Cutting edge technology shotguns - opposite of Purdey
Discussion
A random question but......each workday lunchtime a work colleague and I watch random YouTube videos whilst having lunch. We are both engineers.
Recently we've ended up down a rabbit hole of watching shotguns being crafted at Purdey and also Westley Richards. The quality and craftsmanship is absolutely amazing and to be celebrated.
Neither of us shoot and know little about shotgun manufacturers but my question is for anyone who does know - is there a manufacturer who is the exact opposite of Purdey and are using the most modern cutting edge technologies and materials - exotic alloys/composites/laser deposition etc etc to make an F1/aerospace approach shotgun that gave a sporting edge rather than relying on traditional craftsmanship?
I was also wondering if such a gun existed would it have enough kudos to be accepted within the social confines of the shooting world or would you be laughed off the shoot for spending the equivalent of a Purdey on a 'plastic toy'
We found a Browning 525 composite but it wasn't expensive enough to contain enough 'technology' hence the question.
Recently we've ended up down a rabbit hole of watching shotguns being crafted at Purdey and also Westley Richards. The quality and craftsmanship is absolutely amazing and to be celebrated.
Neither of us shoot and know little about shotgun manufacturers but my question is for anyone who does know - is there a manufacturer who is the exact opposite of Purdey and are using the most modern cutting edge technologies and materials - exotic alloys/composites/laser deposition etc etc to make an F1/aerospace approach shotgun that gave a sporting edge rather than relying on traditional craftsmanship?
I was also wondering if such a gun existed would it have enough kudos to be accepted within the social confines of the shooting world or would you be laughed off the shoot for spending the equivalent of a Purdey on a 'plastic toy'
We found a Browning 525 composite but it wasn't expensive enough to contain enough 'technology' hence the question.
Beretta use a blend of old school craftsmanship and cutting edge technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfo1QUGfWZE
As a precision engineer I both appreciate and despise the way Purdey craft their guns. The skill and craftsmanship to create each gun to be totally unique in every way is so impressive but I'm equally appalled that every single part is individually 'fitted' and nothing is interchangeable.
The manufacture of Rolls Royce Merlins Vs Packard Merlins in WW2 being another example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfo1QUGfWZE
As a precision engineer I both appreciate and despise the way Purdey craft their guns. The skill and craftsmanship to create each gun to be totally unique in every way is so impressive but I'm equally appalled that every single part is individually 'fitted' and nothing is interchangeable.
The manufacture of Rolls Royce Merlins Vs Packard Merlins in WW2 being another example.
Beyond the balance of the gun, the majority of the influence on result (target hit) is with the podgy pink thing at the stock end.
The return isn't there for exotics.
A good shot will hit more with a 10 yr old £500 gun than a plonker with a £50,000 gun.
Opposite to motorsport. Lewis Hamilton will lose a race to me if he is in a 1.0litre crappy 10 yr old hatchback and I am in a brand new Ferrari with 690hp
Unless any participant literally or figuratively shoots themslef in the foot at the first turn, obvs.
The return isn't there for exotics.
A good shot will hit more with a 10 yr old £500 gun than a plonker with a £50,000 gun.
Opposite to motorsport. Lewis Hamilton will lose a race to me if he is in a 1.0litre crappy 10 yr old hatchback and I am in a brand new Ferrari with 690hp
Unless any participant literally or figuratively shoots themslef in the foot at the first turn, obvs.
Edited by The_Doc on Friday 30th May 18:54
The_Doc said:
Beyond the balance of the gun, the majority of the influence on result (target hit) is with the podgy pink thing at the stock end.
The return isn't there for exotics.
A good shot will hit more with a 10 yr old £500 gun than a plonker with a £50,000 gun.
Opposite to motorsport. Lewis Hamilton will lose a race to me if he is in a 1.0litre crappy 10 yr old hatchback and I am in a brand new Ferrari with 690hp
Unless any participant literally or figuratively shoots themslef in the foot at the first turn, obvs.
Why isn't that true of other shooting disciplines?The return isn't there for exotics.
A good shot will hit more with a 10 yr old £500 gun than a plonker with a £50,000 gun.
Opposite to motorsport. Lewis Hamilton will lose a race to me if he is in a 1.0litre crappy 10 yr old hatchback and I am in a brand new Ferrari with 690hp
Unless any participant literally or figuratively shoots themslef in the foot at the first turn, obvs.
Edited by The_Doc on Friday 30th May 18:54
Dunno.
Swing, lead on target, pull trigger. Lead, not Pb.
You don't actually point at the target when you pull the trigger.
