Scotarms ceases trading.

[enfieldspares]

Scotarms

SCOTARMS LTD IS CEASING TO TRADE We thank all our Clients for the valued custom & support over the years

scotarms.co.uk

I know only what is showing on the website and hope it is only through retirement and not ill health or death.

I have known Mike Scott for forty five plus years from when he was a Leicester RFD trading from an upstairs gallery at his private house in Glenfield near Leicester. We were members of the same rifle and pistol club and Mike would often bring down interesting items from his stock in hand. I can recall a 7 1/2" barrel Webley Fosbery and also...which I fired...a fine .470 Nitro Express Holland & Holland double rifles. I like Mike Scot. A bit "Marmite" to some but I liked him.

I think though the only gun I ever purchased from him was an early Browning High-Power. The model that had the machined thumb recess on the slide to aid taking the pistol down. But I digress.

Now a Mike Scott story told to me by a friend who ended up acquiring it. Again many years ago he used to stand at the now long gone Nottingham Arms Fairs. In the days when these arms fairs actually sold...well...arms. Not the badge and button jamoborees they've now become. Mike had a fine Westley Richards double muzzleloading shot gun for sale and was being "badgered" by some punter who was quibbling on wanting a £25 price reduction on its £500 price.

Mike would have none of it and, as my friend said, was clearly getting more and more irritated by the man's persistent attempt at haggling the price down. My friend was at the arms fair with an acquaintance who knew, as I did, Mike quite well in a business sense. All of use were regulars at Weller & Dufty which Mike subsequently much later acquired. So at this acquaintance's urging of "Just go up and ask how much he wants for it while the persistent haggler is still there" my friend did.

"Hello how much do you want for it?" he asked Mike Scott interrupting the haggler's continuing attempts to get his £25 off. Back came the reply. "To you £400." My friend said his acquaintance looked at him, just smiled, and said "Pay the man." Which he did and walked off with his purchase leaving the now much deflated persistent haggler open mouthed.

 

[cjm1066]

Are the Nottingham Arms Fairs of the 1970, great events.

 

[enfieldspares]

Nottingham Arms Fairs of the 1970, great events.

Proper arms fairs! Do you remember Outwoods Small Arms who also stood there? They were again a private house in Burton on Trent. I remember seeing the "ultimate" Webley Fosbery there. It was a standard 6" model but with its Sam Browne, holster and a triple Prideaux loader pouch each pouch with its Prideaux in it. All made at the same time bespoke to the man who had carried the gun.

 

[cjm1066]

I recall the name.

Friend brought a Mortimer double 2-grove, I used it stalking but got my first deer with a Churchill 308 with open sights.

Plan in 2028 for 50th anniversary is to hunt with a muzzle loader, just need to sort a rifle.

 

[webley701]

Proper arms fairs! Do you remember Outwoods Small Arms who also stood there? They were again a private house in Burton on Trent. I remember seeing the "ultimate" Webley Fosbery there. It was a standard 6" model but with its Sam Browne, holster and a triple Prideaux loader pouch each pouch with its Prideaux in it. All made at the same time bespoke to the man who had carried the gun.

I remember Outwoods from other Arms Fairs, they always had interesting stock. Over the years I bought & sold a few pistols with them. Happy days.

 

[Sinistral]

Scotarms

SCOTARMS LTD IS CEASING TO TRADE We thank all our Clients for the valued custom & support over the years

scotarms.co.uk

This doesn't surprise me one bit, as the quarterly Scotarms auction on the Newark Showground has only been held twice a year recently, if that.
This was more of a trade auction for RFDs, but once had a good range of S1 sales for ordinary FAC-holders.

The last one I went to in August 2022 had a relief auctioneer, and a much reduced catalogue so attendance was pretty sparse.
It always has been an old-fashioned amateurish setup with paper catalogues, where you had to turn up in person to pore through the stuff laid out on trestle-tables.

The bulk of the shooting-related stuff moved online years ago with hi-def pictures, and a computer bidding system. Southams (the trading arm of WH Peacock) now has a vast auction centre outside Bedford, and has taken much of Scotarms business. As they don't have 'reserve prices' their hammer prices are much lower than Holts, who have also lost trade to them. Holts will lose more if they don't change their sniffy sealed-bid system which belongs to a different era. . .

