Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirk Potter
Is their such a thing as a “value” best? I realize value here is subjective obviously, but are their deals to be had? Outside of the big names?
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This is where it gets challenging. There were dozens of manufacturers in GB at the turn of the last century and it wasn't just the big names that were producing fine shotguns and sorting through them is challenging. The class of sport who could afford to have a pair of guns build by Boss, Woodward, Holland, and Purdey might not want to spend that kind of money for a guest or family member so they often went to smaller houses for those guns which were nearly equal in quality but lacked the name. Trick is to find out who all of the manufacturers are and where they fit in the pecking order. There are several makes of guns that you could lay in a table next to a "Best" gun and not be able to tell the difference in fit or finish, the difference is in the details: chopper lump vs dovetail barrels, who made the locks, how is fine is woodwork between the locks. Most of those details don't really matter in terms of functionality.
The single most important determination of value is condition and that's where you are going to have to be able to call on an expert for assurances. Re-paring a buggered up or worn out English gun can easily cost more than the gun is worth. Proceed with caution.
JDG