Potential hammergun restoration project: need informed views

[enfieldspares]

Anything I've ever had done in London has taken more like a year!

Gary Clarke in Birmingham of the aptly corrupted Slow Gun Services (actually Pro Gun services) had a Webley hammer gun of mine for near on three years plus. Always one reason or another as to why nothing had been done. Eventually I asked West Midlands Police to enquire as if to he'd actually gone and lost it. And by that strange coincidence of life it then was ready to collect that same very week. Never, never, never again.

 

[Pine Marten]

Update: all the metal work is now done, although I haven't seen it. Firing pins de-burred, return springs replaced, and action given an all-over coin finish to blend into remaining colour hardening. Barrel work done too. Now they're working on trying to clean up and lighten the fore-end. Should all be finished in a week or two, which is an improvement on the usual London year-or-so!

 

[Pine Marten]

Hello everyone!
My 16 bore is out of hospital, and although still in quarantine, I have received photos, and she seems very well indeed! Great job and service from Carl at Ladbrook and Langton. When it's home, I'll work up a new oil finish on the stock (the front matches the stock now, after removing the accumulated grime of Ages), and that should make it a very handsome little gun indeed. Just screaming to be taking out after woodcock this winter I think!

IMG_4241(4) by pinemarten, on Flickr

IMG_4242(4) by pinemarten, on Flickr

IMG_4244(4) by pinemarten, on Flickr

 

[willie_gunn]

Very nice indeed.

We still need that 16B Hammer Gun day!

 

[Pine Marten]

Very nice indeed.

We still need that 16B Hammer Gun day!

Book it, and I will come!

 

[fizzbangwhallop]

Lovely!

Bet you can’t wait.....spooky though, just back from a walk and I’d been thinking about this on the way round...log on and here it is!

cheers

Fizz

 

[Andyquadra]

Carl at Ladbrooks is my go to for shotguns, I've known him for over 20 years. They may take their time if you allow them, but can also turn things around if needed

 

[enfieldspares]

There are two hundred and fifty Gamebore blackpowder 16 bore in Holt's current Sealed Bid sale.

 

[Pine Marten]

There are two hundred and fifty Gamebore blackpowder 16 bore in Holt's current Sealed Bid sale.

Oh it's nitro-proved, I hadn't planned on going black powder. I actually have quite a lot of 16 bore, I use so little of it... I've been using paper cases for the past two or three years to get with the Zeitgeist, but I also think it just somehow looks right. What I'll really need to work out is a shooting occasion.

 

[enfieldspares]

I've been using paper cases for the past two or three years to get with the Zeitgeist, but I also think it just somehow looks right

Zeitgeist! For a French gun? Surely "savoir faire"? Here are my two "Frenchies". Both Fusil Robust Model 28E from circa 1925. The uppermost 16, the lowermost 12. Both easy opening/self opening boxlock ejectors.

 

[Pine Marten]

Zeitgeist! For a French gun? Surely "savoir faire"?

"L'esprit des temps" I should have said, sorry.

 

[enfieldspares]

Maybe we could see if we could shoot a continental style day on a thirty acre big wood? You know. The one where lots or us we all form a huge massive inward facing circle with a gun standing initially eight yards or so apart and then advance to the centre?

 

[sh1kar]

And shoot the songbirds as well?
S

 

[Pine Marten]

Maybe we could see if we could shoot a continental style day on a thirty acre big wood? You know. The one where lots or us we all form a huge massive inward facing circle with a gun standing initially eight yards or so apart and then advance to the centre?

I've never joined a "chaudron", but I gather the idea is that you can only take going behind shots, as game is flying/running away from the centre of the "cauldron". In which case no different to shooting partridges or pheasants behind, is it?

 

[enfieldspares]

Thanks. I'd never really quite known how they worked and was told by a Lancer officer that it ended with the last bird to flush being blasted to pieces as everyone shot at it.

 

[Pine Marten]

Thanks. I'd never really quite known how they worked and was told by a Lancer officer that it ended with the last bird to flush being blasted to pieces as everyone shot at it.

It's just a collective technique to cover a large area like a field or meadow. Instead of having beaters on one side pushing game to a line of guns, the guns walk up the game from the edges until it tries to break out of the shrinking circle, hopefully not in one great flush but as a trickle. Same objective as a drive really. And subject to the same dangers of idiocy. Most accidents in France now happen on driven game shoots. But that's also because that's what most hunters now do, since there's loads of boar and deer, and not much small game left (rabbits were the mainstay of hunting in France until the 70s, the mixy wiped them out and they never recovered to previous level; the big thing if course has been intensive agriculture, same as everywhere).

 

[enfieldspares]

Thank you PINE MARTEN for that explanation. I don't know if I posted this before but here's an advert for those rifled French barreled shotguns. Sorrell Brothers even had one for sale rifled in BOTH barrels. I often regret not buying it. It would have made a demon gun for Skeet. But owing to the UK's archaic laws would have been s1 of course.