[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Frank Childrey

Whew! I had no intention of stirring things up, but . . . Purdey, as a company, suggests that their guns be closed with the stock brought to the barrels. I've heard that in the very earliest days of wingshooting over pointing dogs with "new-fangled breechloaders," the barrels were held steady, toward the ground and safely away from the dogs, and closed by bringing the stock up to the barrels. Shooters, at the time, were not entirely convinced that the gun might not go off, and this added a measure of safety. But, to each his own.
I learned from my grandfather and father; they always brought the stock to the barrels
with their thumbs on the top lever. But, only real point was that the hunters took a fairly cavalier attitude with the gun, and I was surprised.

Well, for what it's worth, David apprenticed with Purdey's and worked as as stocker there for several years before coming here in the 1970's so if it was the 'accepted' method of closing a gun at Purdey's it surely didn't run off on him.






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