This offering from the Oxford street Purdey emporium with a half number in the address has worked faultlessly for fifty years now, giving that it has reached a hundred and fifty years old. Though I do have one or two little complaints with the gun, being a thumb leaver opener if you let your thumb nail grow a little long it will remove the excess nail for you quite painfully, and because of its age no choking just two true cylinders.
That said it is a head turner of a gun because of the sleek lines of its design, and it still does today what it was built to do in the 1860’s. With having Damascus barrels, it does have a very distinctive sound. In recent times working examples of this bar in wood design have started to be the “I want” for collectors, making it hard to believe in the 1960’s this hammer gun was considered low value scrap and was on its way to be melted down.
After going through the pain of purchase and restoration I have never found the want or need to add another gun to my collection of working guns.