Author Archives: Simon Clode

Back From Case Colour Hardening – The .470 Engraved by Paul Lantuch.

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Westley Richards .470 Carved by Paul Lantuch. (2 of 5)

Here we are again! The colour on colour off question! I know that 99% of people who have seen the previous post of this rifle before it went to case colour hardening will say “take it off”. A seemingly easy answer as the engraving obviously stands out so well when silver and will stand out even more now that the colour is on, the steel will be grey and retain a deep back ground.

I have mixed feelings as I do like the case colour and I started this project with the client based on the old case colour hardened R.B.Rodda rifles which I have always admired. The engraving has great depth and so it does stand out and with a little careless use in the bush the rifle will slowly polish off, come to life and shine out!

untitled (4 of 5)

Westley Richards .470 Carved by Paul Lantuch. (5 of 5)

Westley Richards .470 Carved by Paul Lantuch. (3 of 5)

Westley Richards .470 Carved by Paul Lantuch. (4 of 5)

As The New Shooting Season Commences, Some New Colour from Westley Richards.

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Westley Richards New Shooting Socks 2016

Once you have your Tweed shooting suit and your green waterproof jacket there are little areas left to create your own style. To that end I have always been annoyed at the lack of choice of caps and shooting stockings when you visit shops.

In an effort to change that for this season we have had made a wide variety of hand knitted shooting stockings which will add a splash of colour to every outfit. I would like to think people will now be spoiled for choice with this range beautifully designed and produced stockings which are each hand knitted on 4 needles by home based workers in England using the finest Cashmere and other high quality wools.

Each pair of Westley Richards shooting stockings is presented in a specially designed tube package which makes for an easy to wrap, perfect gift!

Westley Richards Shooting Socks.

 

Our range of caps now has 20 different tweeds in 3 styles. All our Tweed comes from the Lovat Mill in the Scottish Borders and are made in England by one of the countries oldest hat makers.

 

Westley Richards 2016 Caps

WR & Co Caps-37512

These new products will be online in our web shop later this week and I hope that you will find something you like!

A Selection of Engraving from Recent and Past Westley Richards Small Bore Game Guns.

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4.1.1Westley Richards 28g Hand Detachable Lock. Eng. Phil Coggan

I appreciate that many of these photographs have been posted before over the past few years, and that they will be familiar to many of you. Our readership has grown and I am never sure who goes back and visits old posts so I thought that whilst I was sending a client a selection of engraving options for some small bore guns we are building him,  that I would post the selection of engraving options that I sent ahead.

It is quite nice to see them all in one group also!

4.1.1The Westley Richards ‘Hummingbird Gun’ A 28g & .410 Droplock. Eng. Rashid Hadi.

WR Engraving (32 of 32)Pair of Westley Richards 16g Hand Detachable Lock Guns. Eng. Frederique Lepinois

WR Engraving (18 of 32)

WR Engraving (29 of 32)Westley Richards 28g Hand Detachable Lock engraved by Phil Coggan.

WR Engraving (28 of 32) Westley Richards .410 Hand Detachable Lock. Engraved by Alan Brown.

WR Engraving (30 of 32)

WR Engraving (27 of 32)

WR Engraving (26 of 32)

WR Engraving (25 of 32) Pair of Westley Richards 20g Round Action Sidelocks Engraved by Paul Chung.

20020 1/2 Pair of 20g Westley Richards Round Action sidelock shotguns engraved by Shaun Banks.

WR Engraving (22 of 32) Very Fine and detailed scroll by Vince Crowley on a .410 Westley Richards.

WR Engraving (21 of 32) The cover plate of .410 Hand Detachable Lock Gun. Eng. Vince Crowley.

WR Engraving (17 of 32) Carved Fantasy by Paul Lantuch on a pair of 20g Westley RichardsRound Action Sidelock.

WR Engraving (16 of 32) Westley Richards .410 Droplock with game engraving by Alan Brown.

WR Engraving (14 of 32) Westley Richards 20g Round Action Sidelock with engraving by Florian Guillert.

WR Engraving (13 of 32) Westley Richards 20g Hand Detachable Lock engraved by Vince Crowley.

WR Engraving (10 of 32) As Above but case colour hardened.

WR Engraving (9 of 32)

WR Engraving (12 of 32)Westley Richards .410 Hand Detachable Lock

WR Engraving (7 of 32)The very fine and masterful scroll of Rashid Hadi on a Westley Richards .410 Droplock

WR Engraving (8 of 32) As Above, the cover plate by Rashid Hadi with flush gold woodcock.

WR Engraving (6 of 32) The Engraved Parts of a 20g Hand Detachable Lock by Vince Crowley.

WR Engraving (5 of 32) Silver and Copper inlaid Spaniel by Vince Crowley on Westley Richards .410 Droplock gun.

WR Engraving (4 of 32) Raised steel carved grouse and fine scroll on a 20g detachable lock. Vince Crowley.

