Buzz - spot on!
Buy what you like, shoot it enjoy it and actually have something beautiful and useful.
I look at some of these as fun projects. After all, what we have here is the heart of a beautiful gun. Making the action, engraving it, making the furniture, forend iron, locks and trigger plate, triggers etc represents a lot of time and effort.
I won't let this heart of the gun die. What it can become again thrills me. I love the idea that it can be the basis for something.
Best sleeving runs to about 3,000.
Best Barrels run to about 8,500.
A new stock runs to about 4,500, depending on wood.
A new forend wood runs to about 1,000.
Some customers take the view they'd like a new gun built on the old action.
They approach it as they would buying anew gun, but they have the action and locks, the heart of a vintage gun of class and character.
The last Purdey we did ended up costing the client 11,000 in total (he went the sleeved route). Now he has a bespoke gun. A bespoke self-opening, sidelock ejector of that quality for 11,000 looked like a good buy. He chose the stock length, shape, figure, dimensions that were perfect for him. He chose the chokes, barrel length, chambering. He shoots like demon with it.
He'll never sell it.
This Woodward could be the basis of a project like that. My business partner Kiri just might end up with a new game gun! It is fun considering the possibilities but the sheer beauty of the internal workmanship of things like this means I just have to get them back into the field. They deserve it!
