doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Question for those that know Purdey hammerguns.

For Wild Skies

Here's a sort-of comp:

http://www.icollector.com/Engraved-Cased...hotgun_i9753462

OWD

The "BNP 12-65 850 Bar" is a modern Nitro reproof.

I believe that the A D on either side of the crossed halberds is for a 1998 reproof date if the pattern follows prior practice - 1997 was Z C on either side of the crossed halberds so A D would be the logical follow on.

The bores are pretty big at 18.8 mm. That makes it a 0.740" bore. I would like to know barrel wall thickness for sure.
What's it worth? Well, most of us would love to own a Purdey hammergun - I know I would. Nice all original ones in proof seem to start at around $10k and go up from there. Given that it's a rebarrel, and one that doesn't match the breach, I would put it at under $5k and maybe around 3500. I don't own any English guns - just like to drool over them. I like to shoot my guns and I would actually prefer one with newer, nicely sleeved steel barrels.
Good luck,
Jeff

I've got to check but I think Teasedale-Buckell mentions laying the top rib deliberately lower than the action to cut on glare and the hot air from barrels heated by shooting distorting the front sight view.

Any pictures of the proof marks on the action flats? Do they corroborate the barrel marks?

Wild Skies picture of a Blanch is an example of a normally executed 'swamped rib'. The 'shield' (the often scalloped patch that aligns with the top rib - in this example, a rectangular raised block) forms the rear site and when the gun is mounted one only sees a small part of the rib nearest the muzzle.
It is not done 'wrong', it is just a different, and fairly common, design feature.
The Purdey that skeettx posted is another example of the same although I would hazard a guess that it has been re-barrelled or re-ribbed with a swamped rib rather than originally manufactured as such.
Don't forget that changing the rib to suit a new fashion (possibly as far back as the 1890's) may have made an ordinary gun more saleable.
Whether the barrels are original Purdey and fitted by them or not is a whole other bag of worms and probably only Purdey are in a position to comment. I think it unlikely that Purdey would have fitted any barrels that so patently don't fit but money talks and if an important client told them that that was what he wanted done, I have no doubt they would have done it, probably with much forelock tugging!
However, I think it more likely that IF they are actually another set of Purdey barrels, they were fitted on by someone else within the trade less punctilious that our friends at Purdey!

i know the nitro proof and date codes

but my question was Birmingham or London marks?

Purdey comments on the gun? I usually get information from Purdey in a day or two.

OH;

I cannot (even with the aid of enlargement) see any indication that these barrels were ever originally proofed in London. The London "arm"mark may be under the strikeover near the breech end of the flats, though.

Not withstanding this issue, the action of this gun is a "peninsula lock" versus the Purdey "island lock" of the time, which causes one to consider that that the action of this gun was a Birmingham made--not London; and consequently worth a fraction of the cost of a genuine Purdey island lock gun.

Purdey's comments on this gun will be interesting.

Whatever it origin turns out to be, it is not one to add to my stable.