When buying a 20-bore game gun it can be a mistake to go for an ultra-lightweight, says Mike George

Browning B725 Hunter 20-bore, target price £1,500

A basic, Grade 1 version of the Browning B725 Hunter may weigh anything between 7lb and almost 7½lb, depending on barrel length (tubes of up to 32in are available) and wood density. And those figures suggest to me that the weight is right for a full day’s comfortable shooting.

There are several grades and specifications of the Miroku-built gun available, and a new Grade 1 costs around £1,800 new. I have suggested a target price of £1,500 for a second-hand Grade 1 gun, which you may consider to be rather high. However, the gun is relatively new on the market, and game guns are not generally used to fire a large number of cartridges.

The 725 20-bore came out shortly after the 12-bore version, and it has been accurately scaled down from its larger brother. As a result, everything looks in perfect proportion. In design it is a typical Browning 25-series gun on which the barrels hinge on a full-width cross pin engaging with a shallow barrel lump, and a bolt running along the action floor.

Within the action, all the features are stacked logically, one on top of the other, yet on the 725 the Browning designers have produced a barrel set and action, which look shallower than on previous models. All of the features are of time-proven design, but one greatly-improved feature is the mechanism that transfers the single trigger to the second barrel. Like the mechanism on the long-discontinued Winchester 6500, it is purely mechanical rather than inertia-driven, so in the rare event of a first-barrel misfire the shooter still has a shot to fire.

The barrels are bored with Browning’s Vector Pro system, and the multichoke tubes are of stainless steel. The stock has a semi-pistol grip and is fitted with a 20mm pad. Other pads are available to alter length of pull.

More information: Full details of new guns are on the website www.browningint.com.

Beretta 687 EELL 20-bore, target price £5,000

The Beretta “680” series has been on the UK market for more than 40 years now, with versions for the Sporting, skeet and trap disciplines, and field shooting. One of the most popular guns is the 687 in its many forms, in 12, 20, 28-bore and .410.

In its basic form the gun is a sound workhorse, but the EELL 20-bore game version is something quite special. And if you can fi nd the Diamond Pigeon Combo version, with 20-bore and 28-bore barrel sets and fore-ends, like the one illustrated, then you are really in luck.

So, what is it that makes this gun stand head-and-shoulders above the plainer versions?

First of all it is side-plated, which means the engraver has a broad canvas to spread his or her art on. In truth, the engraving is not all hand work. Beretta apply it mechanically, then hand it to an engraver for finishing, but such is the standard of the process that the result is most elegant and the hand work element means that each pattern, in tiny detail, is unique.

Needless to say the gun is built on a proper 20-bore action, the internals of which have proved strong and reliable. It is the classic Beretta layout, which means there is no barrel lump, the rounded profile of the breech end slotting neatly into the action base of semi-circular section. Lock-up is achieved with a high-mounted, fork-shaped bolt, the two “prongs” of which emerge through the breech face to engage with holes in the barrel shoulders.

In mechanical terms, this means the lock-up is one of the strongest in the business. The gun weighs up to 6½lb, depending, as usual, on wood density and barrel length. The current recommended retail price of the 687EELL is a minimum of £6,125, although most shops sell it more cheaply than that, and second-hand guns do tend to retain their value.

More information: From the importer’s website, www.gmk.co.uk. There is also some detail on the North American website, www.beretta.com, although gun specifications and availability do not necessarily reflect the UK market.

Krieghoff K20, target price £6,000+

Krieghoff can trace their history back to 1886, when they began making guns in the German town of Suhl. After World War II, the community’s unfortunate citizens found themselves in the German Democratic Republic, so in 1950 Krieghoff relocated to the west and set up shop in the city of Ulm.

Ulm is a charming city in the south of Germany, on the River Danube. It is an important university centre, and among several claims to fame it is the birthplace of Albert Einstein.

Quite how Krieghoff achieved the move, considering the evils of GDR leader Walter Ulbricht and the dreaded Stazi secret police is probably a fascinating story, although it is not part of public records.

Krieghoff’s master stroke was the development of the 12-bore K80 in the late 1950s. It was, and still is, a distinctive gun with a curious but efficient bolting system, which consists of a sliding hood that closes over the breech end of the top barrel. It wasn’t unique – Remington had used it on two moderately successful O/Us before and after World War II – but Krieghoff were destined to be one of only two gun makers to use it in modern times (Marocchi is the other one).

Considering how successful the K80 was in competition, particularly in trap shooting, it is perhaps surprising that it took Krieghoff more than 40 years to scale the gun down to a 20-bore. The gun, called the K20, came out in the year 2000.

Apart from its unusual bolting system, the K20 is a shallow-action box lock with barrels hinged on stub pins. The hammers rebound to allow the fi ring pins to retract after firing. Cocking is achieved as the gun opens by the fore-end iron pressing down levers mounted on either side of the knuckles. The levers also serve to trigger the ejection mechanism.

The trigger mechanism has a very fine clearance with the sears, which gives very crisp pulls with minimal trigger movement. Twin springs for each ejector are retained on rods within the fore-end iron, so ejection continues to function even if one breaks.

It is hard to give the price of a new gun because most Krieghoffs are built to customer orders, but you are bound to pay close to £10,000 – and with engraving and wood options, and other customer-defined variables, the sky really is the limit.

More information: From the importer’s website, www.krieghoff.co.uk.

Mike George looks at three secondhand Sporters in three different price brackets - by Beretta, Zoli and Miroku

Miroku Universal MK60 – target price £1,500

Miroku MK60 Universal Grade 5

In the 1980s a type of gun for the Sporting disciplines was just evolving. All too many Continental manufacturers were trying to palm us off with slightly modified trap guns, while their game guns were too light and often too tightly choked, and skeet guns were too open-choked and not nearly steady enough for the more distant targets.

Nowadays the skeet gun has all but disappeared, while every gunmaker’s range seems to include a Sporter. One of the very best Sporters of the 1980s was the Winchester 6500, available in fixed choke or multichoke format. Both guns handled brilliantly well, with the 30-inch fixed choke gun just having the edge.

Sadly, the 6500 – made by Kodensha in Japan – was not destined to be with us for long; it was a victim of gun trade financial games rather than poor engineering. But another Japanese company, Miroku, had just the gun for the fixed-choke Sporter fans.

The fixed-choke Mirokus first came out as the 6000 series, which had chopper-lump barrels, then evolved into the MK60 guns, which had the more modern monobloc barrels that are still with us today. And one of the best of the breed is the MK60 Universal, which is particularly elegant in the Grade 5 format illustrated.

The guns you will find on the new and second-hand racks are almost the same mechanically as they were 30 years ago, and only the engraving styles have really evolved. It’s not so much as Miroku have let the grass grow under their feet as the fact that the designers got things right in the first place.

And when you consider that a new Grade 5, with pleasant engraving and well-figured walnut woodwork, will cost you a little over £2,400, that’s what I call real value-for-money.

One of my few criticisms is that the gun is choked ¼ and ¾. I feel that ¼ and ½ would be better, particularly for the average club shooter, and certainly for the person who likes to use a Sporter to double as a game or pigeon shooting gun. Mind you, the ¾-choked top barrel would be mustard for really high pheasants.

On the plus side, the weight is just about right at a bit over 7½lb, with variations for barrel length and wood density.

More information: From any Browning/Miroku dealer, or visit Browning

Zoli Ambassador EL Z Sporters – target price £8,500

Zoli Ambassador EL Z Sporter

I can remember testing Zoli Sporters and game guns for Sporting Gun 30 years ago, and I have good memories of the excellence of their construction. So impressed was I with one of their game guns that I bought one for myself.

It seemed, however, that excellent as the guns were, the make never seemed to stay long with an importer, and supply became erratic. Those days are, fortunately, now over, and the Italian maker is with the capable and long-established agency of Edgar Brothers of Macclesfield.

There have been changes within Zoli, too. In the late 1990s they completely redesigned their range so that they could compete internationally against top companies such as Beretta and Browning. For instance, their action bodies are now forged from a single piece of steel and fi nished with computer controlled machine tools. They are so strong they can be used on double rifles.

Zoli Ambassador EL Z Sporter action

The bolts Zoli fit to this frame are deeper than average, and engage with bites in the barrel monobloc just below the spring-loaded ejectors. The barrels hinge on stub pins and, on the Ambassador, the trigger mechanism is a drop-out unit retained by a small locking screw.

This type of trigger mechanism has two main uses: firstly it is a good security measure in that it can be easily removed and stored in a separate lock box to the gun. Secondly, it can be easily taken out for cleaning and maintenance. It looks as if the replacement of a broken mainspring would take only minutes.

Some parts of the action, notably the hammers, look as if they have been gold plated, just like the finish employed on the mechanism of some very fine sidelocks. In fact, the finish is titanium nitrate, just the same as is used to impart high wear resistance to some drill bits and lathe tools.

The barrels are particularly well made – a matter of pride to Zoli, who bore the tubes in their own factory.

A new gun like the one illustrated costs anything from £11,000 upwards, depending on the discount the retailer is prepared give you – but do watch this point in the light of exchange rate irregularities due to Britain’s vote to quit the European Union.

More information: From the importers, Edgar Brothers of Macclesfield, Cheshire, tel 01625 613177, or visit Edgar Brothers

Beretta SO5 – target price £10,000

Beretta SO5

I remember just how impressed I was when I first fired an SO-series Beretta. When loaded, it closed with a satisfying “clonk” reminiscent of the closing of a Rolls Royce door, it swung with an elegant precision, and the trigger pull was the crispest I had ever experienced.

The only criticism I had was that it seemed a bit heavy, and I note that the present-day SO5 Sporter weighs a robust 8¼lb. Good balance, however, does much to compensate for the extra half-pound it carries over what is generally accepted for an ideal Sporter.

All of the SO series are hand-built sidelocks and all follow the principles laid down by Beretta’s famous designer, Tullio Marengoni, who had started work as an apprentice with the company in 1894. He became chief designer in 1904 and, like his American opposite number, John Moses Browning, a string of Sporting, military and law enforcement arms were soon rolling off his drawing board.

The first SO sidelock came on the market in 1933. Like all successful Beretta shotguns, the first SO was a shallow-actioned gun with barrels hinged on stub pins. Apparently, he had seen Browning’s famous B25 boxlock, and it didn’t appeal to his Italian sense of elegant engineering design. It was perhaps a bit like comparing a classic Ferrari to an American Chevvy Corvette.

Marengoni’s early SOs had double triggers, but, like the modern series, were built for both clay shooting and field use. Production ceased during World War II, but resumed afterwards. Marengoni died in the mid-1960s, in the same era that the SO2 and competition versions of the SO3 were introduced. The SO5 in trap, skeet and Sporting variants came in 1989. All modern SOs have single triggers.

Nowadays versions go up to SO10, but the SO5 is still in production as a Sporter. At a cost of around £20,000 it is nowhere near the top of the tree. The SOO, designed for field shooting, has a RRP of more than £62,000, and that of the EELL version is more than £72,000. That’s still nowhere near that of a “London Best” gun, but it’s getting on that way!

More information: From the importers, GMK of Fareham, Hants, tel 01489 579999, or visit GMK

Three second-hand over-and-under Sporters

This selection of second-hand over-and-under Sporters can be found on the second-hard market from £600. Bettinsoli X-Trail Sporter Target Price £600…

Gun reviews: Zoli Ambassador EL Z Sporter shotgun

Gun reviews: Zoli Ambassador EL Z Sporter shotgun: Jason looks at a top of the range Sporter that’s well made…

This re-stocked bolt-action rifle melds old-world class with modern-day design. Bruce Potts is impressed.

