doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Joseph Manton Reborn

I've only just picked up on this, but Joe Manton is back in business, making fine London guns. It clearly isn't THE Joe back, but his name.

The web site shows a lovely bar in wood gun, as well as a three barrel 20 also being made. I hope they succeed.

The site is at http://www.josephmantonlondon.com/home/

Tim

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

I wonder what is their marketing strategy. Targeting the ultra wealthy with ultra expensive �Hand built� pieces with a name that has been out of the world market for some time now and to try and reestablish it in this world wide economy? Maybe Arrieta isn�t being rash by dropping their field grades and only building their high end pieces.

I am friends with one of the directors of the company and know the other directors fairly well.
As I understand it they are not targeting the 'ultra wealthy', rather they are hoping to produce hand made guns of the very finest quality AND novelty for enthusiasts with enough disposable income to buy the best for considerably less than the biggest established London names.
By using the best of the CNC facilities available within the UK gun trade combined with some of the very best independant stockers, finishers etc they are managing to produce guns that would cost 40-50% more if they carried some other names.
Their output will be modest but then I expect the market will be likewise.
I have handled the 20g H&H style S/S and it is a real gem. The 3 barrelled gun is a tour de force of design and was conceived when a famous Italian maker failed to deliver the project after several years! Two sidelocks and a triggerplate make the three locks, all controlled by a single trigger, I believe.

For what it is worth in passing, there is a three barrel shotgun pictured in recent issue of Sports Afield magazine. Believe it is a 12 bore- didn't Dickinson make a few three barreled 16 bore shotguns at one time? I rather like the idea of bringing back a great name like Manton--

Indeed the three barreled gun is the most interesting thing. As you know, we have a long tradition in building Drillings as we call them in Germany. A well known gunmaker, surely one of the best, once told me that there was always one real challenge: to build a best Drilling! Especially because of the weight and the balance. Such Drillings have been build in former times. With two shot- and a rifled barrel they had 2.8 Kg! Length of barrels of course 68 cm or even more!
The new Manton Drilling is a so called "Sortenreiner" or "Flintendrilling" because of the three shot barrels. But the challenge is the same and it seems as New Manton has done a nice job. It's something very special, but I love special things.
BTW there is a nice Flintendrilling shown in the Westley Richards Bicentenial Book!

Kind Regards,
Gunwolf

Yes, Dickson built a 28 three barrelled guns, with two triggers (the first trigger being a single-trigger for two barrels) and three triggers in a variety of 12, 20 and 16 bore.
Boss built a three barrelled gun with a single trigger. There were also three-barrelled guns by Westley Richards and E. C. Green.

There is of course some superb craftsmanship on those guns but to me the Manton name looks odd on such modern material? Good luck to the guys behind this venture, if they can bring something good to the gun trade, then great.

They do look like nice guns but somehow I think the name Joe Manton should have been respected enough to let it sleep in history, revered as the father of the modern shotgun and the emergence of England as the home of the world's premier gunmakers during the 18th and 19th centuries. Actually it seems like a sacrilege. But then, I'm sort of sentimental. There cannot be another Joe Manton.

I don't know what to make of this kinda stuff.
I guess someone bought the name,& I'm sure they are sweet guns.But is there any real connection to the real Manton?..I guess not..?
So in a way isn't this just a new Gunmaker, really?
Which, of course, is a great thing, & good luck to them.They look lovely
But it wouldn't have any extra historic pull for me...where as the recently revived Greener Co with the grand son at the helm seems to pull more @ my heart strings...
But I can't afford either of course
I know other famous makers have changed hands, like Purdey & H&H,
But they have kept on making guns right up to today, where as it's been while for Joe
Good luck to them
franc

I agree. I wish them success, and they do look nice guns, but I'd rather see them use their own names, not Manton's.