See this week’s 5 doubles you don’t want to miss …

Truly exceptional & finest quality fully optioned all original Parker 12ga A1 Special w/ fantastic Huey Case - Choice in every regard!!! 
Truly exceptional & finest quality fully optioned all original Parker 12ga A1 Special w/ fantastic Huey Case – Choice in every regard!!!

Truly exceptional & finest quality fully optioned all original Parker 12ga A1 Special w/ fantastic Huey Case – Choice in every regard!!! Exceedingly rare all original Parker A-1 Special 12ga built on a #2 frame with 30″ original Peerless Steel ventilated rib barrels.  Original beavertail forend is beautifully checkered and iron fully engraved.  The receiver is full coverage “Invincible” style scroll engraved with game scenes – very rare on any A1 Special, this one with large Ruffed Grouse on bottom, Geese with Pointer on left, Pheasant with setter on right all surrounded by perfectly executed full coverage scroll.  Barrels with scroll wedges at breech ends and frame with carved fences and carved pigtails on the bottom.  Stocked with an exceptional piece of European Walnut and fantastically checkered as seen in the photos.  Back end of the butt has a small Monte Carol and terminates with its original hardening Silvers pad.  Housed in a magnificent Marvin Huey elephant hide and oak case.  The case is custom fitted for this gun with accessories and is a remarkable work of art in its own right with a replacement cost today in excess of $5500!  Overall, the gun remains in fantastic all original untouched condition.  The barrels retain more than 97% original blue.  Action retains a lot of the original case color, particularly strong on the sides, but percentage is hard to ascertain due to the full coverage engraving.  Easily more than 50%, though.  Stocks are beautiful, sound, and original and retain nearly all of their original finish with only very minor handling marks.  The bores are brilliant and shiny, mechanics are crisp.  Gun was not used very much.  Case is near mint with only very minor rubs. Price: POR    

Hartmann & Weiss of Hamburg SLE 410ga - The First 410 H&W Ever Built - Boss Style Forward Rib Forend - 27” - Magnificent Masterpiece:
Hartmann & Weiss of Hamburg SLE 410ga – The First 410 H&W Ever Built – Boss Style Forward Rib Forend – 27” – Magnificent Masterpiece:

Hartmann & Weiss of Hamburg SLE 410ga – The First 410 H&W Ever Built – Boss Style Forward Rib Forend – 27” – Magnificent Masterpiece: Scalloped Frame – Deepset Narrow Barrels – Gold Inlays – Magnificent Custom Build by the finest German Craftsmen Extant – Featuring the Deepest Case Colors with Bobwhite Quail and Woodcock – Tiny English Style Scroll – Slender Sleek Styling – Potentially the finest craftsmanship I have ever listed for sale on my page. Maker’s Case, Cover and Accessories – a Fine Shotgun like no other. Shotgun Gauge: .410 Gauge Manufacturer: Hartmann & Weiss of Hamburg Model: Sidelock Ejector Boss Style Serial Number: 96-410 Barrel Length: 27” Condition: As New Stock: English Grip Stock Comb: 1 3/8” Stock Heel: 2 1/4” Stock Cast: Cast off for right hand Butt Pad: Checkered Butt LOP: 14 1/4” Finish: Fine hand Rubbed Oil Weight: 5 lbs 5 ozs Chokes: M/F. Price: $205,000

F.LLI PIOTTI King No.1 28ga 28" IC & F, Gold crest, Engraving by Contessa, 5#7oz, Factory leather case, EXC
F.LLI PIOTTI King No.1 28ga 28″ IC & F, Gold crest, Engraving by Contessa, 5#7oz, Factory leather case, EXC

F.LLI PIOTTI King No.1 28ga 28″ IC & F, Gold crest, Engraving by Contessa, 5#7oz, Factory leather case, EXC: Serial # 7466, Country of Origin  Italy, Barrel Length (in Inches) 28″, Choke R IC(.008), Choke L  F (F.025), Trigger DT (Double), Articulated trigger, Stock Configuration  Straight Grip, Gold oval, Checkered butt, Forearm Type  Splinter Forearm, Gold crest, Rib Type  Matted Concave Rib, Receiver Finish  Coin Finish Engraving Type  King I fine Italian scroll with bouquets by Contessa, Gold crown on top lever, Piotti name in gold Other Options  Factory leather case Condition  EXC. Plus Condition Weight  5#7oz Dimensions  11/2 x 2 1/4 x 14 1/2 with 1/8 cast off. Price: $25,000

Miroku L-II 12-bore Boxlock English Stock like Browning BSS but BETTER
Miroku L-II 12-bore Boxlock English Stock like Browning BSS but BETTER