This rifle is one of those items in which classic charm marries with modern-day custom design. The Mannlicher-Schoenauer bolt action is indicative of a bygone era when German Imperial gunsmithing skills were afforded mythical status due to unrivalled levels of quality and demand. It is such that many a custom rifle maker seeks out such actions for inclusion into a prime old-world custom classic.

This is what we have here. A 1903 Mannlicher-Schoenauer re-stocked into my favourite custom thumbhole maker, Harry Lawson. It’s a blend of old-school quality with contemporary design for a superbly accurate hunting rifle with modern looks and handling that is unsurpassed in the industry.

This Männlicher-Schönauer shoots sublimely

This 1903 is almost unrecognisable – but better for it in my view. The action has been re-barrelled to a more acceptable calibre from the 6.5×54 Remington to the modern-day .308 Winchester.

The barrel is short too. Threaded for a ½in UNF sound moderator and shortened to 18in but on a .308 Win, this Mannlicher-Schoenauer shoots sublimely. The action is the best part. It has an excellent lock-up or precise bolt-to-action bolt lug mating. That’s why so many good gunsmiths seek out these rifles for high-end projects.

Yes, it has a slow lock time – that is, the time between trigger release and firing pin striking the primer in the case. But the perfect concentric design of cartridge to bore diameter almost negates the negative slow lock time from this 100-year-old action.

A set of Redfield mounts are fitted that need an amount of modification to allow a good elevation and lateral sighting in profile. But due to the forward and high bolt handle, manipulation is a very good option for a scope mount.

1. Barrel. Originally chambered in the 6.5 x 54R Mannlicher round, this classic custom has been re-barrelled with a chrome-moly blued 18in.308 Win barrel.
2. Sights. These Redfield scope mounts work well with the split-top receiver.
3. Action. Superb quality bolt-action design that, though a tad antiquated, still makes a classic stalking rifle.
4. Stock. Originals had typical Bavarian cheekpiece walnut stocks; here we have a Harry Lawson Cochise custom.

Swift bolt operation

The trigger is a double-stage or military specification unit. But actually after the first vague pull, you will have a very precise second let-off that certainly contributes to the accuracy. The best part of any Mannlicher-Schoenauer action is the unique magazine loading and quick-release cartridge system. On the right of the loading port is a small, serrated magazine release lever that, when depressed, pops out the first loaded round from the magazine. This is a great simple safety feature that allows a shooter to ping out rounds from the magazine. Mannlicher also has a very typical bolt design to this marque of rifle, which makes it instantly recognisable. The bolt handle is sited farther along the bolt body, placing it in front of the rear action bridge. It allows swift bolt operation and keeps the hand away from the face when the bolt is fully withdrawn.

Now the stock. Harry Lawson was a stock maker ahead of his time from Tucson, Arizona, and is my all-time favourite custom stock designer. Long retired, he has still infl uenced the modern interpretation of a really good thumbhole stock design. Many modern synthetic stock designers have copied Harry’s ethos but few have achieved a stock as well designed and shootable as his original Cochise stock. This one has all the attributes of Harry’s original design; beauty blended with functionality.

This Cochise design has a short fore-end design that is perfect for a short-barrelled rifle and it has a grade 4 walnut stock made from American black walnut and tipped with rosewood. As with all Cochise designs – and this is where Lawson excels – is the offset pistol-grip configuration. It has to be held to be appreciated.

From a purely practical hunting view, the Lawson design is hard to beat. Its quick target acquisition and steady hold contribute to excellent accuracy. It is the perfect blend between a classic Mannlicher and the newer breed of collectable modern stock designers, making a very nice stalking rifle.

Specialist guns for specialist jobs – a side-by-side for clay shooting, a .410 for farmyard pests, and a semi-auto for serious gamekeeping duties

Winchester Model 23

Side-by-side classes in major sporting contests don’t seem to be as popular as they were, which is a pity because they formed a friendly link between clay and gameshooting. Nevertheless, using a side-by-side for club Sporting targets can be great fun, as well as sharpening up the reflexes ready for the autumn.

Winchester Model 23

Of course, if you want to take clays with side-by-sides seriously then you need a specialist tool for the job, and there are not many suitable guns on the market. But on the second-hand shelves there are some gems, and one such is the Winchester Model 23.

The gun disappeared along with the much-loved Winchester 101 series of O/Us in the 1980s, but good examples still seem to be fetching premium prices. Basically, there are two qualities of Model 23s – a standard version for which I have given my target price of £800 for an example in excellent condition, and what Winchester described as the “Pigeon” grade which costs rather more – more than £1,000 for a good one.

These prices are nowhere near what American sportsmen are prepared to pay, and while researching this article I found one with an asking price of $6,000, which at the time of writing is around £4,500.

So, what do you get for your money? Firstly, the gun is a bit on the heavy side for a side-by-side, at around 7½lb, depending on barrel length. Three barrel lengths are available, at 25, 28 and 30 inches, with the 30 preferred for clay shooting. Sight picture is particularly good, with a high, ventilated rib giving a feel close to that of an O/U.

Woodwork is varnished, and most guns have a semi-pistol grip stock with a thin, hard butt plate on top of a thin, white spacer. The gun pictured has obviously had a thicker pad added by a previous owner. Fore-end is a beefy beavertail, although a very small number of guns produced late in the production run, which Winchester named the European, had English-style splinter fore-ends and straight-hand stocks.

The barrels are fixed-choke with chromed bores, and the chambers are three inches. The guns have magnum proof, usually with Birmingham stamps, but a few were proofed in Germany or Italy. Note that this proof is for lead shot, not steel.

Further information: The current Winchester importers cannot help with further information or spares. In the US Midwest Gun Works  list some spares, but there may be restrictions on importing them into the UK.

410 Mossberg pump action

Sound-moderated .410 Mossberg pump-action

Doesn’t it annoy you when, just as you are getting fascinated by the plot of a detective or spy story, the author makes a glaring mistake over a simple firearms matter? If you are like me, it quite ruins the tale’s entertainment value. A common mistake is to assume that “silenced” guns make a tiny little “plop” noise about the strength of a whisper. They don’t, and the correct term is “sound moderated.” Such guns still go “bang”, although the noise is considerably reduced, particularly when subsonic ammunition is used. No sound moderator can quieten the sharp “crack” of supersonic ammo.

Now I’ve had my grumpy old man’s moan of the day, let me introduce a sound-moderated Mossberg pump-action .410, the reduced noise of which, particularly with subsonic cartridge, makes it ideal for zapping pests close to buildings or in any other situation where loud noise can be a disadvantage.

410 Mossberg pump action

In this respect the Hushpower-converted Mossberg is particularly good, especially when you realise that sound-moderating a shotgun, with its load of shot and wadding, is more difficult than sound-moderating a pistol or rifle with its cartridge holding a single projectile.

For the purpose of vermin control, a pump-action is ideal. You get three shots (one cartridge in the chamber and two in the magazine tube), and the gun works perfectly on ammo that would not be powerful enough to cycle a semi-auto. If you are able to obtain a firearms certificate, you can obtain magazine tubes holding more cartridges.

It has to be admitted that sound-moderated shotguns are not pretty things, and pump-actions, on this side of the Atlantic at least, have an association with the uglier side of law enforcement. However, handsome is as handsome does, and the Mossberg looks reasonable with its wooden stock and fore-end and neatly blacked metal parts.

The standard barrel is just on the legal limit of 24 inches, and the sound moderator adds around two inches. Thus, with the pump action being longer than that of a break-action gun, it’s a bit like firing a conventional 28-inch gun.

New standard three-shot guns cost from £625 to £650.

More information: Visit  Saddlery and Gunroom or York Guns. The guns are also available through most gunsmiths.

Benelli M2 Eight Shot

Benelli M2 Eight Shot

Thanks to Britain’s curious firearms laws, if you want to possess a semi-automatic shotgun capable of firing more than three shots without reloading you have to hold it on a firearms certificate, same as you would need for a rifle.

This law dates back to 1988, after the Hungerford killings of the previous year, in which no shotgun of any kind was used. And, well-founded rumour has it, three-shots stipulation was itself a mistake in that the lawmakers meant to say two shots, so they specified a two-shot magazine, not realising there would be a third cartridge in the chamber.

Benelli M2 Eight Shot

Sometimes the ignorance of politicians makes you want to weep, doesn’t it? However, all this boils down to the fact that in order to be able to possess this Benelli Eight-shot, you have to have good reason. This “good reason” could be membership of a practical shotgun club, but in the case of most Sporting Gun readers it would be gamekeeping duties, such as the control of crows, magpies, pigeons and rabbits. And, with a three-inch chamber and magnum proof, the gun could also be used for short-range fox control providing heavy loads of big shot were used.

Most semi-autos are gas-fed, in that high-pressure gas is tapped via a port roughly half way along the barrel and fed into a cylinder. This then forces a piston back in order to cycle the bolt and reload a fresh cartridge. This means that, in order to ensure reliability, the mechanism has to be cleaned regularly to remove the residues of burned powder.

Benelli M2 Eight Shot

The Benelli is one of a very few semi-autos currently on the market that utilises an inertia system, which does away with dirty gas ports, pistons and cylinders. The only other gun with a similar mechanism available in the UK is the relatively new Browning A5.

In addition, all Benelli semi-autos have a very secure lock-up achieved by the use of a turning bolt – a bit like a Kalashnikov assault rifle. If you want to hold an M2 on a shotgun certificate, then there is a three-shot gun in the range.

A new M2 costs around £1,240, depending on the amount of discount the retailer will give you over the importer’s recommended price of £1,450.

More information: From the importers, GMK .

Three secondhand Sporters

Miroku MK60 Universal Grade 5 In the 1980s a type of gun for the Sporting disciplines was just evolving. All too…

Second-hand 20-bore game guns

Browning B725 Hunter 20-bore, target price £1,500 A basic, Grade 1 version of the Browning B725 Hunter may weigh anything between 7lb…

Second-hand semi-autos selection

Mike George picks out three second hand semi autos that you should look out for on the second hand market.…

Our expert reviewer Mike George looks at three second-hand game gunshttps://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/11/ATA-Pg-110-e1481547898956.jpg

ATA Arms Lightweight Field

The late and much respected shooting writer Gough Thomas expressed the opinion that the ideal weight for a game gun to shoot 1oz of shot was 6lb, while 6lb 6oz was right for 1 1/16oz loads.

The book in question – Shotguns & Cartridges for game and clays – was first published in the 1960s, so it is interesting to note that in the 21st century most O/U game guns tip the scales at more than 7lb, and an average seems to be around the 7¼lb mark.

By Gough’s standards, however, the ATA Arms Lightweight Field is a good compromise as far as weight is concerned. It weighs around 6lb 4½oz, a weight achieved by the use of aluminium for the action body, with a steel insert around the firing pin holes.

And, although Gough is, to me, always associated with hand-built English guns, I think he would have had a sneaking regard for a well-built imported gun which sells, new, at just short of £850.

ATA Arms Lightweight Field

The gun is built in Turkey by ATA, a company which has been in business since the 1950s, although, like other Turkish companies, it has only been known to British shooters for a comparatively few years. ATA is known in its homeland for its innovations, and was among the first Turkish companies to produce O/U shotguns.

