doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A Look at the Winningest SXS in History?

Who is Chris Craddock?

I have a Fox A grade that is stocked very similarly with double triggers. I shoot zz bird with it.

A problem I have with shooting sxs doubles is that my dominate eye switches sometimes. I believe my brain gets bored with concentrating. My answer is to put white electricians tape on the rib and taper the width from breech to barrel end. This helps to create a single narrow pointing plane and sort of makes the rib look higher than it is. I was told this old trick by a pigeon shooter and it works for me.

An interesting profile of Doug and Shirley Florent's background from the Oxford Gun company website. Their son David is also very active in the company and there are several more interesting videos on the TSC youtube channel. One thing that caught my eye was the mention of a British Airways gun club. Imagine that today!


Doug & Shirley Florent
Founders and Owners (Oxford Gun Company)

Not many people can boast 40 years in the gun trade. Yet, in 2016, Doug and Shirley Florent are celebrating their 40th anniversary in the business. Doug and Shirley were drawn into shooting quickly and in the early days, they travelled together all over the world shooting F.I.T.A.S.C, trap and English Sporting and competed with some of the greats, including Paddy Howe, Wally Sykes and AJ Smith.

Throughout the late seventies and early eighties Doug and Shirley continued to become more involved with the industry, working closely with the British Airways Gun Club and West London Shooting School to develop an A.B.T shoot which eventually became the start of The Gun Club at West London Shooting School. Driven by passion and hard work, this became one of the busiest clubs in the country, welcoming thousands of new people into the sport and supporting existing shooters in developing their technique and style, as they cut their teeth in the world of instructing.

Having worked with Holland & Holland, Bill Lees at Boss�s Shooting Ground and Chris Cradock, The Oxford Gun Company was started in 1988. Their careers in the industry have undoubtedly been a steep learning curve, but it has given them a clarity of insight into the industry. From retail to instructing and events management, if it happens in the countryside Doug and Shirley have mastered it. At The Oxford Company they have created a community which works closely with local businesses, and nurtures both established and novice shots.

The Oxford Gun Company is first and foremost committed to rewriting the stereotypes attached to shooting, and showing the world that it's a sport for everyone.

https://www.oxfordguncompany.co.uk/shootingschool/experience.php

I�ve learned that if my off eye takes over it�s because the stock is slightly low. I notice this on dropping targets. In place of white tape you can use chalk

Interesting history. Thanks for posting.

Regarding British Airways gun club, many large companies here in the states had/have gun clubs. Standard Oil/Chevron had a shooting facility for its employees and later the public for decades. North American/Rockwell had a gun club. McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach CA had a gun club that met at a local range. I think all the major aerospace companies in California had a gun club.

A followup video of actually shooting the Stanbury shotgun:

The gun does not have a higher than standard rib as a previous poster has suggested. It is a standard Webley, or Scott rib, maybe tapered, but not otherwise unusual.

I am curious about one early statement. He said it was a "SxS but built like an O/U." What did he mean? Was he referring to the single trigger?

I think it’s noteworthy that Percy managed to win the National Skeet Championships on more than one occasion despite its extra full choking.

Lagopus , Mike Yardley bought a similar spec Webley and Scott both as a homage to Percy and as he shot well with it. I’m sorry that I have no reference for the article but I think it may have been in a comparatively recent Field magazine so probably available online. Edit to add A full review of Mike Yardley’s Webley can be found on Shootinguk online under the title Webley and Scott 700 shotgun review. The gun was sourced at William Evans and was built on a 700 action as a pigeon gun ,heavily choked but double triggered in contrast to Percy Stanbury’s gun.

The flat file cut rib although not a raised rib would still have sat higher than the more common concave game rib of the time.

Interestingly Chris Batha in an article in the British Shooting Times 14th October 1999 wrote that the gun had the following specifications

Drop at comb 1 1/2 inch and 2 1/8 inch but a cast off of 7/16 inch and a weight of 7lb 11oz

Interesting that a competition gun would have a checkered butt. Looks like it’s choked tighter than Dicks hat band