So you can't afford an English side-by-side shotgun?

When buying an old gun, the condition of the weapon should be your primary concern.

By Kate Gatacre

Wednesday, 26 September 2007

Here we go on a mission to find an English shotgun, in excellent condition, at a reasonable price.

Until this year, I have happily been using my mother's 16-bore or one of my brothers' guns when shooting at home in Holland and managed to borrow a gun when shooting in the UK.

However, the time had come for me to find my own gun.

I knew I wanted an English side-by-side second-hand gun, but how to afford one?

I approached Jason Abbot, a gundealer in Oxfordshire, for advice on how to afford an English side-by-side that was in excellent working condition.

I asked Jason whether the bore size made a big difference: "At the moment, 16 and 20-bores are in fashion and you will end up paying more for these in the UK. Besides which, in practice, the bore doesn't really matter if the gun is well-balanced," was his answer.

"Far more important is the condition. That should be your primary concern."

If a gun has been well-treated and not abused, there is every chance it will last for another generation.

"The less work done to a gun, the better. If the action is untouched and working well, a second-hand gun can be a very good bet. For example, a new Purdey can cost anything upwards of £60,000, while a second-hand one can be obtained for £15,000," Jason commented.

Of course few of us can afford a Purdey, even a second-hand one, but there is plenty of other excellent gunmakers' work on offer.

To demonstrate this, Jason showed me two guns. The first was a Holland & Holland Dominion back-action side-lock. Built at the turn of the century, this gun had its barrels replaced 30 or so years ago by a Winchester gunmaker.

"If this gun had its original barrels, it might cost around £6,000, depending on its condition, but with these newer barrels, I would ask £2,500. Everything else is in prime condition, so actually it is quite an advantage the barrels are modern - they will last much longer," said Jason.

I asked him about the importance of buying a gun that fits: "You would be amazed how many people buy a gun simply because it fits. Even experienced shots or buyers will fall for a good fit rather than good function. You cannot improve the condition, but you can usually make guns fit," was his answer.

The other gun we looked at was a Webley 12-bore boxlock, in very fine condition. This fitted better, but, at 6¾lb was marginally heavier, while the price was substantially lighter, at £1,600. Both guns were chambered for 2¾in and both, Jason assured me, "will see you through your shooting life."

Bill Harriman, ST's gun expert, advised looking at non-ejectors: "They are the most undervalued English guns at the moment, though I don't know why that should be, most of us don't need them and they are just something else to go wrong."

Bill was strongly in favour of boxlocks, too: "For my money a top- class boxlock will always be a better buy than a tired old sidelock irrespective of pedigree."

Decisions, decisions. As Jason put it: "It always ends up being an emotional decision in the end."

Roll out the barrels
I asked Jason what the most significant part of a gun was when buying: "Good barrels are the most important thing - getting new ones made is very expensive. It is worth remembering barrels rarely wear out through shooting - they wear out through gunsmiths."

He showed me how to check both ends of the barrels for marks and ensure they are unpitted and clean inside.

Denting, rusting or wear marks are also indicators of abuse. Blueing is cosmetic, and usually it won't matter if this has worn away.

The thickness of the barrels should be measured too. As a guideline, Jason recommends a minimum of .025in.

Any modifications that may have been made should also be carefully checked - these could have damaged the integrity of the gun and will almost certainly reduce the value.

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What's in this issue?

In this week's issue, Shooting Times investigates the changing role of the modern gamekeeper, and Lewis Potter tests a top-of the-range Turkish shotgun that's a real bargain.