At first glance you may tend to think this gun is a Beretta, or maybe a Beretta built under licence in Turkey. That’s because it has a typical Italian-style action, and locks with the tips of a fork shaped bolt emerging through the breech face and locating with holes in the barrel shoulders. Also, the sides of the mono bloc barrel and the legs of the extractors have been given an engine-turned finish, which is not just elegant but also provides an oil-retaining finish.

Inside features, however, are not Beretta lookalikes. One point I do like is that the transfer of the single trigger to the second barrel is mechanical rather than recoil-driven, so is unlikely to give any trouble with ultra-light loads or misfires. Safety is automatic.

The exterior of the action is finished in plain black, with just the maker’s name in small gold lettering. The woodwork is a reasonable quality walnut, and wood-to-metal fit is good. Chequering is laser-cut, and stock length is 14¼inches. The fore-end has a rounded nose, and the release is an Anson-type push button.

More information: From the importer Wildhunter.

Browning B725 Field

When Browning introduced the B725 range in 2011 it had to be something special to compare with the B525 it replaced, and its predecessors. Fortunately, the Browning designers had got things right once again and Sporter models, in particular, sell well in the UK.

But there were other models in the new Browning package, and among them was the Hunter version. At 7lb 7oz it’s a bit heavy for a game gun, but it makes up this slight discrepancy with pleasant, flowing lines, plus good balance and handling.

So, what are the differences between the B725 and its predecessors? Wisely, the Browning designers stuck to the general principles dictated by John Moses Browning back in the 1920s, but they were tweaked a bit when compared to the B525.

The B725 still has the barrels hinged in a full-width cross pin, two-piece ejectors powered by kickers attached to the fore-end iron, a low-mounted bolt engaging with a bite in a shallow barrel lump, and an action with all the features neatly stacked one on top of another.

Differences include a slightly shorter and shallower action body, a little wider at the front to allow a greater contact area between the forward lump and the cross pin, and the provision of an automatic safety to be fitted easily by a gunsmith should the owner wish.

Another innovation is a re-design of the mechanism, which transfers the single trigger to the second barrel. On the B425 it was powered by the recoil of the first barrel firing, now it is a purely mechanical action – shades of the much-lamented Winchester 101 with which the B725 shares many other features.

The slim, Prince of Wales-style pistol grip has drawn much praise from reviewers, as has the shape of the fore-end wood.

A new gun costs a little under £2,000 – but that’s for the Grade 1 version. Round about twice as much money will get you a Grade 5 with a superior finish, more elegant wood and a very pleasing engraving pattern. Therefore, a secondhand Grade 5 would be worth at least twice as much as my Grade 1 estimate.

The B725, like the majority of break-action Brownings, is made on the Miroku plant in Japan.

More information: From BWM Arms, tel 01235 514550, or visit Browning.

William Powell Perseus

Where would Italian gunmaking be without the Rizzini dynasty? By my reckoning there are at least four active companies either run or founded by Rizzini brothers and cousins, and historically their products range from the not-very-special to the excellent.

So what, you may ask, has this to do with British gunmaker William Powell, whose company has been in business since 1802? The fact is that, like several other traditional British gunmakers, it has gone to Italy for its cheaper ranges, and for this entry-level gun its maker of choice has been Battista Rizzini.

William Powell Perseus

Battista Rizzini’s company was founded in 1965, and has established a reputation for making good-quality and well-priced shotguns and double rifles, and in this case they have produced an elegant gun, which William Powell has been able to sell, new, for £1,550.

The gun, built to Powell’s specification, weighs around 7lb 10oz depending on barrel length and wood density. That’s a nice compromise weight for a gun that’s to be used for field shooting and clays. And, if there is a requirement for heavy loads, the gun has three-inch chambers and has been subjected to magnum proof.

The gun is available with 28 or 30inch barrels and it comes with five multichoke tubes, so if you’re buying second-hand do make sure all the tubes are present, together with the key.

William Powell Perseus

Woodwork on the guns I’ve seen show a pleasing grain pattern, which is enhanced  by an oil finish rather than varnish. Wood to metal fit is good, and the pistol grip is of the Prince of Wales-type, which gives pleasing, flowing lines. The buttplate is of wood, and stock length is 14½inches, with drops of 1 3/8in and 2¼in at comb and heel respectively.

The fore-end is of the Schnabel type, and its release takes the form of an Anson-style push button at its forward end.

In its general operating principle the gun is typically Italian, with monobloc barrels hinged on stub pins, and spring-loaded ejectors. Lock-up is achieved by a low-mounted bolt engaging with a bite in a shallow barrel lump.

The Perseus is the cheapest of Powell’s “Continental” range, which includes overand-unders selling up to £12,950, and side-by-sides up to £16,500.

Further information: From William Powell.

Second-hand guns for gamekeepers and clayshooters

Winchester Model 23 Side-by-side classes in major sporting contests don’t seem to be as popular as they were, which is a pity…

Second-hand 20-bore game guns

Browning B725 Hunter 20-bore, target price £1,500 A basic, Grade 1 version of the Browning B725 Hunter may weigh anything between 7lb…

Three second-hand over-and-under Sporters

This selection of second-hand over-and-under Sporters can be found on the second-hard market from £600. Bettinsoli X-Trail Sporter Target Price £600…

Q: I am fairly new to shooting and would like to buy a second-hand shotgun, probably a side-by-side as I prefer how they look. There seem to be some good bargains to be had because I know these models aren’t as fashionable currently as over-and-unders. Can you tell me what I need to check for when I’m buying second-hand? I would love to bag a bargain but don’t want to end up having made a false economy. What are the sure signs that I shouldn’t buy a particular shotgun?

A: English boxlock shotguns represent fantastic value for money because they are rather unfashionable at the moment. The Italian over-and-under carries all before it. A boxlock made between the wars or just after World War II is a classic handmade sporting gun. So is a hammergun. Both represent very good value for money in the current market. Assessing a gun’s condition is really best left to an expert because there are many factors that determine whether a gun is safe and in good cosmetic condition or just a worn-out dangerous old nail.

What to look out for

There are some basic things that you can spot that will at least give you an inkling that all is not well:

• Avoid any gun that seems to have deep pitting in the bores. These always show up as black spots when the barrels are held up to the light.
• The same goes for dents and bulges. These can be detected by running the fingertips up and down the tubes.
• Check whether the barrel ribs have lifted. Hang the barrels by the hook on your fingers and tap the tubes smartly. If the rib is in good condition there will be a clear bell-like sound. If there is a dull “clack” the ribs have become unsoldered.
• Take off the fore-end and, holding the gun by the stock wrist, give it a gentle shake. You will feel any looseness that indicates it is time that the gun was re-jointed.
• Test the ejectors with snap caps. To my mind, ejectors are just something else that can go wrong. In any case, non-ejector boxlock guns are as cheap as chips at the moment. Not having an ejector encourages you to put your empty cases in your pocket rather than littering the countryside because they have been ejected into the bushes.
• Make sure there is no play between the head of the action and the stock.
• Examine stocks minutely for cracks and old repairs.
• Avoid a gun with an oil-soaked stock. Mineral oil weakens wood fibres.
• Ensure the gun is proofed for nitro cartridges and that the proof marks are valid.

How to find bargain British side-by-side shotguns

It is not surprising that even those shooters brought up on the modern imported over-and-under sometimes cast an appreciative eye…

Should I shoot game birds with a side-by-side or over-under?

Tradition will always be on the side of side-by-side shotguns despite over-unders growing in popularity in recent years as more…

Mike George chooses three guns to consider before a possible rise in gun prices

If I was thinking of buying a new gun I would be tempted to do it right now, as prices could well go up quite steeply in the not-too distant future. It’s because of the decline in value of Sterling, which is bound to affect all imports soon.

At the time of writing, £1 was worth only 1.2 Euros, and there was talk of further falls. The fall against most other world currencies, including the US Dollar, was nearly as bad. So why have gun prices not already gone up?

There are two likely answers. The first is that the new guns in the shops were most likely imported much earlier in 2016, before the Brexit scare hit the Pound on world currency markets. The second is that wise importers of all items from luxury cars to baked beans tend to buy their foreign currency in advance, at times of favourable exchange rates. But existing stocks of guns, and holdings of foreign currency, will eventually run out – and could do so before the Pound recovers.

Eventually, a rise in new gun prices could be reflected on the second-hand market. I’m not saying it will, but it might – so here are three guns to consider, either new or second-hand.

Yildiz O/U Sporter

Yildiz O/U Sporter

Forty years ago the majority of budget-priced guns on the UK market came from Spain. Then it was Italy’s turn, and now it is Turkey who is producing guns that are not only cheap, but also generally well made.

One of the leading companies in Turkey is Yildiz, who initially seemed to concentrate on lightweight general-purpose guns and field guns. Many models were built with aluminium alloy actions, which considerably enhanced the handling of guns in the smaller gauges such as 28-bores and .410s.

Its output is around 45,000 guns a year, and in comparatively recent times a Sporter has been added to the range. At more than 8lb it is quite heavy, but, in spite of that, handling is quite positive. And the price is certainly attractive, at around £875 for a new gun with an adjustable comb. A version with a plain stock is quite a lot cheaper, so second-hand prices should peak at a little over £700.

The gun has a number of points that I really like. One is the fact that transfer of the single trigger to the second barrel is mechanical rather than recoil-driven. This means that you still get a shot in the unlikely event of a first barrel misfire but, perhaps more importantly, it also means that the gun should be tolerant of some very light loads. That, coupled with the gun’s weight, should make it a good choice for people who are very sensitive to recoil.

The other good thing is the look of the adjustable comb, the comb blending in nicely with the lines of the stock. One point I’m not too keen on is the fact that the pistol grip has a palm swell, but that’s just the personal preference of a man with relatively small hands. Other people like the feature.

These points apart, the gun has no mechanical surprises. The barrels hinge on stub pins, and lock-up is via a low-mounted bolt engaging with a bite in a shallow lump just below the lower barrel.

Within the action, hammers are mounted on the trigger plate, while sears hang from the top strap. Main springs are coils running on guide rods, and the ejectors are spring-loaded.

There’s a choice of 28 or 30-inch chrome-lined multichoke barrels, both with 3-inch (76mm) chambers. The stock is 14. inches and, with the adjustable comb, the drops are, of course, set up by the owner.

More information Entwistle Guns

Caesar Guerini Invictus

Caesar Guerini Invictus

To drive up the Gardone valley above Brescia in northern Italy’s Lombardia province is like taking a history lesson in the nation’s gunmaking history. It seems that, at every turn, there is a factory making guns you have heard of, from Beretta, who can trace its history back to 1526, to the latest addition to Caesar Guerini, who has been going a mere 16 years.

Once, when making the journey, I asked my Italian host why there was such a concentration of gunmakers in such a small area. The answer was simple – historically the valley had iron ore, plenty of wood for making charcoal to feed the furnaces, and flowing water to power water wheels.

The history is fascinating, but today we are looking at one of the newest shotgun designs in the world. For not only is the Guerini Invictus extremely well made, the way in which the barrels hinge to the action is, if not unique, extremely unusual.

On most other O/U guns the barrels either hinge to the action with a hook on the lump engaging with a full-width cross pin (like most Brownings), or with semi-circular cut-outs in the barrel cheeks engaging with stub pins in the action walls close to the knuckle (like the famous Beretta design and its many imitators). The Invictus is different in that the round-nosed projections which serve as stub pins are on either side of the barrel lump, and the hooks with which they engage are in the forward end of the action frame.

