doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Diggory digs American guns??? I don't know

Interesting quote, especially in light of the fact that by 1905 British gun sales to the USA had dropped to only $20,000 a year. So is Greener decrying American buyers or the inability to compete because of his labor costs? Labor costs that could not compete with either the dying Belgian guild system nor the American factories.

Pete

Larry, the article is titled "An Expatriate Returns" and appeared in the winter of 1995 issue of the DGJ. My memory is good, but, short, and it was indeed Tom Kidd who wrote the article. The gun was an early CE 20 gauge Fox shipped February 3 1914. The gun returned in late 1993, after having spent nearly 80 years in England. It was noted on the guns surviving records that it would be shown and used around some of the most prominent gun clubs in England.
Boothroyd wrote an article about the gun for the October, 1992 "Shooting Times" magazine. Noted was the fact the gun was "highly regarded".
Best,
Ted

Dig is right on and American gunmakers have always known it.

That's one reason they backed Congress's passing of the McKinely Tariff in 1890.

It drove up the prices on imported guns by 48.4%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinley_Tariff

I wonder if Fox, Parker, Lefever, and L.C. Smith would have had a chance on a level playing field.

Before 1890 Greener and Scott sold a lot of guns in America. I think the US was Scott's major market.

OWD

Appropriate observation of differences does not require arrogant denigration.
In 1908, the LC Smith Pigeon Grade with AE was $140, the Parker DHE $125, and Baker Paragon $75. How about a C grade Fox or D grade Lefever? Anyone with knowledge of the US price for a Purdey or Scott in 1908?
Let's say at Las Vegas a LC Pigeon went for $6000 and a DHE $8000, what would a comparable condition Purdey and Scott bring?

If you read some of Greener's more promotional prose, you will find that he had little digs to make about many Brit makers and their products as well as the U.S. products. In his eyes, only the Greener was without flaw.

I have a 12 bore Sterlingworth and a 20 bore DHE Parker that returned from the old sod. Both were built in 1925 and bear the appropriate English proof (London & B'ham) They obviously didn't sit around someone's closet al that time. I believe the Sterlinworth was a club gun that was well used & cared for. The English did quite of business in America in the 1920's and I'm sure some of our better guns made it over there as well.

Just My Opinion.....George

Why wounldn't an ol'cad be happy with a AH Fox Sterlingworth, if its good enough for the American farmer that is!
T'aint that much diff between a SW and a Brummie.

Run-with-the-fox's quote on the test is quite right but there is little to be gained from testing two guns that are not built for the same purpose; something like claiming a John Deere tractor is better than an Aston Martin because it made it farther across the ploughed field before it got stuck. English guns are made for high volume shooting, but not with magnum loads. It is testament to the Purdey that it managed sixty proof loads before failing. American guns are made with high volume factory assembly in mind and easy repair from spare parts that could be shipped to out-of-the-way places. There are not many places in Britain that are more than 30 miles from a Gunsmith. American guns are marvels of inovative engineering design. I think it was Kynochs that retired a Boss O/U after about 1 1/2 million rounds had ben put through it, it was quite sound and had only ever been cleaned and given minor maintainance. Lagopus.....

You are right about those "Purdey's" of "Hank The Deuce". years ago, as my wife, who grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, I came to know the area well- there was a custom gunshop on Kercheval near the border (3 mile rd) and a former GM journeyman tool maker name of Byford McDaniel and his wife Lois that ran that place.

Mac told me once that "Hank II sent his chauffeur over" with the Purdeys, 3 days before the overbearing (When your last name is on the building, you can do whatever the *&^% you want to) Mr. Ford II was to leave for Scotland for driven grouse- He wanted "Mac" to drop other work, and strip and clean them- Mac told the "flunkie" NO Deal- but did look at the Purdeys-if he were here, he'd agree with you Ted- overpriced junk- or do the Limeys spell it "Junque" as they spell a check as a cheque??

And Hank's son tried to bribe the MI DNR to screen off the open section of the Pigeon River, so that the "lowlifes" could NOT see the Ford resort- MI has a "run of the river law" that dates back to 1928- a fly fisherman on the Pine River sued "Top" Taggart- the oil robber baron who established FSU in Big Rapids- and won in the MI State Supreme Court-

The rich are very different from us- they think the world is their "playtoy"- Purdeys, Peel shoes, Phillip Patek wristwatches, Porches, Perrazis- and the "beat goes on"..

My original decent quality American gun is a Sterlingworth Fox that was made in 1923 and I have owned if for 40 years. This was the only shotgun I owned for many of those years so it was used for everything from quail and duck hunting and I shot my first deer with it as well. This gun had digested great quantities of high base express duck loads before we knew any better. I shot hundreds of rounds of trap and skeet with it as well.
It has never required repair of any sort in all those years and the barrels internally are as nice as the day I got it.
How many owners of English guns can make the statements I just made about their "superior" examples?
Jim