Where luxury shotguns meet bespoke service

Lying in the heart of central London, Mayfair is one of those destinations which, even in the fiercely competitive world of modern retail, has retained its impeccable global credentials for luxury. It’s all in the name really…

So it’s no coincidence that we find William & Son located in the thick of the action at numbers 34-36, Bruton Street. Founded in 1999 by William Asprey, a seventh generation member of the famous Asprey family, the business now has a royal warrant and an international stamp of approval for delivering bespoke shotguns with a smile.

Bespoke gunmakers with the family touch

William & Son offer a fully bespoke gunmaking service and we chatted to gunroom manager Ian Andrews to find out a bit more about the people behind the scenes. Ian has been in the gun trade for more than 20 years and worked at Bonhams, Purdey and Christie’s before joining William & Son in 2014.

What makes William & Son stand out from the crowd?

“Where William & Son differs from some other London names is that we are a true family business, and this is apparent as soon as you walk through the door. We have a very loyal international client base, but the domestic market is just as significant and the wonderful thing about William & Son is that all our customers are supported by our in-house gunsmith Paul West, who has more than 40 years’ experience in the gun trade.”

A modern rarity; the in-house gunsmith

“It’s very rare in central London to have that on-site gunsmith and it really helps us build trust with our customers when they know they can talk to Paul when they pop in. Paul is also very much the link man between the clients and the wide array of independent gunsmiths we use to do our work.”

Market research meets gunmaking expertise

“The boss, William Asprey, is an exceptionally keen game shooter and he is very passionate about the gunmaking side of William & Son. Because he spends a lot of time with clients in the field he constantly has his ear to the ground listening to customers and helping us understand the requirements of the modern game shot.

Paul has been with the business since the outset of William & Son in 1999, and William and I are able to trust his understanding of the working gun and his ability to offer advice in both the bespoke and the used gun market.

What’s the difference between working at an auction house and a gunmakers?

“In the gunroom you can build a long-term rapport with clients as they pop in when they are in London to have their guns serviced or repaired if necessary. It’s different from working in the auction rooms in that sense because the relationship with the clients was more transient. Working here is actually far more fulfilling as customers can become friends too.”

Developing key audiences

“My role is to liaise with customers and to get out and about and beat the drum. We visit the US for the Safari Club International and the Dallas Safari Club shows and we find these to be very fruitful. It’s a key audience.

This year we also found The Game Fair at Ragley Hall was a very successful event with a decent customer footfall. The Game Fair has a good following and this opens up all sorts of new markets for us. It’s a bit smaller than it used to be but I think in many ways that’s a good thing for everybody.”

What’s a typical enquiry for the bespoke gun service?

“We do not have any typical clients and every enquiry is different as it depends a lot on the knowledge and experience of the individual and their requirements. But we mostly deal with shotguns and the most common order is a 12 bore side-by-side.
In this market we are always aware someone may want a pair, even if they are only initially ordering just the one, so we always ensure we are able to offer the reserve on the consecutive serial number just in case they do want a second at a later date.”

What really makes these shotguns stand out?

“Our stocks are made from exhibition grade Turkish walnut, hand-picked by ourselves to present to the customer for selection. We offer a variety of deluxe large scroll patterns and fine game scenes created for the customer by our engraver. We recently delivered a shotgun which had the engraving designed by a London-based contemporary artist called Marc Camille Chaimowicz.

Finishing is where the gun really comes together, not only in the overall look of the shotgun but also reliability. This is achieved from traditional English oiling of the stocks through to test shooting to ensure the gun is faultless before presentation to the client.”

What’s the build time and what’s the price tag?

“A single gun takes 14-16 months to make and a pair will take 18-20 months, and prices start from £76,500 excluding VAT.”

For the final word on William & Son we turned to the boss, William Asprey

“We are on a par with our main competitors, but it takes a special sort of client who is willing to come to this relatively new brand. Our quality and service are second to none, we make our clients feel wanted and appreciated and they very often become good friends. This is all helped by the reliability of our guns and the excellent team we have here at William & Son.”

See William & Son's range of bespoke gun options here.

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.