When, after many thousands of shots, the gun starts to shoot loose, these projections, which are removable, are available in over-sized versions, which bring the gun back to tightness. Again, this feature is not unique in that gunsmiths can fit other guns either over-sized, full-width cross-pins or stub pins as appropriate, but it looks as if this would be a relatively simple process on the Invictus.

Other than the way in which it hinges, the rest of the mechanism is relatively conventional, with a low-mounted bolt engaging with a bite below the lower barrel, coil hammer springs with hammers hinged at the bottom and sears hanging from the top strap.

The Invictus’ chambers, being a purely competition gun, are only 2.inches (70mm), and a good selection of barrel lengths is available in Sporting and trap variants in three grades. Stock length is 14.85 inches.

A point that I like is the fact that the fore-end is removed by pressing a button at its tip. The engraving pattern takes the form of a clay target, and I would prefer a more traditional pattern than something that always reminds me of a fl ying fried egg – but that’s just the personal quirk of shooting’s own Victor Meldrew, which has nothing to do with the gun’s undoubted quality.

More information: Caesar Guerini

Browning 725 Grade 5

Browning 725 Grade Five

Here’s a point for you to ponder: would you buy a high-grade gun when a basic model was available for around half the price?

The example we are looking at is the Browning 725 Grade Five, which costs anything between £3,700 and £4,000, depending on how much discount the dealer is prepared to give you. Yet a Grade One can be bought for anywhere between £1,800 and £2,000 – again depending on your luck with the discount.

You don’t need me to remind you of how many cartridges £2,000 would buy…

The Grade One and the Grade Five are mechanically identical, and both guns handle in exactly the same way. The B725 is a typical Miroku-built Browning, with a rather tall action and the barrels hinged on a full-width cross pin. The B725 action is, however, 4mm shallower than that of its predecessor – the B525. Another improvement new to the B725 is that the transfer of the single trigger to the second barrel is now purely mechanical rather than reliant on the recoil of the first shot.

The number of new guns with this mechanical feature seems to be growing, which makes me think that light, 21g loads might have been giving trouble with recoil-reliant systems.

The differences between the B725 Grade One and the Grade Five are merely cosmetic, although “merely” is, perhaps, a slightly unfair term when you see just how elegant the high-grade gun really is.

The first thing to catch your eye is the woodwork – rich, dark walnut with a lovely grain pattern. Wood-to-metal fit is superb and the head of the pistol grip is finished with elegant drop points. The fore-end isn’t quite a Schnabel design, but comes close to it and the chequering is very well executed.

Although the gun is primarily for clayshooting, the sides of the action are engraved with game scenes – ducks on one side the pheasants on the other. The rest of the action, including the underside, the fore-end iron and the trigger guard are covered with elegant scroll patterns. When Sporting Gun’s gunsmith Jason Harris described the gun two years ago, he compared this scrollwork favourably with that found on the hand-built B25 guns from the custom shop in Belgium. Higher praise would be hard to find!

More information: Browning 

Buyer's brief: “I wish to buy a gun for field shooting – a few pigeons, a bit of pest control and the occasional walked-up pheasant day. Also during this summer I shall be sharpening-up my technique with a few clays. Which game guns do you recommend?” Jim Richardson, Bristol.

Mike George’s buying advice for game guns

When people ask for multi-use, most experienced shooters recommend a sporter. Sporters are built to tackle our domestic sporting disciplines and similar targets under the international FITASC rules, all of which try to simulate targets encountered in field shooting.

Most sporters weigh within the odd ounce or two of 7¾lb, which means they are heavy enough to soak up the recoil of 100 targets or more over a day, and the weight makes them steady. They don’t have to be carried over long distances.

Game guns lighter

Game guns are usually lighter. Many traditional British side-by-sides weigh less than 7lb, which allows them to be carried with ease over a long walked-up day and, compared to clay shooters, game shooters fire fewer cartridges and therefore the effects of recoil are not so bad. Game shooting is also done in autumn and winter, when thick clothing also helps with the recoil of a light gun.

Modern O/U game guns are generally heavier than side-by-sides, and tend to weigh around 7¼lb, which will be a good compromise for Jim’s style of shooting. Such guns are only half a pound or a little more lighter than well-balanced sporters, but over a long day in the field most shooters of average build don’t have a problem.

So, let’s have a look at a trio of guns designed primarily for field shooting, but which will also double as sporters.

Browning B525 Game

Browning B525 Game

The gun in the illustration is the Browning Elite Game, which is really a Grade 3 B525. Jim would be lucky to find a 525 of this specification in his budget, but an extra £200 should be enough if he really wanted a “posh” version . But if he couldn’t find the extra cash that’s not really a problem because there are other 525 game models which he would get for his £1,000, or even less. The only differences will be in the woodwork and the engraving – in other words just cosmetics. The different grades shoot just the same.

The Miroku-built Browning B525 came out in 2003 as the direct successor to the well-loved B425. There was clearly a lot of “don’t repair it if it ain’t broke” philosophy in the design of the new gun because there were no radical changes – a slight re-design in the geometry of the hammers and sears to provide crisper trigger pulls, a more “sculptured” look to the action frame and some improved engraving patterns were the main differences.

Browning B525 Game shotgun review

Gun reviews: Browning B525 Game shotgun: Take a look at the Browning B525 - a shotgun that's been refined and…

£2,000.00

Browning 525 Heritage shotgun at the IWA Shooting Show

See the Browning B525 Heritage shotgun at the IWA Trade Show in Nuremburg, Germany.

Browning B525 shotgun

In 2003 Browning brought out the B525 and at the time it represented the latest phase in the development of…

£1,470.00

The full B525 range was huge. Through field, sporter and trap gun specifications there were 27 different versions, and if you care to multiply in all the different barrel lengths and grades of finish, and 20-bore options, there was well over 50 different new guns to choose from. It is honestly impossible to tell how many different variations there are on the second-hand racks. So, although the majority of guns were for the competition disciplines, 
Jim is sure to find a game gun of the right specification which suits his budget.

The design is typical Browning: barrels hinge to the action on a full-width hinge pin engaging with a hook on the barrel lump. The lump also incorporates a bite, with which the conventional, low-mounted bolt engages.

All guns have single, selective triggers. Two-piece ejectors are powered by a kicker mechanism mounted on the fore-end iron. All safety mechanisms, even on field models, are manual and barrel selectors are incorporated in the safety thumb button.

Winchester 101 Super Grade Game

The Winchester 101  is one of my guns and one of my all-time favourites. In fact, the only reason this gun doesn’t head my list is that it has not been made since the 1980s, so spares can be hard to find and most examples will have fired many thousands of cartridges.

I found my gun, second-hand, in Jimmy Ling’s gun shop in Suffolk some time in the late 1980s, and I don’t think it had fired more than 500 cartridges from new. To me, it was the find of a lifetime, and quite special because it was paid for by Sporting Gun’s parent company in the era as a long‑service award.

How much is a good example worth? Well, the whole 101 range has something of a cult following and because of this you occasionally see some guns advertised at silly, high prices. Personally, I wouldn’t give more than £600 for a gun in good condition.

The whole 101 series of guns was built for Winchester in Japan by a company called Kodensha, in the city of Tochigi, north of Tokyo. When Winchester departed from its parent company, the Olin Corporation, and joined ranks with Browning, just about the only bad decision it made was to completely disown the 101 series, which had been an international top seller since the 1960s – but that’s gun trade politics for you.

The operating principles of the entire 101 series are very similar to the Miroku-built Brownings, but the handling was – if I dare say it – even better!

Lincoln Elite

Lincoln shotguns first appeared in the 1970s, and were the brain-child of Lincolnshire game shooter David Nickerson. David’s company, Nickersons of Tathwell, used the Lincoln name for the O/Us he imported mainly from Italy, and the side-by-sides which were generally built in Spain. After more than 40 years, Lincoln guns are still with us. Nickerson’s of Tathwell no longer import the guns, but John Rothrey Wholesale has taken over the marque and there is a good selection of guns for both field and clay shooting.

The O/Us are made by an Italian company called FAIR, an acronym for Fabrica Armi Isidoro Rizzini – yet another branch of the Rizzini dynasty – this brother boasting of a 3,000 square metre factory equipped with the latest machine tools.

The Lincoln Elite falls somewhere between a game gun and a sporter in specification. Most examples weigh around 7lb 6oz, which is a nice “compromise” weight that would be ideal for a shooter who wanted just one gun for everything.

The gun is still in production, and as the cheapest version retails at around £1,050, Jim should find an excellent second-hand example well within his budget.

The Elite, like all the Lincoln O/Us, is a typical Italian gun with multichoke barrels, constructed on the Monobloc principle, hinged to a shallow action with stub pins, and a single, selective trigger with the barrel selector built into the safety thumbpiece. Stocks are generally 14¾ inches, and, as well as 12-bore examples, there are 16, 20 and 28-bore versions.

Buyer’s brief: “I have been looking at Turkish guns, and they seem to offer great value for money. Problem is, although I am over six feet tall and I'm broad across the shoulders, I do suffer from recoil. What do you recommend?” Jack Stimson, Lincolnshire.

• MAX PRICE: £650 • TYPE: Don’t mind • MAIN PURPOSE: Club sporting clays and pigeons from a hide • PREFERRED MAKE: Anything Turkish.

It surprises me that sensitivity to recoil seems to have little to do with physical build. I’ve met guys built like Jack who find recoil painful, and also skinny guys like me who don’t seem to suffer at all. It’s not that I don’t bruise when shooting heavy loads, but I don’t notice the bruises until I’m in the shower when I get home, and they go away quickly.

There are obvious cures like making sure the gun fits and is mounted properly, and soft rubber butt pads can be fitted – although they can snag on clothing when trying to mount the gun quickly. If Jack sees to these matters, I can recommend three possible answers to his problem when it comes to gun choice.

The first is to buy a relatively heavy gun – weight shouldn’t be a problem to a man of his build, particularly as he won’t be walking any distance with his gun at either of his preferred sports. Heavy guns really absorb recoil.

The second solution would be to shoot a semi-auto, because the mechanism, particularly in gas-fed guns, seems to soak up recoil. You don’t need the third shot that a semi-auto offers in clayshooting, but it can be very useful when decoying pigeons.

The third, and my least-favourite solution, would be to shoot an O/U of game gun weight, but to stick to light cartridges – right down to 21g, if necessary. Although cartridges suitable for pigeon shooting in loads of less than 28g are hard to find.

The action is made in one piece, which adds to the gun’s overall strength

Yildiz Sporter

This gun, in its adjustable comb form, sells at around £900 new, so it should be possible to find a second-hand gun within Jack’s budget. I would go for this rather than the slightly cheaper fixed-comb version, although I would get a coach to help me set up the comb height. I’d then leave the height adjustments alone unless something proved to be drastically wrong.

With 30-inch barrels, which I would recommend rather than the shorter 28,
the gun weighs 8lb 5oz. That’s heavy 
for a sporter, which I prefer to weigh around 7¾lb, but the weight should kill recoil and a big chap like Jack should be able to handle it. Five flush-fitting multichoke tubes 
are supplied, along with a key and a hexagon key for adjusting the comb.

