doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2000 rounds/yr through vintage English Double?

DxRx,

FWIW to you, I've a 'BQ' Westley Richards Damascus gun I bought back in 1989 that has logged around 3K of low-pressure handloads each and every year since it was purchased. Like you, it's mostly used for sporting, 5-stand, and skeet.....and the only thing that has needed repaired to date was a broken ejector spring some years ago.

No off-face issues have developed so far with 7/8 oz. loads, 1150 fps, 5K-6K psi range....and that's using the longer 2-3/4" Winchester C-F case in a 2.5 inch chambers. With that said, it will probably crap out on me next week for having bragged upon it, but I kind of doubt it.

At 6 lb. 10 oz. it's a joy to shoot to where it's what I have most often reached for, and I suggest you do likewise. As some here have stated, it can be repaired if needed and we all have better access today to more skilled craftsmen here in the U.S./Canada than just a few decades ago. I'm just two years younger than you, doubt I'll be wearing mine out, and am more concerned with who to leave it to....

All Best,

Rob

Those strikers were replaced right after I bought that gun...circa 2005? I didn't notice it as being re-jointed when I owned it either...but someone did that along the way too right? When it was at the shop getting strikers & strip/clean, the forend was loosened up a bit too. It was so tight you couldn't pry it off.
If there are any issues at all with any of the W&S actions...they do tend to shoot loose over time.

Key ward Percy Stanbery, hint. Well when one looks at Percy's Webley & Scott (you know, the one with them numerous ovals in the butt stock) I would think good quality English double fead correct ammo and given proper loving care will last very, very long time.

Percy's gun is still in regular use by its current guardian.

Tim

Gentlemen thank you for all your positive remarks and experiences.. I plan to do as you all suggested, shoot the Jeffery often and enjoy every minute. Always clean and lub with proper products after each outing. If problem develops will send to competent gunsmith.

The life expectancy of a gun does depend on many circumstances though the main reasons are far fewer in number. I would start with the gun its self, it should be well designed with no over complications. Using the best materials available at the time of its manufacturer, with the most important thing of all taken good care of by its owner.
The only example I have that can genuinely prove my point is the oldest gun in my collection which I have used on a continuous basis is my Purdey hammer gun built in 1869.
The gun�s design is as simple as an early breach opening gun could be, having external hammers though it does have a rebounding lock design. Each lock has just the minimum number of working parts with no extra add ones each built by Joseph Brazier. No top leaver and its associated spring also no complicated ejector mechanism, with just a central cartridge extractor mechanism which it does whether the cartridges have been fired or not. The breach opening mechanism is via a heavily built thumb leaver set in the trigger guard with a rather large and well-proportioned spring to keep the barrel locking bolt tightly in position.
Bearing in mind that the gun with its Damascus barrels was built in the days of black powder then proofed for Nitro powder use and is still well within the British proof limits today.
As for cartridge used given the gun�s age and its first owner, he was a member of the British hierarchy with lots of time on his hands. He did seem spend more time on the grouse moor and the pursuit of driven game than in either houses of parliament seeing that he was Britain�s first Minister of Agriculture. So, a conservative estimate I feel would be somewhere in the region of 400,000 cartridges in his lifetime, as for my own efforts in cartridge use over some fifty years around 100.000 though the load weight has reduced from 1 1/8 to 7/8 ounce as I have become older. And of course, there is the capacity for the gun to do the same numbers in the future if treated like a good horse �look after your horse before you look after yourself!!!� The gun was put back on face in the early 1970s after I rescued it from being scraped. Mechanically all the parts are original except one pin though all the other action pin slots are badly opened up. To the disappointment of some I won�t replace the pins because they are original parts of the gun and do still work correctly I see them as part of the gun�s character.

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Yes, the gun was rejointed (standard British job, fitting a new C-shaped piece to the lump, and very well done) at some point before I bought it. Holding up quite well. Top lever still slightly to the right of center.

Beautiful Purdey!!! Let's see 1869 to 2017, I would venture a guess that they got this double gun business down to a science.

Damascus, thanks for sharing with us your photos and historical account of a valuable artifact of a bygone era. Your half century stewardship is commendable. Gil

But wait, should it not be noted that cartridges made around the early 20th century was a lot different than todays cartridges?