MelJones

Another lovely gun. The view over the action, without a top lever, is lovely. I find the underlever quite satisfying to use, for some odd reason - really suits how I reload!

Apologies. Sideplated triggerplate action, as also stated in the listing. I admire your attention to detail, perhaps also apply it in your own post.

This is a hand built gun, entirely hand engraved by the master engraver, Lorenzo Gamba. My understanding was that this was retailed at just under £10,000 in the early 2000s. I had it looked over by a local respected gunsmith last year who rectified any minor issues. It has 29 1/4" barrels with a 6mm top rib, 2 3/4" chambers, improved and 1/4 choke. Auto safety (removable). 15 1/2" highly figured stock. Weight 7lbs 13oz. The action is very similar to a Perazzi MX8 with a drop out trigger group. I have a couple of exciting projects in mind for this year that will require cabinet space, so I am having a bit of a clear out and I am reluctantly contemplating parting with this. One additional factor is that I've lost a bit of weight, so I am now finding this doesn't fit me quite as well as it did so rather than adjust it, I thought I'd see whether there was any interest in it. This gun shoots superbly. Really very pointable and a joy to hold. I'm struggling to price this because I don't really want to sell it. Perhaps £4,250 would be reasonable for a hand built and hand engraved modern gun of this quality.

This is beautiful piece of London best-gun craftsmanship, something to really admire. Sadly I don't get chance to get this out of the cabinet as often as I'd like and with some new projects in mind for this year, I need some additional cabinet space. Asking £800 for a quick sale (there was considerable interest in this, and this is less than I paid). The safety mechanism is a joy in its own right - the selector on the side is used to determine whether you want auto- or manual-safety. Really quite a lovely feature. Original Holts listing below: JOSEPH LANG & SONSA SCARCE 12-BORE 1880 PATENT PUSH-FORWARD UNDERLEVER TRIGGERPLATE ACTION SIDEPLATED NON-EJECTOR, serial no. 6093,29in. nitro reproved damascus barrels, rib engraved 'JOSEPH LANG & SONS. 22. COCKSPUR STREET. PALL MALL. LONDON.' (rubbed), 2 1/2in. chambers, bored approx. imp. cyl. and 1/4 choke, Lang patent triggerplate action, patent no. 1422 of 7th April 1880 with removable striker discs, carved serpentine fences, Lang patent automatic lever safety, patent no. 133 of 1879 with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' detail, and with secondary side-mounted safety bolt, push-forward underlever, best fine bouquet and scroll engraving, 14 1/4in. stock (cracked and repaired at comb) repairs to fore-end wood (both minor) weight 6lb. 14oz.

Was that Wilsons? Agreed - some exceptionally cheap guns out there at the moment if you don't mind the lower end of the market. Strong prices though for anything of quality in the main, or if it has one of the big makers names on it - sleeved or clapped out (16thou barrel walls) Purdeys selling for £4k plus commission is just ludicrous really. Thanks. Shot with it on Saturday and it is very pleasant to use. Needs a touch more cast and is perhaps a fraction high in the stock, but I will soon have that tweaked. Other guns remarked on how well I was shooting, so can't complain at that. Hadn't managed to take it out at all before I stood on the peg.

The Alex Martin arrived. It's fabulous. Needed a jolly good clean to get some lead striping out of the lower barrel in particular - but it has 18.3 bores, so pretty tight and should be good with fibre game cartridges. Looking forward to taking it out against the pheasants tomorrow. Fits almost perfectly, but could do with a fraction more cast for me.

Thanks all - hopefully be with me tomorrow or Thursday and then out to use it on the pheasants on Saturday. Will let you know. Nothing wrong with Gamba guns, I quite agree. They seem to have fallen out of popularity though since the early 2000s, but I've never been afraid to buy what I want rather what people might think one ought to have. I've shot with a Perazzi MX8 for 20 years (and I do love it). But I fancied a lighter game gun. The price of a comparable MX8 in SC3 engraving (which is not as refined as the Martin in my view) would be north of £10k second hand. I actually think the Martin is closer to an SCO grade, especially considering the timber, but we'll have to see when it arrives. From what I've seen, this appears to be a slightly later version - produced by William Solari (WR Solari) on his own rather than in partnership with the Poli brothers (as WIFRA Armi). Be interested to know more about the collaboration. From what I have found though, it seems to be an entirely handbuilt gun. I love these quirky guns which aren't in a conventional mass produced line up (however well made). I kicked myself a few years ago for not buying a semi-bespoke Beretta from William Evans who had had a range produced for them with higher grade engraving, wood etc. They had a few at the £10-12k mark from memory. I think this was from a range produced by Tony Kennedy (https://www.thefield.co.uk/reviews/review/kennedy-beretta-gun-review).

So was I - but I bought it anyway! £2400 including premium seemed like a good deal to me - and its the right length of stock too. Can't wait for it to be delivered. I think people were confused/put off by the "Gamba" reference, thinking it was made by Gamba, when in fact the engraving was by the master engraver Lorenzo Gamba. I found an original ad in an old Shooting Gazette for that range of guns - the most basic model cost £6000 in 2000, so this one (mid range) would have been a fair bit more I think. Seemed like a bit of a bargain.

Depends on many factors, but one of the key ones is location. I know somewhere here in the South East that is leased for in excess of £2k and is only 300 acres, so £6.68 per acre. I know of various other places between £8 and £12 and the £12 land is absolute rubbish but the guy who has it is prepared to pay because its on his doorstep. In Scotland, you could probably buy the land for that (joking!). Who keeps the venison? People could be a lot more creative with this, in my opinion to incentivise the stalker to shoot the agreed (in accordance with the deer management plan) number of deer. For instance, a reduction on next year's rent if thresholds are met.