doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How much for a Purdey or Holland & Holland Shooter

There are two main reasons for new barrels :-

1). Neglect causing rust and pitting and then the resultant lapping
2). DENTS! have these knocked out and the resultant polishing / lapping 2 or 3 times results in barrels out of proof. Some guns will not stand a re-proof having thin barrels already - result new barrels required...unfortunately the best handling guns have thin barrels to start with, its a trade off we have to suffer.

I doubt any of us would live long enough or even our forefathers and forefathers before that to physically shoot out a pair of barrels using just lead shot...

Jonty

Say they go for high estimate and do not exceed it. Add 20% (£2400)commission plus 17.5% VAT on commission (£480) and you have a total cost of £14,880. That is £7440 per gun.

The re-stocking will reduce their value. Then of course, it depends on the quality and style of the re-stocking. Bore measurements are not yet known.

So, assuming everything works and not a lot nees doing to them - you have a decent non-original shooter for a little over £7000. They could go for significantly more than the top estimate if they are actually very good - bringing them closer to the upper estimate of £10,000 a piece that Rocketman and I hit on as a realistic budget.

I think the recolored frame and lock plates will merit a bit of a knock. Also, I suspect that the 2 3/4" chambers are not OE as there is no mention of heavy OE proof. Obviously the barrels and furniture are reblacked. I'd call it Current Condition level five (CC5) = restored. BV1-OQ1-CC5 = $12,000; you can bump that up a bit if it is really a good restoration. The low estimate of £8000 translates into about $10,000/gun and may be a tad low. However, I'd be very skeptical of $15,000/gun as the high estimat implies. $21,000 should buy a BV1-OQ1-CC3 (OE with significant use) gun. You are talking top 'o the heap here, so small changes in current condition make big changes in price.

My guess is that they are restocked with railway sleepers.

I forgot about comission (which is not what one would call peanuts!). Apparently you
gentlemen (Rocketman & SB) have the estimated prices down pat!

Ken, another reason to seriously consider SB as an "agent".

JC(AL)

Smallbore, OWD and Derek are right. So far as Purdeys go, they routinely come through our area Wash, D.C. offered by non-greedy "dealers" for around $10K. No flashlights, but genuine, good, usable shooters in proof with few compromising factors. Prices for the high-condition guns seem to top out just under $30K around here for an O & L-cased gun with all accessories and low mileage. KBM

Keep in mind, the English Pound is now 2:1! I would look around in the USA before I went fishing abroad.

I saw this Purdey and thought of this string:

http://rogerbain.com/catalog/product_inf...6f117f543b4a67f


I've never bought anything from this guy, but I've talked with him several times and he has always impressed me as being a gentleman.

Of course, I would still send this gun to a 'smith for inspection before buying it.

OWD

I would like to thank everyone for the great input and suggestions.

Smallbore - if I cannot locate anything in the USA I will give you a call to see if you can locate a gun for me. Feel free to pm or email (kdross@msn.com) me.

Obessed-with-doubles - thanks for the link to roger bain. That is the exact gun I am looking for. The type of wood, engraving (simple house design), stock style (English straight) and the age of the gun is just what I want! Assuming this gun has the original barrels and the gun/barrels pass inspection with a good gun smith, what would be a good price for this gun? Also, how important is the orginal case and tools for a gun? I like to keep everything I own original, but it seems very few guns of this age come with their case. How hard is it to locate a case original to the gun and era and how much do I have to spend?

Thanks
Ken

If the gun checks out and the bbls are good, I think it's a good price. I would want to pay $12,000 for it, but dealers do have to make money.

It looks like that gun has had some work done on it - reblacking, refinish on the wood, etc - and I would just make sure it's all OK. New BBLs will run you around $15,000, so you need to be certain the ones on it are good - in proof, good wall thicknesses, free of bulges & dents, etc. I would also make certain the gun is on the face, the wood is sound, and the whole thing fits you (restocking is $5,000+).

Also, make certain you can take it apart for inspection. You can discuss this with the seller before you buy it. As long as you're using a top smith, the dealer should not have a problem with this. If the dealer does, walk away. And make sure you get everything in writing before you close the deal.

Guns in their original cases with all the tools are not hard to find. But figure on paying another $1500-$2500 for one fitted out that way. A good Purdey oak & leather case without the tools is worth $1200. All the goodies can easily run another $500+.

Here's a decent looking Purdey in a case with the toys:

http://montywhitley.com/antique_arms_fine_sporting_guns/SHOTGUNS/992

I think that's a fair price - maybe a bit high. Making a low-ball offer on it may be worthwhile. The case looks English, even though it's not original to the gun.

If you buy in the UK, be sure to factor in the shipping/importing/brokering/handling costs. They can get expensive. Personally, I would rather put that money into the gun. With the dollar as weak as it is now, I think you can do better over here, too. There are plenty of nice British guns in the US.

BTW: if you get the serial # off of a Purdey, you can email it to them for the details on how the gun was made. They do this for free and they turn around the info real fast. H&H may do this, too.

Good luck.

OWD