 

[Donkey Basher]

Slightly off topic from the OP but ref the above comment about Holts - just in case anyone is thinking of bidding on a pocket knife or multitool. I was interested in several lots in this weeks sealed bid sale but noted their disclaimer about not posting knives so emailed them, the reply came back that they will post folding knives and multitools with blades less than x inches and which are shorted than the handle they fold into. BUT, and this is the catch, they will only post to a registered business address or an RFD! Alternatively you can arrange collection from their offices or one of their valuation days. AND, if you don't make the arrangements within 30 days they will assume you no longer want the lot despite the fact you've paid for it!

 

[C h r i s]

Are the Nottingham Arms Fairs of the 1970, great events.

As a child of the 1970/80's, I literally couldn't sleep the night before the legendry Nottingham arms fairs. More exciting than Christmas!

 

[chriswjx]

Slightly off topic from the OP but ref the above comment about Holts - just in case anyone is thinking of bidding on a pocket knife or multitool. I was interested in several lots in this weeks sealed bid sale but noted their disclaimer about not posting knives so emailed them, the reply came back that they will post folding knives and multitools with blades less than x inches and which are shorted than the handle they fold into. BUT, and this is the catch, they will only post to a registered business address or an RFD! Alternatively you can arrange collection from their offices or one of their valuation days. AND, if you don't make the arrangements within 30 days they will assume you no longer want the lot despite the fact you've paid for it!

Well now, I was told very differently. So long as sent them a signed statement saying that there were no one under the age of 18 present in my home, then I could have the bayonet I'm interested in sent to my residential address. Then you hit how much they charge... I was quoted £15 as a "small" accessory... A club member has kindly offered me to just add into his consignment that will be coming up.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I recall the name.

Friend brought a Mortimer double 2-grove, I used it stalking but got my first deer with a Churchill 308 with open sights.

Plan in 2028 for 50th anniversary is to hunt with a muzzle loader, just need to sort a rifle.

Go for it.

 

[sniper3]

I bet nobody remembers Waller & Duffy days in Birmingham before they changed their name to Scotarms.

 

[C h r i s]

I bet nobody remembers Waller & Duffy days in Birmingham before they changed their name to Scotarms.

I do!! As if it was yesterday.

 

[webley701]

I bet nobody remembers Waller & Duffy days in Birmingham before they changed their name to Scotarms.

It wasn’t that long ago.

 

[8x57]

I bet nobody remembers Waller & Duffy days in Birmingham before they changed their name to Scotarms.

I don't remember Weller & Duffy but I do remember Weller & Dufty.

I wondered what had happened to them, and I didn't know that they had changed their name to Scotarms. A bit late now for my new learned knowledge to be any use to me. Rather sad to see these companies disappearing one by one.

 

[Fosbery Holster]

Attended Weller & Dufty’s sales in Birmingham a couple of times along with friends many many years back, you could pick out the most well known dealers in the room before bidding started, I’m sure they hated us being there because we would outbid them for the items we wanted they only wanted to buy for the least amount possible, couldn’t blame them really they wanted to make a profit.

Never did attend Scotarms.

 

[enfieldspares]

Attended Weller & Dufty’s sales in Birmingham a couple of times along with friends many many years back, you could pick out the most well known dealers in the room before bidding started, I’m sure they hated us being there because we would outbid them for the items we wanted they only wanted to buy for the least amount possible, couldn’t blame them really they wanted to make a profit.

Never did attend Scotarms.

Bill Harriman down in the basement! LOL!

 

[VIGILAIRE]

Found recently a load of my W&D catalogues from back in the day. Amazing amount of kit going through each day.

 

[enfieldspares]

Pistols and revolvers on black painted headless six inch nails driven into wooden laths. And the "Two jeers" blown up chamber shotgun. OTOH is anyone still waiting to be paid hahaha! The Duftys were slow to pay!

 

[sniper3]

I don't remember Weller & Duffy but I do remember Weller & Dufty.

I wondered what had happened to them, and I didn't know that they had changed their name to Scotarms. A bit late now for my new learned knowledge to be any use to me. Rather sad to see these companies disappearing one by one.

That’s what I was thinking, bloody autocorrect.

 

[sniper3]

Those were the good ol days, end of an era! Sad.