Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Gardner
Milton; the 40” barrels were a work of art. Think about how long this ribbons had to be to make 40” tubes - and they were made with one long ribbon. I was told 40” barrels were common for hunting off horseback do as to get the muzzle blast away from the horse.
Pape is often referred to as “the Purdy of the north” and all of their hammerguns that I have seen have been spectacular. Jaquas had a Pape 16 hammer in their rack for quite a while and I regret not finding a way to buy it.
|
I know the feeling but I have noticed with the bigger gauges in vintage doubles they can sit around on a shelf for sale years at a time . So when im looking at some different ones right now I know a majority of them will still be there when I save up the money . Heres a beautiful Pape 12 ga hammer
https://www.gunsinternational.com/gu...n_id=101084998
I know how high esteem Purdeys are held to but me my favorite of the english sxs are Westley Richards . They are the only ones who still build 10s 8s and even 4 gauges and in any combination you could desire . I have got to shoot a Purdey once the man who owned it said he bought it back around 1985 for 65k . That Purdey sidelock stopped working in the field and he had to borrow a o/u . My neighbor who worked on the plantation fixed the Purdey using a leatherman pocket tool . I was sweating the whole time watching him tinker on a Purdey with a leatherman !
. But the owner didnt care I guess he figured he could order another one lol . I told my neighbor " You just dont take apart a Purdey and work on it with what is basically a pocket knife on the tailgate of a truck .
Ive never had barrels that long on a shotgun before , I had a Zephyr 10 ga that had a 36" barrel , the muzzle diameter mic'd out at .993" .
I cant wait to see in person what these 39" 8 gauge look and feel like .
I have read that these super long barrels were designed during the black powder era for a more complete burn of the powder and less fouling ?