doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com William Powell SLE value

I have a bit of a dilemma. I have a dear friend who is elderly and thinking of parting with his 12 gauge Powell SLE.

I would like to make him a reasonable offer for the gun and would want to be sure I was being fair to him. Unfortunatly I'm not sure what that offer should be as I've seen no examples lately to give me some idea. I know this is a bit like asking how long a piece of string is without photos but hopefully I can give an accurate enough discription to formulate a close approximation as to the guns value.

The barrels are 28" and retain 95% blue. The ribs appear tight and the engraving looks good. The bores look good without dents or bulges. I have not had an opportunity to measure the barrels but certainly would before making an offer or deciding to pass. For the sake of this exercise let us assume the bores are as proofed and barrel wall thickness is a minimum of .025" with a useable amount of choke.

The stock retains most of its finish with a few light marks from normal use in the finish and checkering. It has fairly standard dimensions and fits me nicely as is. There are no cracks or repairs to the stock.

The action is nicely covered with English scroll engraving and retains some case colors in protected places. It has not been polished so the engraving remains crisp. The floor plate and trigger guard show blue wear from carrying with sharp engraving. The screws remain in good shape. The gun locks up tight with no problems.

The gun is not a self opener. It comes in a nice leather case.

All in all it appears to be a solid gun which has seen careful use. I would very much enjoy being its care taker for the next 25 or so years. Thank you for your help, Don.

Pictures and serial will help.

The serial number is 136xx. Unfortunatly, pictures are not a possibility as the gun is not in my possession. I hope my description is adequate to "paint a picture" in your mind!Thanks, Don.

Don:
As you know, all things are relative. However, I'd guess the value to be somewhere between $2500 and $3500. Retail. And that is a very BIG guess.

The more important value is your heart. If you treasure your friend, and cherish his gun's heritage, then be generous. After all, it's only money. The gun cannot be duplicated.

Best, Kensal

I would think that any SLE by a well respected Birmingham maker as described by Don would easily bring closer to $10K. You can't get a decent BLE for less than $4K. I don't think there would be any premium on sentimental value as you have the sentiment already.

With marginal barrels and otherwise OK �2,000.

With good barrels but a bit worn all over �2,500.

All good �5,000 - �7,000 depending on quality.

I love Powells, and this one sounds like a well-used, well-loved gem. If as described and without some fatal flaw, I would SWAG it at $6K. Agree with the others, as do you I gather, that this is a scenario calling for generosity. You might be surprised to find that your friend reciprocates. Good luck. TT

if you can own it for 5k sterling and all is good, in my opinion you will have a great deal. For some reason William Powell "bests" never get even close to the London big names but are every bit as good, small bore may know why but I don�t. Super guns, 35 years ago I used to stop in their shop when I was 12 years old getting off the train at Moor Street Station, ring the bell to gain admittance then drool, happy memories, best, Mike

I've got a best Powell I bought from Peter. It's 1905 and lovely...value is 5-6K in case.

T

If you want quality Wm Powell & Sons guns are a bargain !!!I've owned , sold and repaired a few. Without exception the internal workmanship has been superb. Occasionally you find examples that are a little quirky in as much as you will see gorgeous exhibition wood and only line border engraving, internally they are gems.
Mikes comment about Moor St. Station bought back many memories. Out the doors , under the underpass,right then left into Carrs Lane. The first gun and last gun I ever bought retail(in UK) were from there.If the gun in question is in good original condition mechanically then you won't regret it at $6000 which would be a fair price to both parties