The gun has a relatively simple mechanism, with a shallow action and monobloc-construction barrels hinged on stub pins. The bores are chrome-lined and chambers are three inches. The gun, proofed in England, has steel-shot proof so Jack would be able to use it for duck shooting, should he wish. Top and side 
ribs are ventilated for lightness and 
heat dissipation.

Within the action, hammers are hinged from the floor and sears hang from the top strap, while main springs are coils running on guide rods. The action frame is made in one piece, without a removeable trigger plate, and this adds to the overall strength of the gun.

The exterior of the action is in a matt silver finish, and the engraving is one 
minor point I don’t like – it shows a clay whizzing through the air. Why is it that clays featured in engraving always look to me like flying fried eggs? The wood is attractive and nicely proportioned, and the Schnabel (German for beak) fore-end is of the profile I prefer on a sporter or O/U game gun.

ATA Venza semi-auto

ATA Venza semi-auto

When former Sporting Gun gunsmith Jason Harris tested a new version of this gun, he favourably compared its trigger mechanism and bolt design to the late and much lamented Beretta 300 series. This was praise indeed, for the whole series – and the A303 in particular – 
was one of the toughest and most desirable designs available 35 years ago, and only lost out by a whisker in the handling department to the immortal Remington 1100.

If anyone thinks of ATA as a relatively new gunmaker, then it may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that it has been in business in its native Turkey for 60 years. It makes a large range of semi-autos, 
as well as O/Us.

The gun illustrated has a khaki-green finish to its action, although there are options in black, bronze and grey. Material for the action is an aircraft grade of aluminium alloy, with the black versions anodised and the other colours finished in a baked-on process called Cerokote, which was developed in the USA for use in the defence industry.

Mechanically, there isn’t a lot to say about the gun except that it is a typical gas-fed three-shot semi-auto, although it does have a clever mechanism to cut the recoil of heavy loads. Barrels available are 26, 28 or 30 inches, with three-inch chambers and steel-shot proof.

Versions are available with wood, camo and synthetic black stocks and fore-ends. Five choke tubes are supplied, and a set of shims for altering drop and cast.

What’s the best gun to start clay pigeon shooting?

Clay pigeon shooting: I am 14 years old and have just got hooked on clay pigeon shooting. As a present…

Huglu 103DE

The Huglu company is even older than 
ATA, having been in business for around 
a century. I can recall seeing one in the 1980s, although it was some years before the guns were imported in numbers. Importing is now handled by ASI, a firm 
that has established a great reputation 
for AYA guns from Spain and, more 
recently, Rizzini from Italy.

The 103DE is a plain and simple O/U, 
and there are second-hand versions available in the £400 to £450 range, so 
if Jack decided to take this option he could use the rest of his budget to lay in a good stock of cartridges.

Huglu 103DE

The mechanism is what I used to call “typically Italian”, but with the rapid growth of the Turkish gun industry I suppose I had better now call “typically Mediterranean”. 
In other words, a shallow action with barrels hinged on stub pins.

The only disadvantage I can find for Jack is the gun’s weight. It tips the scales at just 7lb 4oz – in other words, a typical O/U 
game gun weight – so Jack would have 
to find some cartridges with a light recoil – which would be easy for his clay shooting but more difficult for his pigeons.

I cannot understand why cartridge manufacturers seem so reluctant to load 24g (⅞oz) cartridges with No.6 shot. 
I once persuaded one of Britain’s smaller cartridge loaders to run me off an experimental batch of 1,000 – they were brilliant. But nowadays I can’t find any listed, although you could shoot pigeons with readily available 24g No.7 trap loads.

Are you in the market for second-hand over-and-under shotguns? Wondering what would be best for you? Here our expert Mike George picks out his top 20 12-bore all-rounders from four price ranges

If your budget is £750 and under

Baikal

This is one of my top 10 guns built in the last half century and it’s cheap, reliable with the Baikal reputation for toughness. On most over-and-unders the ejectors can be turned off, and firing the top barrel first is selected by pushing the single trigger forwards. There are several models to choose from, with prices down to £250

Imported by York Guns 

Yildiz O/U Sporter

Forty years ago the majority of budget-priced guns on the UK market came from Spain. Then it was Italy’s turn, and now it is Turkey that is producing guns which are not only cheap, but also generally well made. One of the leading Turkish companies is Yildiz. Their output is around 45,000 guns a year, and in comparatively recent times a sporter has been added to the range. The price is certainly attractive, at around £875 (in 2017) for a new gun with an adjustable comb, so a good second-hand version should cost well less than £750.

Imported by Entwistle Guns

Lanber Sporter

Lanber Sporter

The Sporter had been a terrific gun for newcomers with an eye on their budget for a number of years, and good handling was down to advice from a British sporting champion. Sadly the Spanish Lanber factory stopped producing shotguns in 2013. However, a supply of spares is available in the UK and so second-hand, this gun is still a force to be reckoned with. Good examples from £450 upwards.

Formerly imported by GMK, who hold spares

Franchi Harrier

The takeover of Franchi by Beretta transformed the reputation of this gun. Previously considered something of a dodgy buy at times, largely to the erratic availability of spares, it then became a well-engineered and reliable gun available at a good price. Prices around £560.

Imported by GMK

Winchester 6500 Sporter

Sadly the Japanese-built 6500 went out of production in the 1980s. It was the last of the famous Winchester 101 series, and created specifically for the European market with lightweight barrels and renowned handling. I’d still recommend it but spares are scarce and BWM Arms regret that they are unable to assist. There is a cult following, so beware of artificially high prices. £740 is fair.

Spares are scarce and sadly the Browning/Winchester importer can’t help.

If you can stretch to up to £1500

Your choice of second-hand over-and-under shotguns is a bit more extensive in that case. Here are some that I rate.

Miroku MK60

If you prefer a fixed choke to a multichoke, this is the best way to go in this price class. The MK60 been around in various forms since the mid 1990s and is a delightfully simple shotgun, built on the same principles as made famous by Browning, and built in the same factory as the current Browning 725. There are several versions and grades, with prices for a good Grade 1 well under £1,000.

Imported by BWM Arms

Beretta Silver Pigeon

The original Silver Pigeon was the successor to the Beretta 687, and the mechanism is similar to that of the 686 – and all of the famous “600” series, for that matter. Like all break-action Berettas, it has a shallow action with barrels hinged on stub pine. There many versions of the gun in 12-bore, plus examples in 20 and 28-bore. Barrel options for Sporters are 28in, 30in and 32in. Good examples from £950 upwards.

Imported by GMK

Browning B25 B2G

Browning B525

Due to the high cost of building an affordable version of John Moses Browning’s immortal B25 in Europe, the cheaper Browning’s are built for Browning by Miroku in Japan. In 2003 Browning introduced the B525 which replaced the B425. At one time, there were 14 different versions of the gun, including an appealing section of field models. There are some excellent second-hand guns available for just under £1,000.

Imported by BWM Arms

B Rizzini Premier

B.Rizzini guns are not to be confused with the cheap E. Rizzini guns imported during the 1980s, although they are built by a company founded by a member of the same Italian gun-making dynasty. The Premier Sporting model has a plain but elegant finish and is available with 28in, 30in, 32in and 34in barrels. It has hammers hinged at the trigger-plate and sears from the top strap, while a low-mounted bolt runs along the action floor. Good second-hand examples from around £1,400

Imported by ASI

Browning Elite Game

If you’re looking for something a bit lighter then you’ll find the Browning Elite Game around 8oz lighter than most Sporters. It is basically a B525 Grade 3, built by Miroku in Japan. It is a multi- choke, utilising Browning Invector stainless steel tubes, with a 6mm game-style rib. Good examples sell from £1,250 upwards.

Imported by BWM Arms

Going up to £3,000 for a second-hand over-and-under

Beretta 682 

The Betetta 682 is one of the most successful sporters ever built. The first guns were built in the early 1980s and their handling was a bit unresponsive. The Beretta engineers took notice of the opinions of British shooters and the 682 was rapidly developed into a super gun with versions for all of the major competition disciplines. Sporters and trap guns are available with adjustable stocks at extra cost. Sporters are all multi-chokes. A good second-hand example such as a 682 Gold E will cost less than £2,000..

Imported by GMK

Guerini Maxum 

The Italians may have an economy that is frequently in a mess, but they still make guns that people want to buy. This is a typical Italian sideplated boxlock, with hammers driven by coil springs. Multi- choke barrels, with steel shot proof, have 2 3/4-inch (70mm) chambers and long forcing cones. There’s also a good selection of barrel lengths up to 34in. Second-hand prices from £1,950

Imported by Caesar Guerini UK

Gamba Daytona

Gamba Daytona 

You’ll find Gambas are relatively rare on the market, probably because people tend to hang onto them as they are strong and long-lasting. So worth investigating if you come across one. Some have probably been built with extra features to the order of individual customers. Multi-choke and fixed- choke trap versions are available. Prices at around £2,000

No current UK importer. Information at Rentogamba

Beretta DT10

The gun has a drop-out trigger mechanism, while the hammers are hinged from the bottom and powered by V springs rather than coil springs. The gun no longer features on the importer’s website, having been replaced by the DT11. Second-hand prices around £2,300

Imported by GMK

Blaser F3 

The German-made Blaser is precision finished to the point where all parts are instantly interchangeable. Inside this gun’s boxlock action, sliding hammers powered by coil springs operate in the same plane as the firing pins.  You’ll find competition and game versions in many grades, but the basic version is well-priced for a quality gun. Prices from £3,000.

Imported by Blaser Sporting Ltd

Browning B25

A modern classic, offering excellent quality and workmanship. It also handles well. The B25 was the last shotgun to be designed by John Moses Browning, and the first guns went on sale in 1926. Guns are now made to individual order in the custom shop in Belgium. All are boxlocks and many of them are sideplated. The suffix in the gun’s description (for example B2G) refer to the standard of finish. Expect to pay well over £3,500 for a gun in reasonable condition.

Imported by BWM Arms

Perazzi MX12 Pro Sport

In 1968 designer Daniele Perazzi built the MX8 Trap gun for the 1968 Mexico Olympics, regarded as one of his early triumphs in the company. This Perazzi does not have a drop-out trigger mechanism unlike many Perazzis, all of which are boxlocks. Expect to pay at least £4,500

Imported by RUAG

Beretta SO 

Beretta’s sidelock SO series, designed by Tullio Marengoni, dates back to 1935, with competition guns for Trap and Skeet. The first Sporters came in the 1980s. There are many different specifications, most have beautiful engraving and are fixed-choke. £5000 plus

Imported by GMK

Merkel 

A current popular model is the 2002C — a boxlock with sideplates — though there are some fine sidelocks as well. Guns, which are built in Suhl, Germany, are similar in design to some top AYA models. £5,000 plus.

Imported by Viking Arms

Kreighoff K80 

This is a beautifully built and balanced gun that will suit the most demanding competition. The K80 has been a favourite for around 30 years, but has been constantly refined and improved. Many standards of finish and engraving are available. The unusual hooded locking mechanism is similar to that on the discontinued Remington 3200. Prices for good guns start at £6,000.

Imported by Alan Rhone 

Pricing information

If you’re looking at the second-hand market then condition is your first priority. It also is responsible for the broad ranges of prices that you’ll come across, that can vary broadly from gun to gun. You certainly need to shop around.

It’s also important to consider that the original new price of a second-hand gun may not be reflected in the second-hand value. Some guns hold their value better than others. The availability and prices of spares and repairs, continued existence of manufacturers, and importers, and even fashion, all have influence.

