doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Barrel Sleeving - Case Study

This is a Birmy boxlock with a big �name� on the side. To me, high condition is decent, 80-90% not a mint condition gun. I would not pay more than 4K for a box lock with a �name� on the side when I could get the same gun with a lesser name on it for half or two thirds the price. People need to stop buying the name on the gun instead of buying the gun for what it is.

Here is a perfect example. In the 1970�s Ford sold the Pinto runabout for about 3k new. They also made the same car and put the name Bobcat on it for Mercury and priced it 500-600 more for the same car. I�m not buying a Pinto dressed up as a Bobcat for the extra money. A Birmy gun is a Birmy gun. If you put H&H on it but know it was made in Birmy are you willing to pay twice what that gun would sell for if it had Clyde on the side of it? I�m not. So yeah, it�s a 4K gun to me.

Good luck finding one at that price.

4K buys a lot of British boxlock these days. With that kind of budget you can shop around some. Hard to see the value in sleeving anything but a small bore boxlock or a good sidelock in this market. I have nothing against sleeved guns as shooters but can not see spending big bucks on one.

4k won't buy a sleeved gun BV1 gun

for instance
http://www.champlinarms.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30

Here is another, not even BV1

http://www.hillrodandgun.com/picture.php?id=12878

I think we are conflating what we, individually would do, versus what the market value is - and none of us dictate market value.

On another thread, I said I wouldn't be interested in any gun with a significant butt extension except as a candidate for restocking. So my value for these is quite low, but clearly the market value is quite a bit higher.

LeFusil might even pay me to not post pictures of my Merkel because he finds them so ugly, and this is now part of my financing plan to replace my Merkel with a nice British gun that might be sleeved, but won't have an extended stock.



Send me a Benjamin, LeFusil and I'll take the photo down

BV1 sidelock or boxlock? A whole bunch of choices out there. I agree w/ KY Jon, buy the gun not the name. You can find a ripper of a boxlock with that budget. A board member just bought what appears to be an excellent condition, used but no abuse, BV3 sidelock for under 1500$ in the UK. personally I would take the provincial maker sidelock over a used up boxlock with a London name. One more thing to consider is how long some of these guns sit and do not sell. You are seeing asking prices not sale prices published.

Again the name means nothing to me. Value the gun. Value the quality. Value the condition. Screw two inches of engraving on the side when you know it is just letters put on a Pinto by the engraver. This is a solid basic Birmy gun with a little upgrade just like the Bobcat had better hubcaps and the name Bobcat on it instead of Pinto. It�s a solid gun but nothing out of the ordinary. If you saw this same gun with Clyde engraved on the side would you be this interested in it? If you were the asking price would be 20-30-40% less. They probably order it for a customer at his request or perhaps they ordered 50 of them for resale. Not everyone can afford a best side lock. Still it is what it is, a Birmy box lock with better engraving and a name.

In a local (and very reputable) dealer here in the UK, original 12 bore boxlock ejectors in 'good condition' and original barrels are listed as between (GBP) 1750 and 3800. There are 8 listed between GBP 2000 and 3000. Most are 28" barrels. These would come with a full warranty and gunsmith backup. Being UK, they (most anyway) would have 2 1/2" chambers. A couple are cased.

A sound English non ejector can be had for GBP 250 from the same dealer.

These are fairly typical prices from reputable dealers for good Birmingham boxlock ejectors.

You guys are proving my point, over and over.

While WE are getting so technical cutting off a set of barrels does NOT leave a Mono-Block, unless the gun was originally built with one. By Definition a mono-block is when the breech section is made from ONE (Mono) solid piece. Cutting off the barrels does not turn a chopper lump, dovetail or any other type of breech assembly into a mono-block, the Brazing seams are still there.

If you want to "Correct" someone else's terminology be certain you have your own Ducks in a Row.