doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What's the deal with calling guns "Best"....

So "London best" would not include (assuming the highest level of finish and workmanship) the Rigby 'rising bite' or the Boss sidelock, sidelever built on the Perkes patent.

Funny to find myself agreeing with Joe and not with Ted!

I took a friend's Darne out at Christmas and shot the longest string of misses I can ever remember. I missed ducks, pheasants, woodcock and pigeaons with equal ease. I consider myself reasonably adaptable as I shoot so many guns. I think myself to be of average ability, better on game than clay targets.

With the Darne, I dont think I could have shot myself in the head itf I had put the muzzle in my mouth.

I know some people love them but for the life of me I can't see why. The French should stick to making cheese and eating it while surrendering

The term 'best' is simply shorthand for a gun of the highest quality. Not all London sidelocks are of the highest quality but it takes a good bit of exposure and practice to work out a 'best' quality gun from a second quality one.

Looking at old catalogues by top firms gives some idea of features and pricing differentals.

'Best' guns can be boxlocks (Churchill never really made up his mind if the Smith boxlock 'Hercules' was his 'best' model or his 'Premiere' sidelock, or both).

Of course, 'best' hammer guns were the finest guns made, using the mechanisms available in their day, as indeed were muzzle loaders.

Before the 'stocked to the fences' style came to be universally adopted (around 1900), 'best' sidelocks were made that were not. Consider an early Grant sidelever or a Holland & Holland first model 'Royal' as examples.

Some very embellished guns are not best quality inside - they may have cheap Rogers or Baker locks behind the engraving.

Some makers offered a 'best' sidelock and/or hammer gun and then an 'Exhibition grade' or 'Modele de Luxe', etc as ever higher demand for frills, decoration and finery were made on top of the very finest workmanship, materials and operation.

An eye for quality is something some never obtain....Darne it.

Could you give some examples ?

Here are 2 reason why dealers label them "Best Guns"


First: "BEST GUN" is a great catch all phrase for us dealers to label it when we really are not sure of the model. We know its very fine and people will think more of it if we label it a best gun.

Second: Labeling a gun a "Best Gun" increases the selling price of at least 10%

Also, just like there is a group of buyers out there, some on this bbs that would buy a dog tird if it had an English name on it.

I am going to learn how to speak British as it gives credence on selling Enlish guns

Best


John Boyd

Well fellas, there you have it...Dig had trouble shooting a Darne so gather them up and lets have a bonfire. And the poo has really hit the fan now that Dig agrees with the "jOe". Now, that is scary .

I am an extremely average shot, like Dig I tend do better and enjoy more the shooting of game rather than clay. But I never had any real problems shooting the Darnes I owned. Even the V-19 20 bore I had with its short barrels, extremely light weight, was tough to break clays with, but boy did alot of Sharptails, Chickens, and Pheasants fall to that gun.

Here's an example of Darnes "BEST" efforts...

Thank you, Boyd, for again reminding us that there is a small segment among gun dealers that does its best to drive away buyers.

I think yobyllib define it well.

Best was just as the name implied, the makers best.

Even with the fancy embelishment it's still not a best.....Darne it.

I like Charles Parker's definition as found in their 1910 Pocket Catalogue (Exerpt taken from Ed Muderlak's book "Shooting Flying and The American Experience")Parker asked a rhetorican question: "What makes a 'best gun'?" the gun works answer:"The best gun is the one that combines the greatest number of good qualities, and which is built with regard to it's safety, continuity of balance, durability, unsurpassed shooting qualities, superior workmanship, beauty of outline, and greatest general excellence of it's performance under all conditions." 100 Years Old and, to me, still "On The Money."

George