http://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-fo...un_id=100802539

This express rifle looks quite suspicious to me. Click on the photos to enlarge them, and let me know what you -gentlemen- think.

Looks like something Joh. Kalezky sourced from Alex. Henry in the white, completed & applied Purdey's name on it & forwarded to the Birmingham proof facility?

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Call Purdey's. They'll be able to tell you, one way or the other.

Not that unusual. Purdey sold many rifles that were supplied to them "in the white" so to speak, and then finished in their shop to some degree. Mostly you see rook rifles and other sub-best quality guns that fit this description. This one appears to be in that same line. Still looks like a high quality rifle, but it is probably not 100% Purdey built.

Contacting Purdey with the serial number should shed some light on it.

I was suspicious because of the "James Purdey" marking, since I was under the impression that guns were marked "Purdey" in the early days then later on "J. Purdey and sons". After further research I found that some guns were indeed marked "James Purdey".

Thanks for your input.

Last months Sporting Gazette has an article by Donald Dallas about a single barrel Grant made on the same Alexander Henry action.

I have a very similar Purdey/Henry in .450 3 1/4"(No.9415). A factory letter indicates it sold in 1875 for £30. The Donald Dallas
book mentions that Purdey made/retailed 41 such rifles. Rigby, Powell, Harkom, Bourne and many others also used the Henry action.