A reader is looking for a second-hand rifle for his son

Q:  I want my son to come out stalking with me; he is keen and a good shot. Can you recommend 
a good-value second-hand rifle? Will any brand be OK providing the rifle meets the right specifications, and 
if so what specifications should I be looking for?

A: It is always good to have a shooting buddy and even better that it is your son. Learning technique and fieldcraft as well as sharing the great outdoors to build memories are such important parts of learning that will 
see him through his shooting life.

Choosing a good second-hand rifle for stalking actually has become more difficult these days because there are so many really good rifles out there. Shooters will often trade up for the latest model, so a good, almost unused, model can be bought quite reasonably.

Calibre choice

I would first consider the calibre that will fit your deer species as this could influence your choice — for example, 
if you only have muntjac and Chinese water deer, a .22 centrefire, a .222, 
a .223 or .22-250 would be fine. It 
would also double as a good fox rifle. 
If you have the chance at roe as well, then legally in England and Wales you need to start at 0.240 minimum calibre, 
so practically a .243 Winchester would be good. With the proper bullets the .243 Win would also suit fallow or red, but personally I prefer a .308 Win, 6.5×55 or 7×57 for these species.

With this sorted, you will have narrowed the choice of rifles. I certainly would look at second-hand Tikka T3, Browning A or X-Bolt rifles as well as Ruger M77 and the Howa 1500 series 
of rifles. These are good-quality bolt-action rifles available in varying styles or stock material and light or heavy barrel configuration — the choice is dictated by whether you are sitting 
in a high seat or walking a lot.

Condition of the bore is critical 
to good accuracy and a gunsmith should be able to show you the bore with bolt removed to reveal no rust, little wear to the rifling and, importantly, no rust or scratches around the muzzle end. Don’t be 
scared to ask about the provenance 
of the rifle — who owned it before, 
a keeper or an enthusiast; the latter 
will probably have less use. BP

Second-hand rifle buying guide

Second-hand rifle buying guide: If you’re after a used rifle, Bruce Potts’ checklist will put you, not the salesman, in…

Shooting Times notes:

There are plenty of good used rifles on the market today, primarily because as a new model appears, many shooters trade in their old rifle.

If they are not using it in a professional capacity — as a forester, ranger or gamekeeper — then the rifle is unlikely to have had a hard life, and bargains can be found.

Check the second-hand stock at your local gunsmiths in order to handle many different types of rifle to find the one that suits your stature and build.

It is vital that a careful check of any rifle is made before purchase to make sure that the barrel is not rusty or worn, and that the muzzle crown is not damaged.

The bolt must operate smoothly and the trigger be set at a safe pull. Also check that the magazine feeds correctly, using rifle snap caps, and finally, make sure the stock is not cracked around the magazine well and pistol grip area.

A reader can't afford a sidelock over-and-under from a prestigious gunmaker but will settle for a side-plated boxlock. Mike George advises ...

“I would dearly love to be able to afford a sidelock O/U from a prestigious maker, but I can’t afford one. Instead, I am going to have to settle for a side-plated boxlock. I have a budget in mind, but I will happily exceed it to get the right gun.” Brian Taylor, Sheffield

The best boxlocks around

There’s no mechanical reason why a boxlock should not shoot just as well as a sidelock, as long as the design is good and the gun is made of the correct materials and put together with great care.

Great boxlocks include:

• John Moses Browning’s immortal B25
• Most of the Italian-built Berettas and Perazzis
• Germany’s Krieghoffs
• Japan’s top-grade Mirokus
• The modern-series AYAs from Spain

A good boxlock is an excellent gun. The three I have chosen all have elegant engraving. With my first choice I have stayed within his budget, but with my second choice I have most certainly broken it – he does say “£4,500 or more”, doesn’t he?…

Beretta 687 EELL

Some versions of this gun are known as the 687 Diamond Pigeon, but they amount to basically the same thing – proven, long-life versions of a hugely popular design not just in the UK but throughout the world. The gun’s current incarnation is the 687 EELL Classic Game Scene, with a recommended retail price of £7,850.

I would suggest something like the gun which Sporting Gun reviewed new in 2009. In that year the new cost of the gun was £5,745.

The gun is one of the finest of Beretta’s “68” series, which includes the 682 competition series and the hugely popular Silver Pigeon. This gun stands out because of the fact that it has been put together with extreme care, the quality of its woodwork, and the excellence of its engraving. The gun we tested eight years ago was decorated with pheasants on the right-hand side-plate and woodcock on the left, and another woodcock on the underside of the action. Even the top lever was elegantly engraved.

Barrel lengths available are 28, 30 and 32-inches in the sporter version, and all have ventilated top and side ribs. All of the ribs taper from 10mm to 8mm. The chrome-lined barrels of the sporter are bored on Beretta’s Optima system, with internal diameters of 18.6mm – or 0.732-inches – compared to the traditional English standard of 0.729-inches.

William Evans St. James

Normally I don’t like the idea of guns bearing traditional British names but are really made abroad – usually in Italy. But I make a total exception with this gun because it is so elegant and so, well, English-looking. And some of the final finishing is done by William Evans, whose headquarters are in London’s exclusive St. James area.

Evans has the gun made by Caesar Guerini in Italy, and many wonder why the London craftsmen don’t do the fabrication. One of the answers, of course, is cost, and when former Sporting Gun gunsmith Jason Harris first evaluated the St. James in 2009 the retail cost was £9,500.

The gun is available in 12, 20 and 28-bore. Can Brian afford a second-hand gun? I think he would have to stretch his budget to somewhere around £7,000. And he would have to be patient, too, because second-hand examples are quite rare.

Guerini Maxum

Here’s a gun which is not quite as elegant as the St James, but costs very much less. In fact, the price is so reasonable that Brian could spend slightly less than £3,000 and get a well-conditioned sporter with an adjustable comb, should he wish.

What’s more, with this gun you get excellent engraving in a beautiful abstract pattern, which I always think is better suited to what is basically a competition gun than game scenes.

Multi-choke barrels are built on the expected monobloc principle, with separate tubes set into a forged section comprising the chambers and shallow lump. Chambers are 2¾-inches rather than the currently-preferred 3-inches, thus making the point that the gun is for competition and field shooting, but not for the occasional wildfowling trip.

The tubes are finished with long forcing comes and, unusually, come in a 34-inch version in addition to the 28, 30 and 32-inch lengths. These super-long barrels suggest that they would make the gun ponderously slow to swing, but users suggest that this is not so. The barrels hinge on replaceable stub pins, as is the Italian tradition these days.

Stock length (measured from the trigger to the centre of the butt pad) is 14¾-inches, with drops of 1½ and 2¼-inches at comb and heel respectively. The gun, with the 30-inch barrel set, weighs 7lb 14oz.

A reader writes in: "I would love to own an English gun with a prestige name, but unless I win the Lottery I can't afford a new one. So what would be my best second-hand buy?

Frankly, even if I won several million I don’t think I would buy a new Purdey, Boss or Holland & Holland. It’s not that I don’t hugely admire the finest craftsmanship in gunmaking, but I would be frightened of damaging the gun every time I took it out.

However  some of our most famous gunmakers are lending their names to guns built by, or with the help of, prestige Italian gunmakers. I can’t say I really like the practice, but I am sure it helps the best of British gunmakers to remain solvent and in business, and for that it must be a praiseworthy exercise.

Such guns, when they filter down on to the second-hand market, will go for reasonable prices. So how “reasonable” is that? Well, at the time of writing a lightly-shot Purdey sidelock O/U was being advertised by the maker at £80,000, while I would estimate that a second-hand Purdey Sporter, built in conjunction with a prestige Italian firm, could be bought for less than a third of that.

Gun reviews: Purdey 20-Bore Sporter shotgun

Gun reviews: Purdey 20-Bore Sporter shotgun: This over-under is built by the London firm in association with Perugini & Visini,…

Purdey Sporter

1. Purdey Sporter – Mike’s top choice

• This gun is a true joint effort between Purdey and its partner, Perugini & Visini in Italy. P&V is not that well known in Britain, but its guns are of the very highest quality. The company was founded by Vincenzo Perugini and Darko Visini in the late 1960s, and they set up shop in the community of Mazzano, just east of Brescia, in the gunmaking region of Lombardia.
• Some parts of the O/U Sporter are made by Purdey in London, while others are made by P&V in Italy. Purdey supplies P&V with the boxlock action body, barrel monobloc, top lever, bolt, safety thumbpiece and safety parts, while lock work and barrel tubes are made by P&V. The Italian company also makes the barrel tubes and does the jointing between the tubes and the monobloc because it is well experienced in the operation, which is so typical of Italian guns. The barrels are welded in rather than hard-soldered, thus giving an invisible joint.
• Actual assembly of the gun is done in Italy, with stock wood sourced by Purdey’s walnut experts, and they also laser-cut the engraving.
• Then the operation moves to London, where the engraving is fine-finished by hand, and the gun is treated to the polished excellence typical of a Purdey. If the customer specifies multichokes, the gun is sent to Nigel Teague to be fitted with his invisible tubes.
• Finally, the gun is proofed in London.
• What does a second-hand Purdey Sporter cost? Very few have come on the market so far, but a gun sold in 2011 was valued by the auction house at between £25,000 and £30,000.
• Last time I dared ask, the price of a new gun started at £38,000, but it could be delivered within six months, as opposed to the long wait for a completely London-made gun.
• As a point of interest, 20-bores are nearly as popular as 12s.

William Evans Pall Mall

2. William Evans Pall Mall

• Target price: £10,000+
• William Evans was a Purdey-trained gunmaker who set up his business in Pimlico in 1888. Later the company moved to Pall Mall,  (hence the name of this gun), where it remained until 1944.
• St James’s Street is an ideal location for a prestige maker of fine guns. Along the street, as well as buying an excellent gun, you can spend more than £1,000 on a pair of hand-made shoes, buy a bottle of wine to grace the finest dinner table, or visit one of the finest gentlemen’s clubs in London.
• The William Evans Pall Mall is sourced from Grulla of Spain, with 
some finishing work performed in the UK.
• All of the 
guns are made to measure, so when buying second-hand be aware that the original owner may have specified dimensions which are not suited to you.
• The gun is a sidelock built on Holland & Holland principles, and the engraving is particularly attractive.
• Stock styles can be traditional English straight-hand, Prince of Wales, or full pistol grip.
• New prices start at £16,500, so expect to pay at least £10,000 for a good example.

Cogwell & Harrison Windsor

3. Cogswell & Harrison Windsor

• New the Cogswell & Harrison Windsor costs around £1,250, so a second-hand example is likely to cost around £1,000.
• In the days when Britain made value-for-money guns, “Coggies” were always reasonably priced.
• In its day, the company made shotguns, rifles and pistols, and it is thought that more than 100,000 guns were made.
• The company is now owned by the Brennan family from Ireland, but they have an office in Hatfield and the gun is made in Italy.
• It’s a typical Italian value-for-money gun with a shallow action and barrels hinged on stub pins.
• It is made in 12, 20 and 28-bore, with 28 or 30in barrels. Chambers are 3in, and the gun carries steel-shot proof.
• Stocks, in rather plain walnut, are available in right and left-hand configurations, and each gun comes with a set of multichoke tubes.
• Finally, not all modern Cogswell & Harrison guns are aimed at the “starter” end of the market, so if your numbers win you millions this week, you may consider one of their bespoke guns costing £59,800.

