i've just read a book called "Heyday of the shotgun" and it got me thinking.
where did gunmakers like Boswell, Lancaster, Cogswell&Harrison etc, go?

A lot of them became incorporated into other companies. The classic case is Woodward who became part of Purdey after World War Two and the many, many, companies that joined with, became part of, or were incorporated into Churchill...including Henry Atkin, Lang, Grant etc., etc.

The problem was that shooting as a sport became less popular in Britain and also many of the companies did not own their buildings. As rents in London went up they could not afford to remain in those buildings.

I'm only fifty years but I can remember visiting Cogswell and Harrison in Piccadilly AND Thomas Bland in St. Martin's in the 1970s. By the 1980s BOTH had disappeared! Also Churchill on the corner of Pall Mall also in the 1970s. Again gone in the 1980s.

More recent closures have been Parker-Hale, Alfred J Parker, William Powell moving from Carr's Lane.

I can also recall visiting G E Lewis in Birmingham also in the 1970s.

thanks alot for your response.

so now you only have the very best-guns makers left?

Effectively, yes. Webley are now a company that imports shot guns made in Turkey, BSA only import airguns.

However people do buy the names of some of these companies that have long ago really ceased to be proper gunmakers and then import Spanish (or Italian) guns with the "English" name engraved on it.

Best gunmakers? Well left are Boss, Purdey, Holland and Holland, Wilkes in London. Also William Evans and, I think, Chubb. Both of whome were never really "first rank" best or even gunmakers! Evans sold Webley made sidelocks.

Elsewhere Westley Richards. Again some would say never really of the "first rank"!

Rigby was sold to an American and the man who sold it then rebirthed Jeffrey!

I would think that there are more small rifle rifle builders these days than shotgun makers..

Part of that is the availability of parts...For instance in the old days, in Birmingham there were dozens of craftsmen, operating as independant concerns, making various component parts for the bigger company's...I am sure thiswas true for the London guntrade as well.

Sadely the vast majority of these craftsmen have gone.

Couple that with the fact that Spannish & Italian company's now make very good approximations of English guns for the "middle market" and the rise in popularity of over and unders, and I doubt we'll ever see a rise in bread and butter Englishgun makers again..

On the rifle sides things are much better. Today in the UK, a much wider section of barrels, actions and stocks are available and countless "gunsmiths" have set them selves up building "custom" rifles.

Many are not "gunsmiths" in the strictist sense but custom work on rifles has never been so available or affordable as today..

Regards,

Peter

AA Brown of Birmingham are still going on. Atkins,Grant&Lang in St Albans.

Charles Hellis in London http://www.hellis.com/history.html

David Mckaybrown,

Beesley (http://www.frederickbeesley.org/about.htm)

Halloway & Naughton
http://www.hollowaynaughton.co...ndnaughonhistory.php

Dickson-Macnaughton, Watson Brothers, Williams & Sons etc, there are quite a few big and small makers still making guns.The ownership might have changed,but gunmaking is not quite dead yet. Just my humble two pence.

Best-
Locksley,R

The small firms may have gone but their legacy lives on in their work. Just because the makers are history doesn't mean you can't own, use and enjoy their work. I've seen Fallowbuck's 16 Bore and promised myself something similar for my birthday next year.
I probably won't hit any more birds but as Diggory said, at least you've got something nice to look at on the peg!

The economics of hand building guns just don't lend themselves to building the moderate quality boxlocks that Birmingham was famous for.

The mass market for decent quality guns is owned by Beretta and Browning / Miroku now. The British trade failed to invest in machinery in the 1950's and 1960's and died because of this failure.

There is still a healthy trade in top quality guns, if you can afford it....

Kiri's Holland 16 bore is a thing of beauty and grace. There is a Gaelic saying appropriate to this gun, it translates as "the world will never see it's like again...".

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:

Kiri's Holland 16 bore is a thing of beauty and grace. There is a Gaelic saying appropriate to this gun, it translates as "the world will never see it's like again...".

Brian, it wansn't very gracefull on Staurday when I had it in bits half way through a drive. I found that the extractor rim has worn to the point where the shell can slip under the rim. I think the problem is compounded by some shells that seem to swell and get stuck in the chamber. The gun is currently at the gunsmiths for a repair so I'm stuck in the busyest time of year for me without my gun!! It did manage to roll over a few pheasants before limping off the field so it wasn't a total loss.

There are a few other guns out there that I can use but as Dig says, "they aren't proper guns...!!"

We are out on Boxing day with Dig to shoot a few old hammer guns that he has taken in for sale so I'm sure I'll find something that will do what Iwant of it. There is a Purdey Hammer 12b that might just be the ticket as a loaner for a couple of weeks.

I'll post some pics when I get the done.

Dave, BTW Dig called yesterday and he has a Reilly (I think) that is apparently very similar to my Holland, but wit a top lever. I 'll let you know how it shoots on the 27th

FB

Kiri, sorry to hear that.

Saturday was an awful dank wet day. 3 of us walked for 4 hours after woodcock, did not rise one. We managed 3 snipe and a rabbit for the effort, got completely soaked. Two of us hunted the same ground 3 weeks previously, rose 16 'cock and shot 6. Such is woodcock hunting.

I hauled the 7.75lb Beretta, which I hate, but seems to be the only gun I can shoot at the minute.

Brian,

It isn't so bad. I would rather it happened there tha on any of the other paid days that I have coming up. I'm gonna try and convince Dig that he needs to lend me his purdey sidelock for the rest of the season but not sure of what my chances are!!

We put up 5 woodcock in total on Saturday which is good for our shoot. Sat up the other night round the back of the big wood where Chris shot his wet buck & I shot a doe right at last light. I had been thinking of getting down from the seat and saw a pair of woodcock flighting so I thought I'd hang on and see if any more turned up. Two minutes later 8 does walked out, so the two little birds saved my evening from a blank!!

Ken tells me that they are seeing a lot of birds out in the west.

FB

quote:

I found that the extractor rim has worn to the point where the shell can slip under the rim.

I find that it is usually the "leg" that is the cause of the problem (it usually has worn down in diameter) and certain brands of cartridge. Sellier and Bellot should still have "old fashioned" rims...

ES that is true,

In fact it is a combination of both. The top guide pin is a bit too thin so there is some lateral movement but the main problem is the extractor rim. The left hand extractor is far "sharper" but from what I gather the smith will weld some metal on and file it up to how it should be.

I do think I'll need to try some other shells though as the ones I have seem to swell in the chamber.

Rgds,
FB

FB

If you chose to change shells - do hang onto what remains of the slab.

I may know someone who has a use for them!

Rgds Ian

Ian,

I'm hoping that the reapir will sove the problem, but if not then you know where they are!! In fact technically they are yours anyway as I never gave you the cash...

Rgds,
FB