
Thank you all for your support and good wishes. I have some great plans for the company. Lagopus, Since you put it like that, this one is on me since it will be the first AGL authentication letter signed my me - may even be a collector's item one day!
Leo, glad to do it but it might have to be a round action
Dig: I know you'll make it a great success. Thant's great news!
Congratulations. I hope we'll continue to see AG&L represented at our major S x S shoots in the Carolinas. Lots of your readers here.
Keith
Very good news, now what kind of discount will you give us ?
Congratulations, Dig. i hope you are just as excited about owning the company 20 years from now as you are today. My best wishes for a successful and prosperous venture.
Hope to see you in Columbia at Charlton Hall this winter.
All my best, Stan
WELL DONE DIG! ALL THE BEST OF GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR ENDEVOUR! THAT'S A GREAT NAME THAT YOU PURCHASED IN ANYBODY'S BOOK>
Best Regards, George
This is wonderful, Dig, for all of us. It pleases me that that while Jeremiahs seem everywhere there are some who believe, take risks, pursue, and devote themselves unreservedly to friendship and love of a great craft.
Congratulations Dig,
When you will announce your corporate policy? Will be posted here?
Will you go on with the previous AG&L policy of refurbishing guns? Will your office be located in the AG&L premises?
EJSXS
Congratulations and good luck on your future ventures! It sounds very exciting.
Dig,
I wish you the very best on this venture. I hope you keep the fine line of these makers going for many years.
Chris
Fine names all; most pleased to see yours added as the rudder. I can only wish you the very best and having more than enough enough old salt about the craft to keep her well afloat ... I'm sure you will and everyone be the better for it. Take the helm and 'Lang' in there, my friend.
The good humor & kind wishes expressed here bodes well, I'd think.
All the best.
Congratulations Dig. I bought a Joseph Lang 16 bore (rebarreled in damascus by James Woodward) that you brought over here to the auction in Columbia several years ago. I'm glad to know that you'll be leading the company now.
I have the letter on my Lang from Ken but what will it take to get a photocopy of the Lang book #1 page listing my guns info? It would be so neat to actually see the handwriting recording my Lang 144 years ago.
My Lang was completed 6 March 1866 and I've put over 2900 cartridges through it since I bought it 2 1/2 years ago - quality lasts. I'll shoot it at the Vintage Cup this year and take it quail hunting. There's just something special about shooting quail with a non-rebounding hammer gun.
Great News, Congratulations Dig! First order of business, please. Get a time machine built and delegate someone to go back and retrieve the Joseph Lang records before they got destroyed in the blitz so I can get some information on my 1825 Lang double. I'm coming off a bit self-serving, aren't I?
OK, forget I even mentioned it. But the congratulations are definitely in order! You must be floating 3 feet off the ground. Great, great news.
Diggory - Congratulations are indeed in order. It is refreshing to know that the company has another steady hand firm on the helm.
Lest we forget, a special nod to Ken Duglan for his many years of dedication to AGL. The company is what it is today because of his tireless efforts. Cheers.
Thanks all.
Ken Duglan is still helping me from home and will do so for as long as necessary. He clearly knows a lot more than I do about existing projects and it will take me some time to get fully organised. You are riht that the company is what it is today because of Ken's management, knowledge and enthusiasm. I have a hard act to follow.
We continue to build new guns, re-manufacture old guns and renovate service and repair.
The order books are too frail to photocopy but I don't see why we can't take digital photographs of the page and send a print or jpeg of the image.
Best of luck Dig. I've hoped for the chance to meet you, and now perhaps our paths will cross at the Southern Side by Side. A great old firm, blessed by strong insightful leadership is now blessed again.
Diggory, that is a very kind offer. I will e-mail you soon with as much information and details about the gun as I can. Are you still with your old e-mail address that you gave me or a new one via AG&L? Lagopus.....
I'm keeping all my e-mails coming through the same address - easier to keep tabs on via Blackberry etc while I'm running around.
Wishing you all the best Dig! A pleasant surprise indeed.
With kind regards,
Jani
All the very best from me dig...super news...a realy challenge I bet
T
Diggory - Are going to continue the relationship with the Southern SXS? AG&L has been an important part of that event. I hope it continues.
Best of luck with the new venture.
Good on yer Dig
You seem like a fella that's been waiting for summat like this,
& I reckon you'll run with it
I bought my 1901 Greener U/L Hammer from Ken...& was/am very happy.
You must be totally tripping :))....you Dig
?
Best to yourself , Sir.
Its obvious you know & love your Guns
Franc
Born n raised in Somerset.
The first week is over - except there is still Saturday!
Been going through stock and stock rooms full of all sorts of things. Very interesting!
Priority is to keep business flowing, get the new website finished and working within 15 days, get ourselves to the Midland Game Fair and sell some guns.
Do drop by and see us if you get to Weston Park, the US shows will be on the list for 2011.
Best of Luck to you Dig on your new endeavor.......
With your good positive attitude and customer service, you should do quite well...
Best Regards,
Well done Dig, best of luck to you.
Rob
Diggory, I always enjoy your work in The Double Gun Journal. Will you be doing any updates in The DGJ on your lastest adventure? Best of luck! Cheers!
That is certainly a possibility, thanks for the support. I'll wait and see what interesting stories emerge from my delving.
Best of luck Dig, any help I can give - just ask.
Bill Pink
My hearty congratulations also. Now great things will be expected (to continue)!
Curl
Congratulations. I enjoy your writing, and your passion for and knowledge of fine sporting guns is obvious. I wish you all the very best with that trio of venerable names.
RG
Way to Go! I hope success and pleasure follow this bold and exciting move. Glad I bought your book too.
Milt
Dig: good go.
Can you tell me if most/all of the work is outsourced?
As you may know we had a fellow in Houston(Cyril Adams) who I know says he was part owner of the firm for a period of time
Best to you, good going
John Boyd
We have three full-time gunmakers on-site and barreling and stocking is done by the best in the trade before returning to us for finishing. Dupile does stocking, Blacker does barrels, St Ledger hardening etc. I will project manage the jobs as I currently do for my vintageguns.co.uk clients.
Cyril Adams is a gentleman and a past owner of AGL. I have a lot of respect for him ad his past achievements.
Good to hear Dig
Hope to meet you in person.
Are you going to the IWA or Antique Arms show in 2011.
Best
John
Congratulations, Mr. Hadoke! I wish now that I had known you'd be taking the helm. I just purchased a letter of provenance for my 1891 Stephen Grant & Sons 12 bore--I wish it bore your signature. Oh, and after collecting my lottery winnings, I'd like to have you rebarrel it! All the best in your future business endeavour!
--Jay Swann
I'm going to have to be seen out and about with one of our own guns from now on - got to fly the flag for the firm!
My old Thompson will have to take a back seat and I am turning my attention to the 1871 Grant hammer gun I posted photos of on my vintageguns.co.uk website. I will nitro proof it to 70mm standard London proof and get the awful blacking off the hammers and lever.
The hammer spurs are additions so they will need shortening and finer chequer on the ends. Butt gets a leather pad to bring it to 14 5/8", I'll refinish the stock and hope I can shoot with it. The non-rebounding locks will need some practice but won't slow me down too much.
Give me a shout if you want the hammers and lever gently glass beaded Dig.
T
Hello Dig: Have you thought at all about coming to Charlton Hall in December?
Best Regards, George
I very much doubt I will be over George, no invitation from Ron and not sure what they are planning this time.
Dig, I hope this LITTLE side venture isn't going to get in the way of your real work like penning a text on English boxlocks????
Kind Regards,
Raimey
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