WR .410-4249 Brad and Dave Tallett on a Westley Richards .410 Hand Detachable Lock Gun.

WR .410-4256The Trigger Bow cameo by Brad Tallett.

A Fine 1950’s John Rigby .416 Mauser Bolt Action Rifle.

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John Rigby .416 Bolt ActionJohn Rigby .416 Bolt Action Rifle. 

We have one more John Rigby .416 bolt action rifle ready to travel to the bush. This rifle was built in 1956 on a commercial standard length action which is the same action Rigby .416 used and approved for many years by PH Harry Selby. The rifle is in excellent condition and has original spare foresight in the grip cap.

The specifications are as original and are 24 inch barrel, 14.5″ LOP, 45 inch overall length. Weight 9lbs. 4ozs.

Why buy a modern one when you can get a bit of history at the same price. For pricing and further information please contact me here.

The Game Fair 2016. Ragley Hall 29th – 31st July. Visited by Ricky Bond & Emma Slater.

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Ragley Hall

The Game Fair is the celebration of all things country and field sports related which was this year held at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, roughly 40 minutes from Birmingham and 2 hours from London. The show, in it’s first year under new management, felt very much like previous game fairs and had very much the same layout and vibe about the place.

When first arriving upon 8am it was fairly quiet with just a few shoppers and shooters, but by 2pm the aisles had a good flow of traffic of people and with the sun shining the beers were flowing in the Gun Makers pub!

Friday is usually the day traders do the most business as people have taken the day off work and are in the market for a new shooting coat for the up coming season or a new gun to add to their collection, Saturday tends to have more families having a nice day out and on Sunday it quietens down.

There was the usual clay pigeon shooting have a go stands, 50 bird sporting, fly fishing demonstrations, a huge variety of food and drink stalls from around the country and wide variety of exhibitors.

When the CLA decided to step down from organising and running the show, there were a few different organisations who came up with their own versions of the Game Fair which slightly confused exhibitors and punters alike on which was going to be the show to make the effort to attend. Up until a month or so ago there were two main contenders fighting to be the best show, however when the UK Game Fair was cancelled, it left the Ragley Game Fair as the as the only place to go.

With uncertainty of which show would prosper and other concerns, quite a few well known names in the industry decided to take a step back this year and see how this show panned out. Therefore this year missing from the show, most noticeably was us, then the likes Holland & Holland, Purdey, Blaser, GMK and a few other big names. The feedback and success of this year will no doubt determine the show’s reputation for the next few years to come.

Even with the big gun names missing, the show has great backing from the likes of NFU Mutual, Viking cruises etc.

It’s a great day out for country and town folk alike, especially if the weather continues to hold out, and it’s easy when you are in the gun trade to become numb to a show like this and leave feeling unsatisfied, but for the youngsters and newcomers to our sport who are yet to discover the thrill and excitement of everything fieldsports and the British countryside has to offer, there’s no other event like it.

Next years show will be held at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, only a 20 minute train journey from London’s King Cross station, from the 28th – 30th of July.

Some Very Nice New Used Guns at our New Florida Shop.

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Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (1 of 10) William Evans Sidelock 16g cased with accessories.

My visit to Florida was billed as a low key effort so I could sneak over and get to grips with the space we have leased and move on with the remodel and fit out. Having done that quickly the camera was dragged out and put in my hands to take a few shots of some new guns we have just recieved in and will be working on to get up online in the used gun shop.

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (2 of 10) Very nice E.J. Churchill 25″ .410 game gun with original condition and case.

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (3 of 10) Needing a little more power here is a 28g E.J. Churchill again in fine condition and cased.

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (4 of 10) Pair of William Evans Best Quality 12g Sidelock shotguns Made in 1923

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (5 of 10) Composed pair of Westley Richards 12g SST droplock guns 1916 & 1936 for same family.

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (6 of 10) James Purdey 12g made in 1926.

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (7 of 10) An Abercrombie & Fitch 2″ 12g gun

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (8 of 10)

Finally a few shots of a a very rare Ken Hunt deep carved engraved Purdey which has 2 sets of barrels in 28g and 20g  This gun is new and in unfired condition, cased with accessories. More details to follow later.

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (9 of 10)

Used Guns at Westley Richards USA (10 of 10)

Utilising the Westley Richards Leather Shop’s Bespoke Ability.

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Westley Richards Sam Brown type safari belt

Having my own leather department downstairs gives me the advantage of making things which I like for my own personal use, as is the case with the Sam Brown belt above. I found a very nice vintage belt but without loosing 50 lbs it was never going to fit me! So I have had one made and I think it has turned out really very nicely. I used the oak tanned leather and solid brass fittings both which will age beautifully. My 10 round open wallet fits on perfectly at right hand side. The belt is a faithful copy, with nice stitching detail and a contrast backing in binding leather.

I am really pleased with this belt and should anybody else be interested I think this is an item we will offer on a bespoke basis as getting the length correct is critical to a nice fit, some will wear intruder loops and others over shirt/jacket.