Our expert Mike George advises a reader

Buyer’s brief: “I am a clay and walked-up game shooter, and I am looking for a really elegant gun to replace my ageing Browning B125. I could spend a little more than £5,000, but I would rather pay out less and use the surplus cash on lessons with a coach to improve my shooting with the new gun.” George Collins, Portsmouth

Mike George’s buying advice

First of all, you are right in going for a boxlock, and there are plenty of good-looking guns on the second-hand market which come well within your budget. For your money you should find what you are looking for, and have the cash for some coaching.

In fact, I wish all gun buyers would consider the value of coaching, and cost some sessions into their budgeting. I know good coaching is not cheap, but it can save a lot of frustration, wasted time, cartridges and non-expert analysis by well-meaning friends.

I think your decision to go for a boxlock over a sidelock is correct, because you wouldn’t get a really good sidelock for the money. And it doesn’t need to be side-plated in order to look good.

One thing George has to look at is the weight of the gun he chooses – the types of shooting he does calls for compromise. For his clayshooting he wants a gun heavy enough to soak up the recoil over long strings of shots, while for his walked-up game a Sporter weighing 8lb-plus may give him tired arms before the shooting day is over.

Now let’s take a look at the boxlock, which tops my elegance list…

A reader has a budget of £1000 to £1500. What does Mike George recommend?

Buyer’s brief:  “I have been shooting clays for the past six months with guns hired from the shooting ground. Most of these have been various versions of Beretta Silver Pigeons, which I do like, though I have no experience of other guns. I have a budget of £1,000 to £1,500, so what do you recommend?”

Mike George’s buying advice for second-hand clayshooting guns

In a way, Michael has almost answered his own question because he clearly gets on well with the Beretta 686/Silver Pigeon range, and plenty of second-hand examples fall well within his budget. However, he is wise to consider other 
types and makes because there may be another gun that suits him even better 
than the Beretta Silver Pigeon.

One thing I do suggest, because of his lack of experience, is that he goes to 
a gunshop attached to a shooting ground 
so that he can try guns before parting with any money.

Michael also appreciates the value of finding a gun that fits him tolerably well, and a good gunshop will check that the 
gun fits him before he is asked to confirm the gun’s purchase.

Clayshooting tips for beginners

Understand the jargon heard on the clay shooting ground with Mark Russell's tips for shooting beginners

Tips for buying a first clay gun on a budget

Mike George’s tips on buying a first clay gun I can understand you wanting something better than the old AYA. It’s not…

A further suggestion I would make is that, when he gets his gun, he pays for 
a few sessions with a good coach so 
that he gets the very best out of his new-to-him gun.

I somehow think that Michael is going to finish up with one of the Silver Pigeon variants, but if he doesn’t, here are three other guns he might like to consider:

Mike George takes us through the mysteries of proof marks

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is “how old is my gun?”. Most of the questioners have either just acquired a second-hand gun, or are thinking of doing so, and most of the guns have been made in the last 20 years, and usually in Italy, Spain or Japan.

That’s fortunate for me, because I am not an expert on old British proof marks or serial numbers, but – and here’s where I do get lucky – two major gun-producing nations in Europe build date codes in the proof information stamped on their guns. Those nations are Italy and Spain. And Miroku of Japan, who make the traditionally-styled break-action Brownings, have adopted Browning’s date coding system in their serial numbers.

Italian

Let’s look at the Italian system first, because on the face of things it looks complicated. So, before you start, you have to realise that the Italian alphabet contains only 21 letters, there being no k, j, w, x, or y; something that will fool you completely if you try to play Scrabble with a set of the little tiles produced for the Italian market.

Add to that the fact that officials in the Italian proof house in Gardone Val Trompia, near Brescia, choose to miss out other letters, some for logical reasons (for instance, O and Q could easily be mistaken for zero) and others for no apparent reason (G and R, for instance), and you really need a table of letters and years to make complete sense of things.

The letter sequences appear in a little rectangle near the proof information, and if you Internet search for Italian proof house date codes you can find a table going back to 1945. That’s far more information than I have space for here, but here are the date letter codes for the past 20 years:

1997 BI
1998 BL
1999 BM
2000BN
2001BP
2002BS
2003BT
2004 BU
2005 BZ
2006 CA
2007 CB
2008 CC
2009CD
2010 CF
2011 CH
2012 CI
2013 CL
2014 CM
2015 CN
2016 CP
2017 CS

Note that if you pick up an Italian gun made between 1954 and 1974, the date code will be in Roman numerals, and 
for the immediate post-war period the code is in Arabic numerals – that is the conventional 1,2,3, etc.

Spanish

The Spanish system, as applied by the proof house in Eibar in the Basque Country is, fortunately, much easier to follow. Since 1995 a number presented in blocks of digits presents the information like this:

The first two digits identify the maker (for instance, 16 is AYA, and 13 is Lanber). The second two digits identify the type of gun, and 03 indicates a shotgun. The next sequence of digits is the manufacturer’s serial number, and the last pair of digits is the year of manufacture (for instance, 98 indicates 1998, and 05 indicates 2005).

There was a date code before 1995, and the full table, going back to 1927, can be accessed here.

Japanese

Perhaps the simplest date coding of the 
lot is that applied to Japanese-made Miroku shotguns, and the break-action guns they build for Browning. Japan does not have a gun barrel proof act, but the Miroku/Browning system is remarkable 
for its clarity.

Two letters at the end of the serial number indicate the year. Z=1; Y=2; X=3; W=4; V=5; T=6; R=7; P=8, N=9; and M=0. Therefore, a serial number ending in MV indicates the year 2005.

Guns have to be proofed in Britain to be sold here. Different countries have different codes

Why Codes?

If we think about clear dating on guns, why do we have to have codes at all? It mystifies me – why can’t all countries date-mark their products in plain language? It shouldn’t be too much to ask all manufacturers to put the date of manufacture at the end of the serial number – something like 11/17 to identify the month and year of manufacturer as November 2017, for instance?

It ought to become a rule of the CIP, which is the international organisation of proof houses. The full name of the organisation is the Commission Internationale Pour L’epreuve des 
Armes a Feu Portatives, and its current membership is 14: Austria, Belgium, 
Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
Surprisingly, the USA has no law requiring firearms to be proofed.

Britain accepts the proof standards of all CIP member countries, but the products of all other nations have to be proofed in this country before they can be legally sold in the UK. Surely it isn’t too much to ask all of them to accept clear-language date marking, or is there a limit to just how far international co-operation will go?

Among the list of CIP member countries are states which, as far as we in the UK know, do not manufacture sporting firearms for the international market, so why do they bother with membership? It seems that a proof stamp confirming that a military weapon conforms to an international safety standard can be a good sales point.

When buying a gun how can I tell if it’s in proof?

When buying a gun in a private sale, how can I tell if it's in proof and safe?

Why do guns have to go for proof testing for sale in the UK?

Proof testing: I often wonder why guns have to be proofed before sale in the UK, whereas they don’t in…

The legalities of re-proofing a gun

Bill Harriman writes: To be sold legally, every cartridge firearm must bear valid proof marks. As the UK is a signatory of the International Proof Commission (CIP), it recognises the proof marks of every other member state. For example, this means that a gun with Belgian proof marks can be sold in the UK without being re-proofed because Belgium is a CIP member. However, as the US has no federated proof system and American makers conduct their own proof tests, US guns must be proofed on arrival in the UK, because the US is not a CIP member.

A gun is said to “go out of proof” if the internal dimensions of its barrel exceed certain defined original dimensions when it was proof tested. This can be caused by corrosion, wear, excessive cleaning with abrasive material, or the deliberate removal of metal, for example, when a gun is rebored.

The Proof Acts require a gun to be re-proofed if it has been “materially weakened” by repair work such as reboring or weld/brazing of the action. Equally, the screw-cutting of a barrel for a sound moderator, the installation of new screw-in chokes and fitting a muzzle-brake require a re-proof.

Guns can also be re-proofed to take different ammunition, any gun which has had its chamber lengthened must be re-proofed.

A reader on a budget of £85- wants to buy a semi-auto from an established manufacturer. What does Mike George recommend?

“I wish to buy a semi-auto, mainly for clays but also for a little pigeon shooting. I don’t really want to spend more than £850, and I want one made by one of the major, well-established manufacturers.”

Finding a bargain second-hand semi-auto

Did you know up to 75 per cent of all the Land Rovers ever made are still on the road? What’s that to do with guns? Well, in an article he wrote in 2013, gunsmith Jason Harris compared the Browning Auto 5 to the Land Rover in terms of long-lived reliability.

To fire an original A5 is a strange experience, in that it works on the long recoil principle, in which the barrel and bolt recoil backwards together until they re-cock the hammer, spit out the fired case, and reload a fresh cartridge from the magazine tube.

After production of the original A5 ceased in 2000, Browning designers started thinking about a replacement, still to be called the A5 but working on a totally different principle. And that’s the gun which is going to be my top choice as a bargain second-hand semi-auto.

A shoot close to my home allows me to walk around with my gun and shoot pest species on days when the keeper is absent. However, a shoulder injury means I can no longer shoot my 12-bore and I am thinking of buying a 28-bore or a .410. I have a bit more than £1,000 to spend, so what do you recommend? Mike George advises

A second-hand 28-bore or a .410?

With more than £1,000 to spend on a small-bore shotgun, either a 28-bore or a .410, our reader has plenty of scope. In fact, he could buy a new gun if he so wished, particularly if he looked at the Turkish market. If he chose to buy a nearly-new Turkish O/U, he would have lots of cash left over for ammunition and a spell with a good coach to make sure his new gun fits him and enables him to place his shots accurately, bearing in mind that he will be using a very much reduced load compared to a 28g or 30g 12-bore cartridge.

And therein will lie the secret of comfortable shooting for Jim, because recoil is a product of projectile weight, velocity and gun weight – and the diameter of the barrel has nothing to do with it. With a 28-bore it is possible to shoot a 28g load, which would hurt him more than the same load in his 12-bore. He would be happier with a 20g, or maybe even less. The .410 would be a bit more forgiving, with a maximum load of 20g or less.

Whatever gun Jim chooses, he would be well advised to buy a few single boxes of cartridges in various weights and experiment to see which gun/cartridge combination suits him best before he starts buying ammunition in bulk.

Beretta A400 28-bore semi-auto

I will be spending all of Jim’s money with this one, because the gun seems to be holding its value well and is currently commanding prices of £1,000 to £1,100 on the second-hand market. It’s also a refection of the fact that the gun wasn’t introduced onto the UK market until 
2014, so any second-hand gun isn’t 
going to be that old and will not have 
fired that many shots.

Why a semi-auto? Well, the third shot is always handy when doing pest-control work and this is a really elegant little gun. It weighs 5¾lb, which is a full 2lb lighter than the average sporter, and 1½lb lighter than the average 12-bore O/U game gun. So it should be a delight to carry around Jim’s shoot. And, being a semi-auto, the recoil should be lighter than with a conventional, break-action gun.

Mechanically, the gun is a typical Beretta gas-fed semi-auto and I was interested to note that in Jason Harris’s review of the  Beretta A400 he recommended lubricating the gas piston with motor oil because of the lubricant’s resistance to high temperatures. Some manufacturers recommend running gas pistons dry but Jason said that although the oil turned black, it was easy to wipe off every time the gun was cleaned.

