Longthorne guns
- Thread starter Will Hewland
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Will Hewland
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40UP
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Jim and the lovely Elaine allowed me and IPS to try three of these sidelocks yesterday at Hesketh Gun Club. The guns are beautifully machined, the sidelocks needing no hand finishing but the jointing can still be finished best with smoke black and is. Jim says his own gun has shot buckets of cartridges, like 80,000. Because the ribs are cut from the guns, barrel weight can be left in where you want it. Stocks are obviously to order and for a sidelock secured by stock bolt is a good idea and interchangeable. The game guns weigh 7 lbs.
Do the billetted barrels recoil less? I pointed out they were pushing their luck giving me a low comb STRAIGHT HAND game gun and inviting me to fire 50gm 3" shells through it. I fed it 24gm Fblu, 36gm JK6 at 1080 bar and 40gm Gamebore woolly wads. Newtons laws are Newtons laws and the recoil has to go somewhere. The gun doesn't flip but recoils straight back.
Finally Jim handed me two 3" Express 50gm. Pushing off the auto safe I let a high teal go 50yds twice and it broke convincingly like you might expect from a cartridge with a double load and still counted my fingers.
Do the billetted barrels recoil less? I pointed out they were pushing their luck giving me a low comb STRAIGHT HAND game gun and inviting me to fire 50gm 3" shells through it. I fed it 24gm Fblu, 36gm JK6 at 1080 bar and 40gm Gamebore woolly wads. Newtons laws are Newtons laws and the recoil has to go somewhere. The gun doesn't flip but recoils straight back.
Finally Jim handed me two 3" Express 50gm. Pushing off the auto safe I let a high teal go 50yds twice and it broke convincingly like you might expect from a cartridge with a double load and still counted my fingers.
ips
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Yes it was an interesting day finished off nicely by a last minute decision by 40up and i to call for lunch enroute home during which we were able to fully discuss the days proceedings.
Very impressed with the beauty of the action on the deluxe version (however we did not get to see the "entry" model), deep scroll type engraving with lots of character in fact the whole sidelock action was slim and pretty and seemed to be well engineered. As 40up says we shot a straight game stock and a couple of semi pistol grip ish stocks so this was quite odd for me. Recoil was "different" very little if any muzzle flip and I am sure you would get use to the straght back into your shoulder recoil. The barrels aesthetically I think are a matter of personal taste as neither centre or top rib were vented on either gun we shot however jim assured us throughout our conversations that the customer can within reason have what they want so I am sure it could be done.
I asked 40 up on sat eve if he thought I needed to take wellies as we knew by this stage that it was a local sporting ground we were going to, all I can say is that never before have wellies been such a necessity, if this is what sporting is about do not sign me up anytime soon.
The 50g loads were interesting and as 40up states adsolutely mashed the closest thing to a abt target than we shot at.
Thank you jim and elaine for your hospitality I look fwd to following your progression.
Very impressed with the beauty of the action on the deluxe version (however we did not get to see the "entry" model), deep scroll type engraving with lots of character in fact the whole sidelock action was slim and pretty and seemed to be well engineered. As 40up says we shot a straight game stock and a couple of semi pistol grip ish stocks so this was quite odd for me. Recoil was "different" very little if any muzzle flip and I am sure you would get use to the straght back into your shoulder recoil. The barrels aesthetically I think are a matter of personal taste as neither centre or top rib were vented on either gun we shot however jim assured us throughout our conversations that the customer can within reason have what they want so I am sure it could be done.
I asked 40 up on sat eve if he thought I needed to take wellies as we knew by this stage that it was a local sporting ground we were going to, all I can say is that never before have wellies been such a necessity, if this is what sporting is about do not sign me up anytime soon.
The 50g loads were interesting and as 40up states adsolutely mashed the closest thing to a abt target than we shot at.
Thank you jim and elaine for your hospitality I look fwd to following your progression.
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