doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com the bad rap on english guns

The whole concept seems silly to me.... buy it and use it if you want it ?$#%^# ?????? Just like cars, there in no guarentee a new car won't break down just as fast as a used car, and there is no guarentee an x make of car won't break just as fast as any other. If you have the coin to shoot a $22K gun and you are on this site, then I assume you can easily have a back up if needed. It will still get you from point A to point B if needed. I have had lots of thing break on me, but if I didn't buy or use anything for fear of required repairs, I am not sure what would be left to play with ?

I’m kind of a believer in shooting guns that were designed for the kind of shooting I’m doing.

Well I've had a main cocking spring break on my Henry Atkin Spring Opener, a left lock hammer break on my Stephen Grant. Neither are cheap repairs.

The answer to the OP's question can be answered pretty much by simply using some common sense.


I'm pretty sure the British coined the phrase "off the face". If not, they certainly became aware that it happens. I don't know that any gun spring, no matter how carefully made, can survive an infinite number of compressions. Hammers, firing pins, or trigger components can wear, or suddenly fracture after working perfectly for thousands of rounds. Annual servicing may catch worn components, but it won't catch a hammer or spring that will eventually break due to some internal defect in the steel. Recoil damage to wood can happen due to a single excessive blow, or the accumulated pounding of thousands of shots.

Even purpose-built high volume competition guns that replaced the competition guns of a century ago are known to eventually fail. But as Stan said, some parts are easily replaced with relatively inexpensive mass produced parts. However, it won't be so easy, or cheap, when you need a skilled gunsmith to make a replacement.


It is true that a brand new vehicle may break down, maybe even before the window price sticker is removed. That's why we pay extra for warranties. But nobody should expect that a 2WD El Camino with a light duty frame and suspension will last as long in off-road competition as a beefy 3/4 ton 4WD truck. Trucks, cars, and guns are engineered for different levels of use and abuse. Redline RPM for a Formula 1 engine is 13 - 15,000 RPM, and it may not survive one 2 1/2 hr. race. That doesn't mean that a Corvette engine would be an intelligent substitute for 230 mph racing, even though both are made for high performance. So this advice to have a spare back-up gun when your English Game Gun breaks in a month or a year is valid. I often bring a spare gun on hunting trips. With enough time and enough money, almost anything can be repaired or replaced. Guns are meant to be shot, so use the WR if you wish. Just don't expect it to last as long as your Perazzi or Krieghoff. A serious competitor may not wish to have their concentration broken in the middle of a round though.

Just common sense. Unfortunately, common sense isn't always common. That's why dumb gun owners support anti-gun politicians.

If I remember right, it was Elmer Keith that said, English guns are nice to look at,
but are built to ''Flimsy'' for American Shells.

Dirty Harry

the gun link i posted is what i would be using it for. a good 250 rounds a weekend shooting trap w/ 1 1/8oz handicaps.
i figure if someone took time to custom order a WR with bolstered receiver......he must have known something the average guy didnt.

Very well said. Me, too.

I still think you'd be just fine!! I don't think 250 rounds a weekend is pushing F1 competion! That is a gorgeous gun.

He might have also known that break open side-by-side guns don't have receivers. They have frames. Revolvers don't have receivers either. They also have frames. It's firearm terminology that is very commonly misused, even by people who should know better.

Pump guns, bolt actions, and auto-loaders do have receivers. Some single shots such as falling blocks, rolling blocks, swinging blocks have receivers, while break-open single shots have frames. I'd opine that sliding breech shotguns like the Darne should be considered to have receivers. Receivers have various components that feed ammunition into a chamber. Things like bolts, carriers, floor plates, breechblocks, magazine tubes, magazine wells, feed rails, etc.

This may create a new shit-storm. Dave might even wish to censor any possible arguments before they start, because heaven forbid we upset any thin skinned panty wearers on a gun forum.

I won't lose my mind over anyone's insistence upon clinging to incorrect terminology... like Dr. Wanker's melt-downs over the interchangeable terms "water table vs. action flats." But at least he never said break-open shotguns had "receiver flats".

Let's see . . . . I could name a few things I've used for a long time that have never broken on me.

Benchmade knives
Several vises
A Ford F250 with 215K miles
Many of my American made S X S shotguns
Many of my American made rifles
My Apple desktop MAC
A Chef's Choice knife sharpener, along with a pantry full of my wife's appliances

I could continue with more but, the point to be made is that all the above were USED AS THEY WERE INTENDED TO BE WHEN THEY WERE BUILT.