What's the most expensive gun you shot with?

[DanBettin]

Title.

I'm kind of new to the sport, so my experiences have all been with club guns or my own (relatively) affordable gun, but I wouldn't mind shooting 50 with a H&H royal or longthorne, if only for the looks alone.

[Blackpowder]

One of my present guns an 1898 John Dickson of Edinburgh Round Action.

 

Blackpowder

[Mungler]

I get invited each year to a charity day at the Royal Berks Shooting school, and each year one of the swanky manufacturers come down with a stand and you can pay £20 to charity to shoot a stand with a swanky gun and have your score doubled (like a charity joker card).

Anyhoos, each year I try and pick up and shoot the most expensive one on the stand just so that I can say I've had a go. Last year I picked one up and it was ninety something thousand pounds.

I shot it, and it shot 100% just like my mate Bazzer's Bettinsoli even with the feint ping noise of the firing pins.

I am a firm believer that there too much Emperor's clothes, nonsense and BS around guns - if it balances, fits you in the shoulder, has the sight picture you like (my preference is Beretta / Blaser "flat" rib) and the price is affordable to you, then buy it. Don't worry about anything else.

.

Edited December 5, 2017 by Mungler

[Scully]

4 minutes ago, Mungler said:

 

I am a firm believer that there too much Emperor's clothes, nonsense and BS around guns - if it balances, fits you in the shoulder, has the sight picture you like (my preference is Beretta / Blaser "flat" rib) and the price is affordable to you, then buy it. Don't worry about anything else.

.

Exactly this. 

[DanBettin]

3 minutes ago, Mungler said:

I get invited each year to a charity day at the Royal Berks Shooting school, and each year one of the swanky manufacturers come down with a stand and you can pay £20 to charity to shoot a stand with a swanky gun and have your score doubled (like a charity joker card).

Anyhoos, each year I try and pick up and shoot the most expensive one on the stand just so that I can say I've had a go. Last year I picked one up and it was ninety something thousand pounds.

I shot it, and it shot 100% just like my mate Bazzer's Bettinsoli even with the feint ping noise of the firing pins.

I am a firm believer that there too much Emperor's clothes, nonsense and BS around guns - if it balances, fits you in the shoulder, has the sight picture you like (my preference is Beretta / Blaser "flat" rib) and the price is affordable to you, then buy it. Don't worry about anything else.

.

I have a bettinsoli too, it's a cheap gun - but for the reasons you described in your last sentence, I can't say I'm in a rush as such to upgrade. Still, I love the look of some of the 'up-market' guns, wouldn't mind a go of a few.

[Old farrier]

1 minute ago, DanBettin said:

I have a bettinsoli too, it's a cheap gun - but for the reasons you described in your last sentence, I can't say I'm in a rush as such to upgrade. Still, I love the look of some of the 'up-market' guns, wouldn't mind a go of a few.

I’m sure someone will let you have a go once you’ve been shooting a bit 

always good to want to try something different 

post your local clay ground you never know ?

[Penelope]

Purdey SBS sidelock at the Broadlands Game Fair a few years ago.

[Old farrier]

Here’s a starter gun for you 

[adzyvilla]

Similar to old farriers suggestion, my old boss had a pair of 12b Beretta so5s that he used to let me 'borrow' when I was between guns. He was a lovely bloke, but not as nice as his guns.....

[Harnser]

Many years ago I was privileged to shoot three pegs with a boss over and under owned by a friend of mine . As far as I know he still has the gun and it is now worth many,many silly pounds . What a treat to shoot . I very nearly tucked it under my arm and did a runner .

 

harnser

[JohnfromUK]

I own an SO6, (not the EELL version) bought new about 20 years ago (and for a small fraction of the price quoted above), but prefer to use a second hand AyA s/s, or a Merkel o/u both of which suit me better.  I also have some old English guns that would be expensive if bought new, but again they were bought used at about 100 years old(!) so were no more expensive than a better grade modern gun.

Edited December 5, 2017 by JohnfromUK

[Rimfireboy]

I thought that my first gat gun was very expensive. It cost me all of my pocket money, but it was worth every penny at the time. I’m not a gun snob btw....

[jasper682]

Well the most expensive I've owned is the current gun DT11. Took me 30 years to get there. Most expensive handled would be purdeys and Holland's when loading. Most expensive shot was a very nice k80.

Jasper.

[das]

6 hours ago, Blackpowder said:

One of my present guns an 1898 John Dickson of Edinburgh Round Action.

 

Blackpowder

You lucky man, I shot one about 40 years ago, one of the best handling  and best looking guns I have ever come across.
I could have bought one in a Preston dealers in excellent used condition around the time, but £700 was a fortune
to me at that time.

Good Luck.
 

[welshwarrior]

Shot every gun in the Purdey Stable so Damascus OU would be the most expensive I've used.  

[Blackpowder]

15 minutes ago, das said:

You lucky man, I shot one about 40 years ago, one of the best handling  and best looking guns I have ever come across.
I could have bought one in a Preston dealers in excellent used condition around the time, but £700 was a fortune
to me at that time.

Good Luck.
 

Around that time ago I could have had a widows gun for around £500, but then it was  beyond me.

 

Blackpowder

[Westley]

Over my shooting career I have owned and shot some of the 'best' guns on the market, however I now only have 1 'original' gun left, my Westley Richards. Like the Dickson, it is a joy to own and shoot. Unlike all of the other 'best' guns, none of which I could hit much with, and as a result now belong to someone else. No point in keeping a gun that you can not shoot well with  ! 

[Guest stevo]

My competition DT11 Trap gun , Customised , upgraded and fully fitted to me . 

To me it’s priceless ?

[Kalahari]

Drop lock Westley Richards 600NE double. Don't know how much it was worth but in 1968 the cartridges were £7 each!

 

David.

[getthegat]

Had an old gentleman in our village that had a pair of English SxS sporting 12 bores, in beautiful dark wood case, don't remember the make unfortunately, but then it was about 45 years ago, just remember my uncle saying "these are expensive Harry" they almost disappeared when you mounted them, the balance was so good. The old gentleman died and I wonder where those guns are now.

[grahamch]

Longthorne ou, superb just saving up now!

 

 

[figgy]

 Or shot but picked up and mounted a few new and used Holland and Holland Royals and though nice, didn’t feel that special.  Looked at some purdy’s and expensive Berattas when in London and apart from grade of wood and amount of engraving they won’t shoot any better than a well sorted cheaper gun. 

[DanBettin]

9 hours ago, grahamch said:

Longthorne ou, superb just saving up now!

 

 

https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/shotguns/longthorne/over-under/12-gauge/the-hesketh-deluxe-171121151008001

Pretty special.

[theshootist]

I once held the Queen's Purdey .400 nitro express double. Sadly my request for a photo was denied.

So that leaves me with my mate's Grant SLE, a no 3 gun made for one of Queen Victoria's grandsons. He made the happy discovery when researching the history after buying it.

[welshwarrior]

On 05/12/2017 at 20:14, welshwarrior said:

Shot every gun in the Purdey Stable so Damascus OU would be the most expensive I've used.  

Change that reply now Boss round body OU ribless gun the most stunning pair of guns I've ever seen or likely to see again.