While surfing eBay I stumbled on this listing. Matching Purdey chopper lump ( it looks like) Barrels . consecutive serial numbers , twins. I wonder where the rest of the guns are. Seller is in North Carolina and has never sold any other item . I find it a bit odd.
http://r.ebay.com/2hxpcw
Odd indeed. I would want to see some documentation!
In fact, the seller has sold 296 items. Sweet looking barrels for someone who owns a light proof Purdey.
In fact the seller had BOUGHT 296 item.
Oddly, the seller shows 296 positive feedbacks. But when you click on the tabs for feedback as a seller, he has 44 feedbacks as a seller, and 315 as a buyer, for a grand total of 359. The numbers do not add up, but he does have a 100% positive feedback rating.
I looked back ... I see that now but the numbers are as you say...I sent a question about his knowledge of where the receivers might be. I just would have thought that these would have been on one of the shotgun internet sites for sale. I just wonder why these are on eBay ( I suppose the powers at eBay feel these are simply Gun parts) . For fun I will try to trace the serial numbers.
I saw them and inquired with my fellow Purdey guys. They say the chances of fitting them to my gun would be minimal.
Now I am used to Berreta and Perazzi barrels and wonder why these would be different.
Would like to hear what you guys have to say.
You are in North Carolina, the barrels are in North Carolina
Send the seller a question and see if you can get together for
a fit test!
Mike
I saw them and inquired with my fellow Purdey guys. They say the chances of fitting them to my gun would be minimal.
Now I am used to Berreta and Perazzi barrels and wonder why these would be different.
Would like to hear what you guys have to say.
Right off the bat I would say the relatively high percentage of hand work performed on the Purdey as opposed to the low percentage of hand work performed on the Beretta or Perazzi.
The seller got back to me with his answer to my question about the whereabouts of the rest of the guns :
"Unfortunately no. I have written to Purdey for help in reuniting them. I'm guessing they'd be a great deal more valuable to whoever has the receivers. Let me know if you have any other questions. Gary"
Very bizarre! Makes a guy wonder how a matched pair of Purdey SLE's ended up like this, barrels only. There's got to be a whole lot more to this story.
Maybe not Purdey barrels, but eBay allows the sale of barrels and it is actually a pretty good place to sell or buy shotgun barrels, including Beretta and Browning O/U barrels.
I would probably say that the owner of the pair died and guns were sold without the second set of barrels that were probably found later and now being put out for sale.
A two minute search on google resulted in the solution to the mystery. The barrels were once part of a four barrel set, having been fitted to another gun with two sets. They were offered at auction, not sold, and, now, separated for some reason. What a shame.
How are you going to fit barrels to a Purdey with all the hand work that goes into making one of those? Maybe the current owner will get wind of this sale and reunite the barrels. Probably a long shot though.
How are you going to fit barrels to a Purdey with all the hand work that goes into making one of those? Maybe the current owner will get wind of this sale and reunite the barrels. Probably a long shot though.
Like many other shotguns that were built during a time of more hand fitting and labor, fitting a set of barrels from a different shotgun is possible, but dicey. If the frame size is the same, and the breech height and width is very close to the same, it could simply be a matter of removing a small amount of material from the hook and lumps, just as was done to fit the original set with stones, files, and a smoke lamp. If there is a loose fit of the donor barrels, then things become more difficult, or economically unfeasible. But metal can be added to the hook by TIG welding, just as in re-fitting a set of off the face barrels. This is why skeetx advised Mike to try to meet the seller for a fit test if he was interested in buying them. Cost of gunsmithing and fitting must be factored into the decision. Not a job for Billy-Bob, the scope mounting guy at the local gun shop. Purdey barrels probably aren't the place for a shim made out of a Pabst Blue Ribbon can.
And the bits don't fit in the lumps and the ejectors don't work, it could be endless problems when you're dealing with a hand built gun. I would check to see but I wouldn't hold out to much hope.
These barrels may be of sufficient quality to have been of utility in the repair of a Boss gun I once owned:
...Geo
Yes, I do rather enjoy making posts using the phrase:"a Boss gun I once owned".
Someone, somewhere would probably give their right arm for those.
I am guessing this seller might be very willing to dump them for 1/2 the asking price. They are not easy to sell . Or realist with a reserve and put them on Auction on the next round.
Edit. - It still odd , he says he contacted Purdey. If I owned them , I would see if I could consign them to Purdey or another Double seller. Or list them on " Matched Pairs". Looking for the rest of the guns if in fact they are indeed extra barrels. Even the Westley Blog might help too. There are better ways than EBay! Even an Ad in the Double Gun Journal .
Well, apparently orphan Purdey barrels can be fitted. According to my google search, Purdey fitted these barrels to another existing gun with different serial numbers. Find that gun and you have a four barrel set.
Well, apparently orphan Purdey barrels can be fitted. According to my google search, Purdey fitted these barrels to another existing gun with different serial numbers. Find that gun and you have a four barrel set.
Good research! So, it would appear that if Purdey fitted them then they would have info as to to previous owner. But the current owner says he does not know and has " written" to Purdey. Purdey might not tell him, but one would think he might ask Purdey to contact the previous owner. I wonder what the real story is or can not be told. ( Maybe that was done and the previous owner does not want them, I would think , however, that would have been disclosed)
10k to gamble on a set of orphaned barrels, with no return, is too rich for me. Now I would be willing to have my gun shipped along with the barrels to a proper gunsmith and have him evaluate if they could work. Along with fitting concerns I'd get complete wall thickness measurements. It would suck to buy them and find out they are too thin and need to be sleeved. Fit is not your only concern when buying orphan barrels. Being 27" make them less of a hot item to me. Sellers always want you to think they have the best thing since buttered pop corn.
They are only of any real use to the person who owns the rest of the gun. If you have a hand made pair of guns you will find that not even the number one barrels will fit the number two gun and vice versa. Lagopus.....
Lagopus you are so right but the dream of finding a set of barrels for a fraction of their replacement cost is such temptation. A fools dream most likely. Worse over here as there might be three smith capable of fitting them to your gun. A very tall task but everyone likes to have hope and as they say a fool and his money are soon departed.
KY Jon, the original barrels for the gun that wore the 27" barrels were or are 29". A gun with two sets of 27" and two sets 29". Not a bad combination.
If you had that gun or pair of guns 10k would be a steal. But to fit them to another, a third and fourth gun is a stretch. If you could track down the gun they were fit to I can see this as a great buy. Just for the rest of the guns that they might fit it is a gamble, 10k with no returns. I've tried this before, not for this much money, and ended up either giving up or getting into a money pit.
If returnable and I had a pair they might fit, I'd roll the dice but with no chance to return them I would not be inclined to take that gamble. It is all risk/reward and while the reward is high the risk and marginal chance for a fit without any chance to just return them and get my money back makes me want to pass. I'd rather drop ten grand on something else and I am not a big fan of 27", 26" or 25" barrels anyways. If they were 30 or better yet 32" barrels my whole attitude would be different.
I emailed the seller on wall thickness, it took a couple of days, but he sent me this last night...
"Good evening. I finally found a barrel gauge. The barrels measure as follows:
1 barrel - 29/1000, 29/1000
2 barrel - 31/1000, 32/1000
Again my apologies for the delay! Let me know if you need anything further.
All the best,
Gary"
Well I have a pair of stripped Purdey locks. If we keep going perhaps we can build a complete gun!
The serial number is on the back and they were verified by Purdey.
Jim
