doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Purdey Knives

I believe William Evans has some guns made in Italy or Spain also. The better guns could be uk made but i do not know for certain. Its a well worn path, BSA had guns made by SKB in Japan back in the 1960's, very good guns they were too. Some of the old Webley side by sides were made in Spain. Now they are made entirely in Turkey.

But even back in the great days of English gunmaking, a lot of parts and components were sourced from Belgium.

Don't quite get the joke myself. The Purdey o/u's are made in Italy. Very fine guns i am sure, but they are an Italian gun with Purdey stamped on them.

As for the knives, i'll bet they are made from Swedish Damasteel, its what Purdey use in their o/u.

http://www.damasteel.se/inspiration/

http://www.damasteel.se/patterns/

You can see inside the Purdey factory they are making their own O/U barrels. Maybe they have different types, but these you can see are being made inside of Purdey by the barrel maker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fac892fHBME&t=28m50s

That video was posted on youtube in 2011, 7 years ago and god knows how long it was made before that. Purdey were making the woodward o/u's, as they own the brand since the just after war.

How do you know they're made in Italy? Purdey rarely changes their design and process over decades. The video clearly shows the barrels being made in-house. I don't understand why they would outsource it to Italy; it isn't for cost reasons.

Purdey made 'their own design' o/u (done by Mr. Lawrence based on an Edwinson Green design) with Mr. Lawrence's fine work. The first were complex multi bolt units, beautifully, but made, but heavy and very expensive/demanding to make. Few were made, and later ones had a slightly simplified bolting system.
When Purdey bought out Woodwards, they made o/u guns on the Woodward design (slightly altered by the Lawrence family), which was elegant and lighter than Purdey's own, but still quite expensive to make. Both the 'true Purdey' and the Woodward are sidelocks.
Coming up to more recent times, a boxlock Sporter model with Italian input. See Purdey's own website. https://www.purdey.com/guns-rifles/the-sporter

There are more details on 'what is made/fitted where' here https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/reviews/shotgun/purdey-sporter-shotgun-review

They also make a trigger plate model which does seem to be London made, and of course the sidelock Woodward based model.

So, as I understand the present range, they have the 'Sporter', made partly by Perugini & Visini in Italy, and the 'Trigger Plate' and 'Purdey Woodward' made in London.

Two months ago I visited the Purdey factory .
I was told , the new trigger plate O/U was designed and built by P&V using some parts made by Purdey ( Barrels).
Thursday I was told in a Press release that the O/U Trigger plate gun was wholly designed and built by Purdey in London.
BUT it was a Press release.
From what I saw on my visit to the factory , a new broom and a time study engineer would work wonders , as would banning employees mobile phones. I think Purdey prices now include network charges and calls to Wives and Girlfriends.

Because Purdey admitted they make them in Italy, and i don't know what the problem is with that. The Italians make guns as good as anyone else. A quick shot of some barrels in a video doesn't mean much. They probably still make the woodward ou in house.
It isn't for cost reasons ? Why else ? Its the same reason Browning assemble their guns in Portugal and Schmidt and Bender make some of their scopes in Hungary.
A penny saved is a penny earned.

Purdey probably want to keep their employees sweet and onside. Its not like Purdey can run around to the local job centre to hire an actioner or stocker if they piss off the staff they have.

I have worked (briefly) in an engineering works where the management and workers were daggers drawn. Didn't make for good business or work environment, nobody would do anything other than their exact job, no goodwill or anyone willing to do anything beyond that expected.

I left and went to somewhere far better, i could go to the toilet when i wanted, use the phone, order tools and materials i needed, have classic fm on the radio, far more relaxed, but when i was asked could i work late or do a saturday morning ? No problem.

Question is, are Purdey knives legal in London?