A Purdey, but not as you know it...

Yes you have read that correctly, James Purdey & Sons have made a gun specifically designed for shooting clays. It’s called the Purdey Trigger Plate Sporting Clays gun and it retails at £65,000 plus VAT.

You might be wondering why the most famous name in gunmaking would turn its hand to a gun for clay shooting. But the very simple response is, why not?

Of course that’s a price tag way beyond the budget of most normal shooters, but this is not a mass production Beretta Silver Pigeon and Purdey do not need to sell thousands of these guns to justify the decision. Far from it, in fact the inner circle of decision makers at the Mayfair HQ listened to their global customer base and realised there was a market for something a little bit different.

The development of an idea

The team from Purdey spend quite a lot of time on the other side of the Atlantic and they also meet a lot of other people who know an awful lot about shooting and gunmaking. Somewhere near the top of that pile they found an American man called Don Currie, who is the chief instructor of the National Sporting Clays Association. As such he is one of the most respected instructors and gun fitters in his country, and he has been instrumental in the development of this new Purdey shotgun.

But to be clear it is made entirely in Purdey’s Hammersmith workshop and, like all Purdey Best guns, it passes through the traditional seven stages of gunmaking in the hands of oil-stained and bench-hardened craftsmen. It’s just that on this occasion the artisans of Hammersmith have had the benefit of extra guidance from Currie, who has had an input in some of the more distinctive features of this new over-under

Not that radical

When you look a little closer you will see this gun is not a total revolution. In fact it is built on exactly the same action as the Purdey Trigger Plate game gun, which was launched last year.

The main differences are the very evident 5mm raised rib, the newly figured stock, the weight of 8lb 11oz, and the ergonomic palmswell grip. To the uninitiated what the latter means is that when a right-hander puts their right hand on the grip it feels a lot more swollen than usual. The theory is that, assuming all is equal, your hand, and therefore trigger finger, always goes to the same place when you mount the gun. For those of us with bigger hands it certainly gives an increased sense of stability and simultaneously helps to alleviate any sense this is a heavy gun, which by definition it is.

The weight thing

I was able to test shoot this new gun at West London Shooting School with Simon Rood from Purdey and instructor Richard Weller, both of whom are very experienced and accomplished shooters, so I was in good company.

I normally shoot with a 12 bore over-under which weighs in at about 8lb so I expected to notice the extra weight with the new Purdey. However, I can’t say there was any perceptible difference.

Instructor Richard said he thought it felt a bit hefty when he first picked it up but that soon disappeared when he shot it, and the near perfect balance countered the mass. And that’s the key isn’t it? Yes anybody can weigh a gun or look at the stats and think it seems heavy, but until you actually shoot with it that’s all academic.

Perfect for high birds

With its raised comb and raised rib this gun is definitely not just for clay shooting. After a combination of stands, including three different towers, the grouse butts and some rabbits I walked away with the overwhelming desire to stand somewhere deep in the West Country shooting high pheasants with this gun. It’s a dream to shoot with and embodies Purdey’s approach to combining traditional elegance with the strength required by many modern shooters.

In that sense I wonder whether the name of the gun might be a little misleading. I applaud Purdey for their bravery in defining a specific market, but they are almost doing themselves a disservice because it would be an extraordinary pleasure to go pheasant shooting with this particular Purdey.

And for those who are wondering, it is a fully bespoke gun with the customary range of options, including barrel length, chamber length, choke configuration, stock dimensions, engraving, and case finish.

Is it justified?

Since the very beginning in 1814 James Purdey & Sons has focused almost exclusively on building game guns without compromise, and the company has been awarded a Royal Warrant by every reigning Monarch since Queen Victoria. So is this departure from standard procedure justified?

Well, another one of the characteristics of James Purdey and his peers in the great British gunmaking movement of the 19th century was that they weren’t scared to innovate in order to progress.

So, as the people from Purdey themselves say: “Having recognised the popularity of the sport and the exacting requirements of the participants, Purdey now offers a shotgun dedicated to shooting sporting clays.”

But, in my humble opinion, it’s a little bit more than that.

Written by Will Hetherington, GunsOnPegs Contributing Editor

Will was the editor of the Shooting Gazette, a leading international driven shooting magazine, for 13 years. Having been involved with country sports publishing for a total of 19 years, he is now our Contributing Editor at GunsOnPegs.

Find out more about the Purdey Trigger Plate game gun