doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Super Light 12Ga British

Where are all the light weight English guns that Turner and Greener made that were sub 6 lbs? Where they too fragile to last for over 100 years or are they just an attractive item and do not remain on the market long.

Mal MacGregor shoots a wonderful little sub 6 lb. 12 ga. English gun. I held it and swung it a few times a year ago and was astounded with it. It feels like a little 28 ga.

Some french guns are super light and not fragile. I have a unnamed French 12ga that weighs 5# 12 oz with 27 1/2" bbls. It's a boxlock. There are no lightening cuts in the frame and its steel.
I can't figure out how they did it. The only bad thing is it kicks like hell and is a knuckle buster.

Light weight English guns regularly appear for sale in the UK. My Charles Lancaster Twelve Twenty's weigh approx 6lbs and the Churchill Premieres I have weigh less than 6 1/4 lbs. These guns are used regularly for driven game shooting and are a delight to use and carry to the peg. I do not think that lightweight guns wear out any quicker than conventional guns and due to their fantastic level of workmanship and quality of materials used and will last eaqually long as heavier guns Many of these guns suffer from having the stock shortened to suit a youth or lady shooter. Nearly all the lightweight guns offered for sale seem to have been cut and then lengthened with wooden extensions.
Bob

I have a pair of Army & Navy BLE's from the 30's, 28" barrels, that are just under 6 1/4. Not that there aren't Brit lightweights out there, but those guns are definitely on the light end of the scale. And I once owned a Lindner Daly that hit the scale at just a bit over 5 3/4. French guns are often very light, as noted above--especially those with plume ribs. Alex Martin made some "ribless" 12's that are very light.

In my humble opinion, balance is much more important than weight.
A well balanced gun, although heavy, will appear much lighter than it actually is, because of it's handling qualities.

Regards,

redgrouse

Of course British guns are generally made lighter than American guns, but here's a couple of very light American guns.

Charles Green, Rochester , NY, hammer gun, 12 ga. 28" 5# 14 oz.

Sneider, Baltimore , Md., hammerless, 20 ga, 26" 5# 7 oz.

The Green hammer gun really seems unusual.

I have a 60s Spanish 28" 12 at 5 lb 14 oz with a 14 1/8 lop. Great copiers of the English.

In my opinion they exist but I think they are so coveted and valued that few ever come on the market.

In answer to your question as to how long they will last . It will depend on how much they have been used ,abused and maintained .They are not guns for heavy continuous shooting ,game guns as opposed to clay guns .Guns of this sort were made with the idea of light loads [1oz].Lancasters and Grant 12/20's were a stronger action than say a Turner "Featherlight" or guns produced by the likes of Palmer Jones and Hellis for example .Like the 2" guns they were cut to a minimum ,barrel walls struck down to .025" actions lightened as much as was dared and stocks hollowed out .