Some members are taking a little bit of info re outsourcing and extrapolating that if a a London firm outsource work they are omly one step away from paying Purdey prices for a Yildiz with the famous name on the locks.

Holland and Holland did not even have a factory until 1893. all their guns from 1835 until then were made by others. The quality control was applied by H&H and that was the foundation of his business. Many of E.J churchill's guns were made by others (like A.A Brown) london firms were outsourcing their work to John robertson throughout the 1880s. Customers never knew. Nor did they care. The firm selling the gun assumed responsibility for quality control and for delivering the product specified.

Many gun smiths moved and still move between firms as well as working as outworkers according to the economic climate.

Asprey guns were made entirely by outworkers. The best.

The need to see that a gun is being assembled in one building is an irelevance when the issues of importance are investigated. The gun trade has always been like this.

We all love our guns and we all thirst for information but I think at times we are prone to too much naval gazing.

www.vintageguns.co.uk