doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com English Bests

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To work to 30 millionths tolerances, you would have to have climate control.I would pay money to see someone make a square hole with a milling machine(either vertical or horizontal spindle).If not a file, then shaper or slotting attachment.
Mike

"Quality' is MUCH more than just fine materials and close tolerances. It is difficult to actually define, but some 'BEST' guns have an overall feel and delight in handling that surpasses mere mechanical excellence. Among the top makers, some guns just 'have it' and some don't. I have handled some guns from quite ordinary makers that have a real nice quality feel to them - and I have handled a few guns from 'the top rank of makers' that just don't feel quality (for me anyway).

Its about balance, handling, feel of the moving parts. When all of those are right (and in an older gun, condition will play a part) - the 'quality shines'.

bsteele, the article was in the Shooting Sportsman, and it was a signed piece, not an intnerview, by Owen who was the production manager at Purdeys. I doubt that he was full of it. In his article he explained the advantages, technical and financial of using CNC machine. One financial advantage being the avoidance of "stock guns".

The part that shocked me was a question posed by Owen himself, when he asked if the cost cutting obtained via these modern means would be passed on to the customer. "that is a question for the marketing department" he wrote. The implications are obvious.

JohnfromUK, I tend to agree, the quality is not a primarily a technical thing. Sure, a quality shotgun must have a minimum of technical quality, but beyond that is that "feel" both in overal balance and in the manipulation of the gun, how it opens, closes, how each part works. However, even best makers are not consistent in offering that "feel", one of the best handling SXSs I have come across was a Henry Atkin, as was one of the worst, and they were both sidelocks of the same grade and same period, the 1930s.

Der Ami,

From what I saw during visits to high end makers, square holes are started via milling and finished with EDM. Some used broaching machines.

I agree with JohnfromUK, and please don't forget, the quality of those guns of the past was good enough to shoot the highest number of game birds or whatever and to hit all records ever reached.

Wolfgang

Mike,
you can send the check directly to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI-15fovYEY

The premise of being �Hand built� signifies that there isn�t another one like it in the world. People who can afford to bang around a $100,000 dollars worth of shotgun like that phrase as much as they love their exclusivity. But, the English �Bests� do have one heck of a history of performance under the most demanding of conditions.

Steve, you took the words right out of my mouth....I have that video save on my desktop...
maybe we can split the money??

CJ

Gunwolf,

We probably all agree that the hardest test of a shotgun action is its survival in the hands of a serious target shooter. Serious in the sense frequent and intensive use. Kim Rhodes is an example of such a shooter and she and other athletes never used a classic, because it simply could not survive such use.

Lord Ripon did bag over a half a million birds in his lifetime, but it was not done with a single gun. He owned at least three hammer Purdeys and probably other guns too, which no doubt went to the makers for service and repairs. His numbers are hardly a record to rival the hudnreds of thousands of rounds put through a single gun by a target shooter.

The sheer pleasure of hunting with a finely balanced shotgun for many of us is more important than durability. But let's give Cesar his due!