I need some English double help

by FOG, Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 18:20 (4177 days ago) @ Jhenry

Prices

Quality field-grade guns in very good to excellent condition seem to be running several thousand dollars or more. Some go higher (tens of thousands).

Best-grade guns generally run in the tens of thousands to The Sky's The Limit. Literally.

Guns

The guns themselves vary considerably.

Boxlock or sidelock? Extractors or ejectors? Barrel lengths and chokes? (They'll be fixed chokes, of course.) Pistol grip or straight? LOP? Drop? etc...

All of these things and more will be spec'd and fully described in the listings by the better dealers of high-end doubles. Their websites will also have high-quality pictures, not a bunch of defocused snapshots taken with a cellphone.

English Brands

• Gibbs (sometimes at 'bargain' prices)
• Westley-Richards (sort of middle of the road in terms of prices)
• Holland & Holland (usually high)
• Purdey (sky high)
• To name just a few...

I don't know all of them by any means. I only know these are 'good'.

Dealers

There are quite a few reputable dealers in the double gun trade, so unless I knew exactly what I wanted, I'd do a Google search for something like 'double gun dealer [State]', and look for shops that are within driving distance.

That allows the guns to be tried for fit, in addition to the usual eyes-on inspection of the mechanics and finish.

Good stock fit is absolutely vital in a shotgun. If you're going to invest thousands or more on a used English double gun, it's probably a good idea to examine it in person before plunking down that much cash.

HTH

--