The gun is a multichoke and comes with a set of multichoke tubes and shims for stock adjustment. Make sure the latter two items are present when buying a second-hand gun. The relatively high, ventilated rib adds to the gun’s elegance, as does the well-presented stock and fore-end.

The gun has a soft rubber recoil pad that doesn’t snag on clothing when it is mounted. The receiver is in a non-reflective satin finish.

Yildiz .410

Yildiz .410

Here’s another Turkish offering, which is much more sophisticated than the Huglu – and more expensive, too.
But, like the Huglu, it is built on a proper .410 action, which keeps everything nicely in proportion.

I’m sure we have all seen .410s built on 20-bore actions, which results in barrels with over-thick walls, particularly at the chamber end, and an exaggerated spacing between the tubes towards the muzzles. They’re just plain ugly, which the Yildiz is not.

Unlike the Huglu, the Yildiz .410 illustrated is an ejector, although there are non-ejector models to be had. It’s also a multichoke, so lightly-choked tubes can be put in for close targets. It has a mechanical switch to the second barrel, too.

The action body is in an aluminium alloy, with a steel insert in the breech face to take the recoil, and the gun works on conventional over-and-under principles, with a bolt running along the action floor to engage with a bite in a shallow lump under the lower barrel.

Overall, the gun looks like a scaled-down sporter. The stock terminates in a hard plastic butt plate and there is even a short-stock version available for young shooters.

Huglu .410

Huglu .410

Huglu was among the first of the Turkish gunmakers to dip a toe into the UK market and the company’s range of simple, sturdy guns at highly affordable prices remains quite impressive.

The thing I like about the Huglu .410 gun is its 
sheer simplicity. It’s a non-ejector, so Jim wouldn’t be groping among the nettles 
and brambles to pick up his cartridge cases, and it’s also a fixed-choke, choked ¾ and full. This may seem excessive, however, 
as most .410s are quite tightly choked to make up for the fact that there aren’t that many pellets in the pattern, so you don’t 
get big gaps.

Chambers are 3in (76mm) and the tubes have been subjected to magnum proof. The safety is automatic and the switch to the second barrel is not reliant on the recoil of the first shot cycling the mechanism, which is another plus point for me.

Simple though the gun may be, I find this model to be quite attractive, with the action body and sideplates having a colour-hardened finish. The woodwork is quite attractive, too, and the second-hand price of well under £500 should hardly make a dent in Jim’s budget.

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Shane Robinson tells us what he looks out for and offers some key advice on avoiding potential pitfalls

Last year I was on the BASC stand at the Game Fair at Hatfield House. A young chap came up to me and said that he had been given my name by one of the clay coaches who thought I might be able to help him buying a gun second-hand.

The young chap was after a sensibly priced (around £500) rough-shooting, side-by-side shotgun for a bit of walked-up shooting. He had found two to look at, and was unsure which way to turn next, and asked me what he should look for.

So I decided it would be useful to write an advisory article so you know what to look out for when on buying a gun second-hand.

If it’s a multi-choke, check the choke’s threads for wear and corrosion

 When I get second-hand guns coming into the shop, I check the following things:

• Depending on the make, model and type of shotgun, I will always break the gun down into its component parts so that I don’t miss anything.
• I check the overall condition, and that the action opens and closes cleanly.
• Make sure there is no light between the barrels and action, thus ensuring that the gun is not “off the face”. If it is, then the gun cannot be sold.
• Slip in some snap caps and pull the triggers, making sure they sound crisp and not dead.
• Dry firing the gun helps to ascertain if it is mechanical or has an inertia-operated second barrel.
• It also allows you to check the ejector timing and strength.

Checklist

• Check the gun is not off the face
• Look for pitting in the barrel
• Make sure there are no cracks or oil soak in the stock
• If possible, fire the gun

Left: Check the fore-end for cracks and othe mechanism to ensure it locks and there is not too much oil soak. Right: Fire in some snap caps and pull the triggers, making sure they sound crisp and not dead.

Break down

• After I break the gun down and I’ve checked the components separately. 
I will then check the fore-end for cracks and splits to the woodwork and operate the mechanism to ensure that it locks in place and there is not too much oil soak apparent. Too much oil used in cleaning is a bad thing because it soaks into the wood and weakens it over time.
• I check the barrels both internally and externally, looking for signs of pitting and wear and for any dents that go right through the metal – anything like that can lead to bulges which can ultimately cause major issues if not addressed.
• If it’s a multichoke, have the chokes out and check the threads for wear and corrosion. I will always do the “ting” test. I hold the barrels at the chamber end and flick the barrels with my fingers. This can show if the solder on the rib and between the barrel is intact.

Check the barrels both internally and externally, looking for signs of pitting, dents and wear

Metal fatigue

• The stock and action are again given an all-over check to make sure that the wood-to-metal fit is good and no cracks are in the stock.
• Chequering wear is a good gauge for how much use the gun has had.
• The position of the top lever can also show wear and tear. When the gun is new, almost certainly the top-lever spring is over to the far right of travel. As the spring is used over time, the spring wears down and the lever will travel toward the centre of the stock.
• Check the breech face for corrosion and the firing-pin condition because you can often see the top of the pin.
• Look at metal fatigue because some of the entry level, or cheaper, guns’ metalwork is subject to wearing out faster than better quality guns.
• Don’t forget to look at the stock for signs of oil soak. Most guns are stored stock down so oil will travel and ultimately come to rest in the stock. Any discolouration is a giveaway.

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Semi-autos

• I handle the semi-autos in the same way, although there are more moving parts so there is a lot more to look for. I do a full strip with the fore-end off and check over the barrel, paying particular attention to a few tell-tale areas.
• The gas ports on gas-recoil guns need to be kept clear because this can be the biggest cause of coughing on lighter loads. Have the gas valve system out and ensure that it all appears to be okay.
• Some older guns have a rubber “O” ring that needs checking. Newer models have a metal split ring that can fatigue and fracture.
• Some models have a power piston for bigger loads, so make sure that all the components are there. If you don’t, and you fire it without the bits in place, there is a good chance you will damage the fore-end.
• All springs are checked for damage, wear and corrosion, especially the stock spring because similarly to oil soak, all water will travel to the stock and sit in there happily rusting away your springs.
• I mentioned before about metal quality on cheaper guns and I have found that the magazine tubes are a really good indicator of number of shots fired. Guns like the ones from Hatsan use aluminium for the magazine tube and this “flame erodes” over time.
• In some cases, when the owner trying to sell the gun says it’s only had a few hundred shots though it, the gun has actually had several thousand through it. This can also be backed up by taking out the trigger mechanism and looking at the striker. These are made of soft metal and show signs of wear very easily.

Ask to have the gun stripped and shown fully

My advice to anyone looking to buying a gun second-hand is, don’t be afraid to ask the seller or trader to have the gun stripped and shown fully. We often send guns out on approval, although most buyers will come to us because we have clay traps on site to allow the buyer to shoot the gun. Firstly, this proves that the gun is fit for purpose and works correctly, and, secondly, proves to the buyer that they can actually shoot the gun before parting with what, at times, can be a considerable amount of money. After all, who buys a second-hand car without a test drive?

“I have always wanted to own a Browning, 
and now I believe some models may fall within my budget. I shoot pigeons and game, and I am also a member of a clay shooting club not far from where I live. In other words, I am an all-rounder.”

• Max price: £1,250
• Type: O/U game or Sporter
• Main purpose: clays, pigeons and game
• Preferred make: Browning

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When John Moses Browning’s famous B25 model first appeared in the gun shops in 1926, the makers boasted that it contained 22 different types of steel and the gun’s 84 parts went through 794 different precision operations. Different heat treatments were applied to 64 of those parts, and 1,490 instruments and gauges subjected the gun’s components to 2,310 different checks and measurements.

All of the gun’s parts were hand-fitted, and skilled craftsmen carried out 155 different operations. By the standards 
of the age, the gun’s production required the employment of a large number of skilled artisans. The B25 was certainly a work of art but, in modern terms, it was also a production engineer’s worst nightmare, which is one of the reasons why, in the middle 1960s, Browning 
formed an alliance with Miroku of Japan
 to build a series of shotguns affordable 
to the average shooter.
The guns were called the Citori range, and they still are in the USA. The name always makes me smile, because “Citori” actually means nothing in anyone’s language, but is an invention of the Browning marketing department.

Anyway, it is within the ranks of the Miroku-built Brownings that we shall find 
a gun for David.

Mechnically, the Browning B525 Game gun hadn’t changed from its predecessor. The engraving on the action has a game scene on each side, with a pheasant on one side and duck on the other

Browning B525 Game

The B525 in its many forms has been with us for 15 years now, but a new version of the game gun came out a couple of years ago, so David should be able to afford one if he can find an example on the second-hand shelves.

There weren’t many updates to the gun, although one reviewer found the woodwork better than what is usual on Grade 1 Brownings. On a casual glance the most obvious change is the substitution of the old hard plastic butt plate with a soft rubber pad.

• I’m recommending the game version rather than the sporter because David seems to prefer field shooting to clays, and, for the field, the weight at 7¼lb is just right.
• Barrels are 28in or 30in, and I’d recommend the 30in unless David does a lot of shooting from a hide, where the longer tubes can sometimes be a handicap to rapid reloading.
• The barrels have solid side ribs, and the parallel top rib is ¼in wide and terminates in a small brass bead foresight – something I like on a game gun.
• The tubes, with 3-inch chambers, are internally chromium plated, and have been submitted to steel shot proof. When buying this latest version second-hand, be sure that the two spare choke tubes, the original black carry case, and the kit to change the mechanism to auto-safety, are all present.
  There was a fear that when Browning brought out the B725 range, the much-loved B525 would be allowed to die out. Instead, it seems the model still has a bright future.

Browning Cynergy

Browning Cynergy

When I began researching the Cynergy I was surprised it was no longer featured on the manufacturer’s European website. However, it features strongly on the company’s USA website, which perhaps shows that while European shooters found it too advanced, the Americans have no such hang-ups.

All that said, there are quite a few around on the second-hand racks, at prices David will be able to afford.

So, what’s so weird and wonderful about the Cynergy? Well, the most obvious feature is that the jointing seems to have been made back-to-front, in that the convex part of the knuckle is on the fore-end iron, and the concave part is on the forward end of the action housing.

What’s more, there is no cross-pin or stub pins, but the gun is hinged on quarter-circular cut-outs in the barrel monobloc mating with quarter-circular projections in the action walls. I’ve only ever seen such a feature on one other gun – the Swedish-built Flodman I tested in the mid-1980s.

And if the jointing isn’t unusual enough, there are no hammers within the action, the firing pins being propelled forward by the main springs through a series of levers. When the gun came out in 2004, Browning claimed that this arrangement gave an exceptionally fast lock time.

This could be for David if he wants something unusual, I’m sure it would be the subject of great curiosity among his friends.

Browning B525 Sporter

Browning B525 Sporter

This would be the gun for David if he found the game version too light. He’d appreciate a bit of extra weight if he struggles with recoil, or prefers 32g cartridges for his game and pigeon shooting. Like all good Sporters, it weighs around 7¾lb.

Like the game model, the Sporter hasn’t been totally eclipsed by the B725, and it is still available as a new gun. The 525 series was introduced in 2003, and at one time I counted 27 variations and, if you took account of different barrel lengths available, there was a mind-boggling selection of over 50 different guns.