Is this price realistic? (Purdeys)

[John Gryphon]

Calibre/Item: 12G
Make: Purdey
Model: Pair of Rounded Bar Action Side-Lock
Action: SxS
Barrel Length: 28 inches
Serial No: 24036 and 24037
Choke: Improved and Full
Condition: Excellent
Price: $59000[h=4]Price Reduced[/h]
Advertised: 4/01/2018
Licence number: 409-094-00F
Phone: 0418 563 552
Comment: Cased pair of unusual rounded action Purdeys. Fantastic examples of 1930s craftsmanship. Stocks bent to lefthand. Can be reversed. HD photos available on request.
Transfering dealer: R & A Turner Imports P/L Melbourne Vic

State: VIC

Calibre/Item: 12G
Make: Purdey
Model: Pair of Rounded Bar Action Side-Lock
Action: SxS
Barrel Length: 28 inches
Serial No: 24036 and 24037
Choke: Improved and Full
Condition: Excellent
Price: $59000[h=4]Price Reduced[/h]
Advertised: 4/01/2018
Licence number: 409-094-00F
Phone: 0418 563 552
Comment: Cased pair of unusual rounded action Purdeys. Fantastic examples of 1930s craftsmanship. Stocks bent to lefthand. Can be reversed. HD photos available on request.
Transfering dealer: R & A Turner Imports P/L Melbourne Vic

State: VIC

 

[Pedro]

The answer to that will be that it is realistic if they sell. Guns such as this have, in recent years been seen as an investment, doing better than interest rates. As for the actual price, then you have to realise that these are best British hand made guns with many hours spent on them, including all the engraving. The cost in terms of man hours alone will be eye watering. Although these are older guns, they retain their value. As for the question of whether they are worth it, then that’s purely a personal decision. They will shoot pretty much the same as a £2000 gun by Beretta or whoever. Their use is a bit limited though. Wouldn’t want to be walking near too many gorse bushes with those.

 

[Vulpesvulpes]

For a matched genuine pair i would say they are realistically priced but of course not nearly as well made as Australias finest hand made "Brisbane Baikals"?

 

[Mr. Gain]

Assuming the guns illustrated in the OP are genuinely in excellent condition, I think the asking price is likely to look a good deal more attractive following a call to Purdey's to ask (a) what a new pair would cost and (b) how long you would have to wait for delivery.

If you can afford to put the capital into guns of this quality and prestige, and you look after them, the overall cost of ownership is likely to be modest -you may even find yourself in profit as and when you come to sell-, whilst the pleasure of ownership will be considerably greater.

 

[Ray7756]

Yes is the answer, if you order a purdy now starting price for 1 gun is around the £100,000 mark and you will wait over a year before you can shoot with it
and that is without engraving which will not be cheap
cheers
Ray

 

[Wingy]

Some how I expected to see Red Dots details within the advert

 

[enfieldspares]

I note no picture of the entire stock. That length is unusual for when they were made...so I'd check with Purdey what the ORIGINAL stock length and ORIGINAL barrel length was. I suspect that the stocks have been possibly extended? Also at who's risk is the re-setting of the stock to cast for a right hand shot? If the vendor didn't bear the risk then I wouldn't touch them unless I was left handed. To re-stock if you bust a stock is UKP 2,000 plus, matching fore-end not included, nor timber, in the trade. I'd see what Holt's, Gavin Gardiner, Bonham's prices are and use that as a benchmark.

 

[John Gryphon]

Yes I read that "can be bent' yeah right! At what cost and what if there is a stuff up!

 

[JTO]

Is that US$ or AU$ ????

 

[kimh]

if as they are they fit perfect then yes, if not no as there are others that will ask William Elderkin

 

[ileso]

bet they shoot shust as well as a 150€ gun...

They will shoot pretty much the same as a £2000 gun

 

[jall55]

And i bet they shoot 1000 times better !

Was lucky enough to shoot a Purdey at a charity function - and the feel / balance was incredible !

I am by no means a gun snob having shot the same Miroku for 30 years !

 

[ileso]

having never shot one I wont argue.. but my Sarasqueta that I got for very cheap from an old lady shoots extremely well...

 

[User00043]

For me it would make no difference be it a Baikal or a Purdey I'd still find difficult to hit a barn door with it

Paul

 

[kes]

I have an H&H Dominion - a much lesser and very old (1903) SBS hammerless.
H&H Estimate for re-stocking £10K and a replacement firing pin - circa £5k I have used it and its lovely - not much though as the price of repair is v high. Who knows what might need attention if they are not brand new and unused. My budget means, despite the price looking very fair indeed, I would pass unless inspected and brand new and unaltered. If altered by anyone other than Purdey in this case, the value will plummet.

 

[John Gryphon]

Shiit! Those quotes are in the unbelievable class. I would love to hear their case 'for'

 

[enfieldspares]

H&H Estimate for re-stocking £10K and a replacement firing pin - circa £5k I have used it and its lovely - not much though as the price of repair is v high. Who knows what might need attention if they are not brand new and unused.

PM me. I''l give you the contact details of people in the trade in Birmingham that will quote for the work. For, as you say, if Holland, Boss, or Purdey "do the work" (ahem, ahem) they'll charge you at their rates.

 

[Uncle Norm]

PM me. I''l give you the contact details of people in the trade in Birmingham that will quote for the work. For, as you say, if Holland, Boss, or Purdey "do the work" (ahem, ahem) they'll charge you at their rates.

That's the way to do it !!. Good advice and offer from Enfieldspares. Still good craftsmen available in the Birmingham trade. There's an awful lot of top 'London' label items that were and are made nowhere near London as I have personally witnessed too.
I am scratching my head to remember, however I think the Dominion may have a bit of a 'North of Watford' accent if it could talk.

 

[Claret_Dabbler]

Apologies for the side track, but:

If a man had the right connections in the English gun trade, what would it cost to have top quality outworkers build a Purdey pattern sidelock from scratch?

Actioner, barrel maker, stocker, finisher?

What could be achieved?

 

[enfieldspares]

Purdey or more correctly Beesley type is difficult. It's pretty much unique and that's both here and in Europe. You could get a very, very nice, best quality A A Brown that has BOTH the name AND the quality made. But that would using the nowadays industry standard Southgate ejectors and if self-opening a Holland's "spring tube" as patented by H & H in 1922.

A.A.Brown Sons | Best Quality Gunmakers and Gunsmiths | Handmade English Guns

The most recent, similar, might be the new guns made by Atkin, Grant and Lang and the gun made by Cogswell and Harrison to make them the only English maker that has made guns in the 18th, 19th, 20th and now 21st Centuries.

With the exceptions of the three London "best" makers (and Greener and Webley and BSA's post WWI in house boxlock also possibly Westley Richards) many of the London makers and the Birmingham makers were in fact Webley made guns boxlocks or sidelocks (Webley's books are pages and pages of guns made for William Evans) and, at one time, Webley owned Joseph Lang.

So in truth many of the name makers outside of the London "three" and the best Edinburgh makers were by the 20th Century mere "financiers" or "brokers" who would commission a gun via the trade paying as it went along for the action, the barrels, the stocking, the finishing. And then selling it with their name on the rib.

A big major player that did this was the Army and Navy Co-Operative Society. An Army and Navy CSL marked gun is a Webley, is a Webley, is a Webley! As were pretty much most Evans all sidelocks including their pairs of guns.

But yes, you could commission a gun every bit as good. Just like Peter Nelson and Symes and Wright did. Google them!