doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Question on J. Purdey Boxlock Guns

Looking at a Purdey Boxlock "B" Quality gun and I can find very little information about them. I'm sure someone on here will know about them and if they were manufactured by someone for them and when they were made? The serial number does not really match up with what I believe the date of manufacture should be. Also any idea on pricing for these guns would be helpful. I've seen one or two of them around, but it was a long time ago and they were 12GA guns and this is a 20. Your help is greatly appreciated. You can email me at esetter5@me.com

From Sir Richard Beaumont's book, it appears the great meistake of lesser quality sidelock guns of the B, C, D, and E-qualities and the even lower boxlock were of the late 1870s first part of the 1880s era.

Very likely by Webly & Scott or other Birmingham suppliers to the trade. The gun would have been of the quality (cost) grade Purdey's paid for. Look on or around the barrel loop for a W&S serial #. I'll give you a likely value rangeif you will post a photo and/or additional description.

DDA

At least for the double rifles, the boxlocks were made by Samuel B Allport or Richard Ellis among others.
I have one of each. The SBA one is nicer.
The Purdey records (dimension books) will say which, if you get a picture and know how to read it. Look at the "stocker" .
SBA is Allport and RE is Ellis.
Richard Ellis was amalgamated with Webley and WC Scott in the late 1890s.
SBA was a top quality maker.
Best regards,
WC-

I have a 'D' quality one, and there is nothing 'D' quality about it. It is beautifully shaped and finished and engraving is very fine. Mine was made by Allport.

Regards
J-PD

Here is a link to the gun on guns international and it is also listed on Cabelas website, thanks for all the information:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/J-Purdey-Son-B-Quality-Boxlock-in-20-Gauge/1582839.uts?Ntk=GunLibrary&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DGunLibrary%26Ntt%3Dpurdey%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-Gun%2BLibrary&Ntt=purdey

Ok, so it's had a nice new stock fitted with the wrong checkering pattern, new barrels and someone has poorly scribbled the serial number into the fore-end iron and barrels.

The other thing worth noting its an earlier style action carrying the A&D patent use number which seems out of sync with the higher serial number of the gun.

Would be interesting to find out from Purdey's what the gun spec was when made.

Regards,
J-PD

Doesn't the serial # (16477) equate to 1898? Is that not correct for the A&D patent?

Some additional information - 16477 is a 16 gauge hammerless best quality sidelock, number 2 of a pair (with 16476).

A B quality gun according to Purdey is a self opening sidelock with half engraving.

I wonder what this gun actually is?

A "B" quality boxlock would not be similar to a "B" quality SLE. Different standard for SLE and boxlock as far as I can tell.

DDA