doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shooting Sportsman Article

The current Shooting Sportsman issue has an article by Diggory Hadoke about the new OU from Westley Richards. The article states the gun is not proofed for steel shot, because, apparently, WR believes if you can afford six figures (plus) for a shotgun you can afford to shoot bismuth through it, which doesn’t require steel proof. Can Hevi-Shot be used? The guns are Teague choked. WR made a business decision to not proof their guns for steel shot, which I find extremely short sighted. Maybe the new guns can’t handle the requirements of steel? Am I correct that Purdey and H&H now proof their guns for steel? Seems a shame to spend that kind of coin on a top of the line gun made with sophisticated manufacturing applications when it can’t handle modern ammo. Comments?

I’m with WR on this one.

Eeb,
I've just received my copy of SS magazine but haven't read it yet. Yes it does seen very short sighted not to proof for steel shot of any kind, as it seems that it is inevitable in the future. Not that I could afford the gun, but it has to affect the sales audience for certain. My sidelock Browning SxS's as well as my Merkels can handle the future of nontox ammo, so I'm good to go.
My bet is that someone just had to be misinformed!
Karl

Interesting WR would go this route. However, if a customer requested steel shot proof, would they say no. One of many things I don’t need to worry about!

Ken

I really hate to see people accepting the silly idea that steel shot replacing lead ammo is inevitable.

I don't accept that any more than I believe that an end to the 2nd Amendment and the private ownership of firearms is inevitable. But it does take paying attention to the threats from the anti-gun and anti-hunting Liberal Left Democrats. It is no secret that's where virtually all of the threats to our gun rights come from.

It might just be smarter and better to volunteer to be a poll watcher than shopping for guns that are proofed for steel.... unless you are the type that just gives in to woke nonsense and insanity. The men who wrote the Bill of Rights into the Constitution weren't that type.

In some clubs in the US you can only shoot steel shot. Some clubs you can only shoot lead shot. So you would not be able to use their gun anyway at a lot of clubs. 🙄

There are clubs where Bi is NOT allowed but steel is? I'm wonder about that. Never heard of such a thing. I've heard of nontox ranges, but not only steel nontox ranges.

No one who pays 6 figures for a gun cares about the difference in price from steel to bismuth.

I can’t afford a 5 figure gun, never mind 6 figures and I don’t shoot steel out of anything.

Well, steel stinks. If you can afford a new make Westley, you can certainly manage quality non-tox. Why would this even be an issue at all? I don't shoot steel in any of my fine shotguns, proved or not.

My understanding is that the reluctance, by WR to proof for Steel lies in the belief that making barrels for steel shot can result in undesirable handling qualities . Quoting from their blog post last summer:

“It is the barrels that impart so much of that fabulous handling quality into the guns we love and shoot. We should look after them; and that means, for now at least, picking up the ‘phone and ordering a few slabs of bismuth in cartridges of the appropriate case length, swallowing the cost and getting on with enjoying our season.“