Absolute stability and abcence of movement (Eg with aa gun weighing 0.1g and made of unobtaniim) isn't what you want.
A heavy gun actually kicks less with recoil. A very light gun would have little inertia and might swing unpredictably as the mass accelerates. Although you'd learn it.
The money in shotguns is craftsmanship, scarcity of skills, and badge strength.
Swing, lead on target, pull trigger. Lead, not Pb.
You don't actually point at the target when you pull the trigger.
Absolute stability and abcence of movement (Eg with aa gun weighing 0.1g and made of unobtaniim) isn't what you want.
A heavy gun actually kicks less with recoil. A very light gun would have little inertia and might swing unpredictably as the mass accelerates. Although you'd learn it.
The money in shotguns is craftsmanship, scarcity of skills, and badge strength.
Edited by The_Doc on Friday 30th May 19:28
The_Doc said:
Beyond the balance of the gun, the majority of the influence on result (target hit) is with the podgy pink thing at the stock end.
The return isn't there for exotics.
A good shot will hit more with a 10 yr old £500 gun than a plonker with a £50,000 gun.
Opposite to motorsport. Lewis Hamilton will lose a race to me if he is in a 1.0litre crappy 10 yr old hatchback and I am in a brand new Ferrari with 690hp
Unless any participant literally or figuratively shoots themslef in the foot at the first turn, obvs.
There is a race series for Citroen C1s. Fixed formula, standard engines with 68 bhp etc and skinny tyres. The return isn't there for exotics.
A good shot will hit more with a 10 yr old £500 gun than a plonker with a £50,000 gun.
Opposite to motorsport. Lewis Hamilton will lose a race to me if he is in a 1.0litre crappy 10 yr old hatchback and I am in a brand new Ferrari with 690hp
Unless any participant literally or figuratively shoots themslef in the foot at the first turn, obvs.
Edited by The_Doc on Friday 30th May 18:54
I remember when they added a 24 hour race at Silverstone to the calendar; for months on the run up all the trackdays had loads of these crappy ten year old hatchbacks practicing and being held up by 690hp Ferrari’s
.Everyone thinks they could shoot like Dirty Harry or drive like Lewis Hamilton, until they try
.Yeah, something American and pump action is opposite of Purdey.
As above, Blaser are pretty modern. A friend shoots with one. Overly complex trigger though it seems.
A guy at our club has some ridiculous DTL Beretta with a high rib and all sorts of beads along it. Again, very anti Purdey and looks like something out of the Olympics.
Me, I've got a reliable 1998 Beretta 682 Gold
As above, Blaser are pretty modern. A friend shoots with one. Overly complex trigger though it seems.
A guy at our club has some ridiculous DTL Beretta with a high rib and all sorts of beads along it. Again, very anti Purdey and looks like something out of the Olympics.
Me, I've got a reliable 1998 Beretta 682 Gold
RustyNissanPrairie said:
I was also wondering if such a gun existed would it have enough kudos to be accepted within the social confines of the shooting world or would you be laughed off the shoot for spending the equivalent of a Purdey on a 'plastic toy'
If you spend let's say £30k a year shooting, you will want a nice looking gun, possibly a handmade gun, to accompany you - rather than something stripped to the bare bones. The shooting result probably wouldn't differ much, but it's often about the pleasure of owning something that's been beautifully made.It's a bit like Patek Vs Citizen - they both do the same thing essentially.
WelshRich said:
As I understand it, F1 teams still Blueprint their engines rather than relying solely on precision manufacturing so are not so different to the likes of Purdey 
Modern CNC manufacturing is so accurate the engines are blueprinted but instead of a skilled fitter weighing and measuring each part to ensure the correct fit the manufacturing process eliminates any variation in size so each engine will be exactly the same as the next. See my comment about Rolls Royce Vs Packard above. RR used highly skilled craftsmen to make sure each part of each engine was individually 'fitted' which was an incredibly slow process
It took Packard the best part of a year to re-draw thousands of parts to the correct tolerances and after they got up and running the engine assembly could be completed by seni-skilled workers in less time
Evanivitch said:
Why isn't that true of other shooting disciplines?
With other shooting disciplines it’s about real precision, almost anyone will hit somewhere on a 4” target with a small bore rifle, where exactly on that target can be influenced by the slightest thing. (Some even wear stiff clothes to hold them still)Now throw that 4” target in random directions & speeds & shotgun shooting is a lot more about personal judgement, you’re assessing do you shoot at / above / below / infront (& how far for all of them changes in situation). Almost anyone trying at a clay ground would probably struggle to hit half until they’d learned to judge a bit.
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