doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Some info re Benjamin Wild and Son

Is "Sully Park" in the original post correct? Might it perhaps be a mistranscription for Selly Park, which is located south of the A38 Bristol Road near Westley Richards' former Bournbrook (Selly Oak) premises.

Re Sully Park, I’ve corrected the entry, many thanks. If you locate and listen to the interview, the volume of background clatter, hammering filing is trouble enough, never mind the soft spoken’ness and English accent for me.

Nice looking gun. Kind of looks familiar.

That Benjamin Wild gun looks for all the world a Webley 7 scot 700 series under all that engraving. They where known to sell 700 series in the white into the trade. Some do turn up with various names and I have seen one with the name A.N Other, so this gun presents more questions than answers.
My one and only visit to Benjamin wild was in the early 1960s and from what I can remember it was in the Birmingham gun quarter either Lower Loveday street or Price street the workshop was situated in one of those old multi story workshop buildings that had numerous name plates of the occupants. I do regret to this day not taking photographs. My visit was to have my extremely worn Cogswell & Harrison side by side 12 gauge put back on face, I do not know who I spoke to regarding my gun but what he said to me about it even today makes me smile "well young man the impossible we can do right away but miracles will take longer". It took two months and it was returned by Post, something that could not happen today. The work was first class it was still on face when I sold it after a great deal of use.

Wonderful.Yes mimics my 700-series WS. Bushveld’s instruction to me about stamps seems to indicate a 1976 proof. Perhaps this was made within the year or so back? Barrels dovetailed lumped. Dedicated “From Cecil Howlett to his Son Colin”. I’m unable to locate info on the gentlemen. Gun from UK Holt auction import to KY (as to valuation, hammered at about $1k USD).

In reply to rrrgcy;
Unfortunately I don't remember ever doing more than looking in the window. I was at university in Birmingham and my accommodation was near Northfield and I used to walk past. Wild's shop was set back somewhat with car parking (I think) in front on the Bristol Road on the northern edge of Northfield as it was then. It was one of a block of fairly new shops. I was around 20 at the time and interest in shooting was still developing in me then! I also used to walk past Westley Richards factory which was then in Bournebrook (Selly Oak) just near one of the entrances to the university site. The local pub there was "The Gunbarrels" on the Bristol Road.

Thanks JohnfromUK.
I did catch some Internet chatter of some dozen years ago by a gent from the Uk who sought purchase of a c.1978 12G Victor Sarasqueta "finished and regulated" by B. Wild and Son; he'd spoken to Mr. WIld's son (likely Colin) who informed that his father did so to that gun but to a higher standard and did such work into the early 1980's. Read some on sleeving work to 1989, too. There seem to be pretty minimal examples online of guns or those so barreled.

Located an old shell box -