No such thing as a'Golden Era' in my opinion.
The best craftsmen from any era would stand comparison with the best from any other.
Depends what you want- if you want a stocked to the fences hammerless bar-action sidelock with top-lever, intercepting sears, ejectors, steel barrels and a single trigger then you have to look to around 1910-1939 for everything now considered 'modern' to be in place and working proprerly. Post WW2 production can be variable but the best is as good as pre-was stuff.
One reason the WW1 - WW2 era is so lauded is that there are lots of guns from that era around in good condition. A lot of earlier stuff got shot to pieces or handed on to gardeners and the like.
Take one of these pre-war guns by a 'best' maker and you have a top quality gun which you can still buy for a reasonable price (relative to a new one with the same spec and quality).
Take apart an 1870 hammer gun of quality and you will struggle to find better work and attention to detail. you could argue that the aesthetic never exceeded the 1870s hammer gun, As I say, it depends on what you like and what you appreciate.
The
'Golden Era' is to my mind the lazy shorthand of a salesman trying to get more for a gun he is trying to sell and a comforting cliche that stands no real examination. a gun is as good as it is regardless of when it was made.
Consider each one you see accordingly and forget about 'Golden Eras'.
Last edited by Small Bore; 03/01/07 05:54 AM.