Showing the inside of the Sam Brown Belt

Another useful item I had made for myself was an SD card holder for my photography. I always like to carry spare SD cards with me and don’t like the bulky protective ones you buy from shops. This is a neat solution and can be initialled, numbered or referenced to camera.

SD Card Holder in Leather

I have now made a few writing pads for clients who have seen the one at my desk at Westley Richards. Crafted from 5mm thick Oak Tanned or Tarnsjo Leather these make a very nice writing space and mouse mat!

W R & Co. Bespoke blotter

The final production of the hook swivel sling is now completed. I had great difficulty in sourcing a fully covered strong leather covered buckle so have come to a compromise as illustrated. We will be offering this limited production sling in two colours light and dark brown. Those of you who have shown an interest will now be contacted, thank you for your patience.

WR Hook Eye Sling with Branding

WR Hook Eye Rifle Sling-34896-Edit

Last year at Christmas we were asked to make a set of luggage using a customers own game skins. The skins were of an excellent quality and produced a very very nice set of luggage which were very well received.

Westley Richards bespoke bag inBuffalo

Westley Richards Bespoke Elephant skin Bag

My message is with this post that our leather department is unique in that it will entertain bespoke commissions, not only mine!,  we look forward to turning your ideas into reality and  I hope this post shows the diversity of the workshop we can put at your disposal please contact me for any questions you have regarding this.

A New Westley Richards Hand Detachable Lock Double Rifle in .475 No2 Eley.

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Westley Richards Double Rifle 475 No 2 Eley

Completed in the factory this week is this scroll back, hand detachable lock double rifle in .475 No2 Eley, a rifle which is now heading to its new home in Northern Europe and then later in the year to the hunting grounds of Africa.

This is a very traditional format rifle with the addition of the scroll back, this I think has been a very nice recent ‘old’ addition to our offering, we did make rifles filed with scroll back like this in the past but it was dropped for many years. I have only seen very few pre war rifles with the scroll back and took the shape and file up we use from one such rifle, a .476 which features in our history book “In Pursuit of the best Gun”.

This rifle is supplied with a pair of cased extra interchangeable locks and is all cased in lightweight leather travel case made in our leather department with accessories.

The .475 No 2 Eley has a 480 grain bullet travelling at 2200 FPS.

WR Droplock .475 No 2 Cased

Westley Richards Double Rifle 475 No 2 Eley

Westley Richards Double Rifle 475 No 2 Eley

The Gunstock Blanks become Gunstocks.

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The Pair of Gunstock Blanks at time of Purchase.

The past few years after the IWA show I have posted articles in 2014 on buying the wood there from the Turkish dealers, followed last year by the wood arriving at the factory which is the time you see how you have actually done with your buying.

The next stage in the whole wood process is getting the chosen blanks on the guns! This in itself may sound simple but actually often disaster can happen at any stage. The wood can develop ‘shakes’ as it adjusts to the ambient humidity, (these are small cracks which can render the blank useless) the stocker can cut the rough stock shape out and reveal a massive hole or a flaw in the wood, there are a number of things that can go wrong and the blank is then relegated to the scrap heap, expensive firewood!

So it is always a relief when the wood you choose and had high expectations for is actually on the guns, shaped up, sanded and with a first coat of clear oil on. This is the point you can actually judge how you did with your selection.

Above are a set of 3 blanks I purchased from one of the dealers in IWA in 2015 and below are a pair of new sidelocks guns fresh from the stocking shop for which I used the best of the 3 blanks for. Relief indeed, they worked out well!

Over the next months, whilst the guns are being engraved, the true richness and colour of the wood will be released by endless coats of oil and hours of hand polishing. We will show them again after that!

A Pair of Sidelock Westley Richards just our of stocking shop.

The Shooting Man’s Walking or Thumb Stick.

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Carved Shooting Sticks

The thumb stick or walking stick is always a useful addition to throw in the back of a car when off for a days shooting. This is especially the case when shooting on the wet, slippery and undulating terrain in England, where your legs can literally shoot out from under you unexpectedly.

There are many stick makers in the country, all developing their own style from simple to very elaborate. The sticks may be all wood or be topped with stag horn or something similar, it is common to have a V or a crook to rest your thumb for extra grip. The sticks are tall and come up to about your under arm height, in the case of the bottom one above, you can place it under your arm and comfortably lean on it.

On Friday I travelled to a country show to see some of the countries best carver/makers, unfortunately I was a little late and sales had been brisk, but I was able to get a handful I liked and was able to place an order for a further selection to be made over the coming months. Grey and red partridge, grouse, pheasant and a woodcock with the beak stretched out are some of the choices. These sticks are made by arguably the best carver in the country and the delivery, such is the demand, falls right in line with that of one our guns.

To many people, these are perhaps just too fancy to take out in the field but as an example of the craft they make a wonderful addition to any pile of sticks you may have waiting by the back door.