DanWalker

Well, I'd rather not spend more than about £150 if possible. But if a £150 coat is only going to last two seasons and a £350 coat will last ten I know which one I'd think was more affordable!

Cheers for all the suggestions folks. Might get a mod jacket for the hedge/hide but need something a bit 'smarter' too. Any views on ridgeline or seeland?

I just bought a new Browning 525 sporter as my first over/under. Love it. High build quality, nice fit and decent weight. Only £100 more than your budget so might be worth trying to see if any of your local shops can do you a bit of a deal?

Looking for a new jacket for dog walking/training, grouse counting and a bit of rough shooting/sitting in the hide. Main criteria is being waterproof as I'm tired of reproofing Barbours only to get wet first time out. Ideally don't want to spend a fortune but appreciate that spending a bit on a durable coat that will last five or more seasons is going to be money well spent. Cheers, Dan

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to enjoy delving into the research a bit more now.

Mine doesn't feel like that. There's no noticeable diffeŕence in feel between on e shot and the next

Thanks for all the replies guys, good food for thought. Looks like there are a lot of users of Spanish SxSs on here. Just to clarify, I'm not actually looking to buy just yet, probably towards the end of the summer. I like to do my research first and it's great to hear from people who use Spanish sidelocks and give feedback on how they handle, what they are like for maintenance and reliability etc. So far it looks like Arietta, AyA, Grulla and Ugartechea are on the list to examine a bit closer. Any others worth looking at?

Yep, I've got three boxlocks. Definitely after a sidelock this time. Are there any makes to be avoided at all costs? Looks like the Spanish industry followed the English pattern of putting any name on their guns that you cared to pay for. It's very hard trying to sift through to actually work out what you're looking at in many cases. Also are AyA actually worth the premium over other brands or is it just down to better marketing?

Hi all, I'm interested in adding a sidelock to the cabinet but I don't want to pay English sidelock money. I also like the idea of a gun that was built to take 70mm cartridges from new. Browsing gunwatch and the other sites I see lots of very affordable Spanish guns that look well made for not a lot of money at all. Thing is I know nothing at all about the various makers. Which ones are better and which are better avoided. Are there any particular models which I should look out for? Any info gratefully received.

I have three low to mid range English side by sides built between 1907 and 1925-ish. I've just bought a brand new Browning 525 Sporter and in my opinion it doesn't disgrace itself in any way in their company in the cabinet. Guns - other than the very best - have always been made down to a price, not up to a quality. Of course, I won't be around in a hundred years to see which of them are still going then. Incidentally I think the 525 will almost certainly have more shells put through it in the next 5 years than thre other three put together have seen in their entire existences.

Hi Blackpowder, Have you seen this in the latest Holts sealed bid sale, Forrest & Sons Boxlock ejector. http://auctions.holtsauctioneers.com/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=S0116+++3027+&refno=+++94170&saletype=

5'11'' and I prefer 28" barrels for walked up shooting over heather or rough ground. I'm paranoid about getting dirt in the muzzles. End of the day it is a case of horses for courses. Hope the Arrieta works out OK for you

I took it that HuskyRich meant his gun was choke improved AND modified, not improved modified. My mistake.

Improved / Modified would be 1/4 and 1/2 approximately wouldn't it?

Gough Thomas's maxim was "the best degree of choke for filling the game bag and avoiding the displeasure of the cook is always the least degree consistent with the class of sport required" He went on to explain that 'provided there is a sufficiently close pattern to ensure a kill at the average range at which birds are being taken, it is better that any surplus pellets available should be devoted to increasing the spread rather than increasing the already adequate density. Thereby hits are scored which might otherwise be misses.'

They've done well to get that much for most of the guns in the sale. A few nice guns but they looked pretty tired just going by the photos.

Looks like it was proofed first under the 1904-1925 proof rules in Birmingham. Lovely looking gun.

Better in many cases, I think, Dougall

My oldest shotgun in regular use was made in 1903 and the newest is mid-'20s. Have the gun checked out for barrel wear and general condition by a good gunsmith. AyA Corals are good guns and well made (and desirable) so it should last another lifetime of use.

Agree entirely. My take, being mostly a watcher of auctions, is that English Boxlocks are the last bargain to be had in usable old shotguns. For about the same money as a new 525 or Silver Pigeon you can pick up a gun built almost entirely by hand by men trained the old way in how to make a really good gun. As a rule of thumb I'd expect to pay upwards of £750 (once fees etc are added) for a good non-ejector and £1500 to £2000 for a good ejector. Smaller bores obviously attract a premium. A word to the wise, be VERY careful with the sealed bid sales and take someone who knows their stuff if you go to the viewing day or decide to bid. Far more clunkers than pristine guns out there and repairs rapidly outstrip the residual value. I know, I've been caught out more than once. Good luck if you go down this route, but watch out it does get very addictive.

Midland made hammer guns of most qualities from very cheap farmer/colonial grade up to pretty decent as standard, and could (and did) make very good guns on request. Most of the Midland hammer guns I've seen advertised online are lower grade and look like they've had a hard life. There's a 1920s catalogue online here - see if you can identify the gun and it'll give you a good idea of the original quality and what you should be aiming to pay for the condition it is in today. It's interesting to note the most expensive 12 bore side-by-side hammer gun in the catalogue is £12.10.00 compared to £35.0.0 for a boxlock ejector and £60.0.0 for a top-of-the-range single trigger sidelock ejector.

Just out of interest what is the cost of re-sleeving a gun that has previously been sleeved? Presumably a gun which was done the 'old-fashioned' soft-soldering way could be redone with TIG welding and the join be made invisible? I guess that the difference would largely be aesthetic rather than functional as any sleeved gun would have had to pass proof but a good gun badly sleeved loses a lot of value in comparison to a good gun well sleeved, if you see what I mean. Cheers, Dan

For the top end money-no-object choice it has to be a Thomas Horsley pull-back toplever bar-in-wood hammer gun for me. As close to a magic wand as has ever been crafted in metal and wood. Not many of the very best quality ones about and they fetch big money for good reasons. For everyday practicality a decent quality Webley and Scott A&D boxlock is hard to beat.

That is fascinating. Great to see these old actions. Tipping and Lawden were a biggish concern and one of the original 20 founders of Birmingham Small Arms. John Thomas was a prolific inventor and patentee. As a company they made all types of guns and some of the top-end ones are up there with the best in my opinion.

Hi all, sorry for the lack of updates. I've decided to take the plunge and try and clean the barrels up a bit myself before sending them off. I figure I've got nothing to lose as I bought the gun as a wreck to practice restoration on and I may as well see if I can dress the worst of the damage myself. Out comes the wet and dry and honerite #4. Whatever happens If I ever want to shoot them again I'll want to reproof them for my peace of mind so here goes nothing. Thanks to everyone for the replies so far. @TIGHTCHOKE, thanks for the PM - received and understood but I'm going to have a bit of a 'bosh' at them myself. I'll bear the recommendation mind for the future.