Miroku L-II 12-bore Boxlock English Stock like Browning BSS but BETTER: For sale is a super nice Miroku L-II boxlock. This sleek 12-bore features a classic Anson and Deeley type boxlock action made popular by the Birmingham, England guntrade. Miroku is the maker of the Browning BSS and this is a cousin to that gun. Basically, its the same gun made in the same factory by the craftsman with a different name on it… But this Miroku is much better finished! This Miroku was intended for the European market and was purchased by a military man serving overseas. These European offerings are much better finished guns than the Browning versions in my opinion. This particular model looks like the classic English boxlock. The color cased action is nicely shaped and beautifully hand engraved with well-cut scroll engraving. The 28″ barrels are well struck and are choked IMP/FULL… a classic English choke combination. They’re topped with a flat rib and are balanced by a walnut stock classically configured with straight grip, splinter forend, and hand-cut checkering. The butt is finished with a silvers recoil pad. This shotgun is in great condition. The bores are clean, and barrel walls are free from dents. The stocks oil finish is still good and the stock is solid (though it does have a repaired crack from fall on a quail hunt 15 years ago. Many hundreds of rounds have been fired since that time with no issue). As you would expect, the gun functions perfectly. The lock up is rock solid, and the trigger pulls are nice and crisp. This quality gun is ready to provide a lifetime of reliable use to it new owner. Maker: Miroku, Model: L-II, Barrels: 28″, Chokes: IMP/FULL, Weight: 6lbs 12oz, DAC: 1 3/8″, DAH: 2 5/16″, LOP: 14 3/8″ over silvers pad, Cast: appears to be neutral. Price: $1,950

H Monk SXS 12g Boxlock 28 inch barrels
H Monk SXS 12g Boxlock 28 inch barrels

H Monk SXS 12g Boxlock 28 inch barrels: This is a dynamite English Double!! It’s in excellent shape! DOC 1.5″ DOH 2.5″ Lop 14.25″. weight is 6.25 lb. Chambers are 2.5 inches barrels are 28 inches long. This is a light dynamic shotgun!! You can carry this gun all day and it’s a delight to shoot. Chocked IC and MOD. You simply won’t find modern guns arhat are this well made and this dynamic for ten times the price. Price: $1,150

FYI: The accuracy of these listings has not been verified by Dogs and Doubles. All information has been provided by the sellers. Buyers are responsible for verifying the physical condition and all specifications of the listed items. Dogs and Doubles recommends you and a qualified gunsmith physically inspect an item before purchasing.

This week’s 5 doubles you don’t want to miss…

Hartmann & Weiss 16 Bore O/U on the Boss System
Hartmann & Weiss 16 Bore O/U on the Boss System

Hartmann & Weiss 16 Bore O/U on the Boss System: Gun was ordered in ’04 and delivered to my client in 2015!   It took eleven years to complete this beautiful example of H&W’s magnificent work. There are hardly enough adjectives to adequately describe this piece; except perhaps, that it is available for immediate delivery! Barrels 29 Inch with Solid Raised Rib, Chokes  Light Mod & Mod. Bottom barrel marked 1/4 and 1/2., Engraving Fine English Style Scroll, Stock   Best Grade Turkish Walnut, Butt: Checkered, L.O.P. 15 3/8″, Weigh  t6 lbs. 8.5 oz, Stock Dimensions1 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 15 3/8 to ctr. of checkered butt.  Cast: 1/4 off at heel – 3/8 off at toe. Price: $135,000

HOLLAND & HOLLAND ROYAL 10 BORE PARADOX DOUBLE RIFLE MADE FOR 1900 PARIS EXHIBITION
HOLLAND & HOLLAND ROYAL 10 BORE PARADOX DOUBLE RIFLE MADE FOR 1900 PARIS EXHIBITION

HOLLAND & HOLLAND ROYAL 10 BORE PARADOX DOUBLE RIFLE MADE FOR 1900 PARIS EXHIBITION: LETTER FROM HOLLAND IN THE PHOTOS, 27″ PARADOX BARRELS WITH GREAT BORES, WE HAVE LIVE ROUNDS AND DATA AVAILABLE, DOUBLE TRIGGERS, EXTRACTORS, SPLINTER FOREARM, PISTOL GRIP, MAKER’S CASE, UNTOUCHED GREAT ORIGINAL CONDITION, 13 LBS 8 OZ, 14 7/8″ LOP. Price: $59,500

Pre-War MERKEL 202E Over_Under highly engraved and optioned 20ga
Pre-War MERKEL 202E Over_Under highly engraved and optioned 20ga

Pre-War MERKEL 202E Over_Under highly engraved and optioned 20ga: 27″ barrels and according to Merkel Germany direct records, manufactured in 1944.  A short look at this gun one realizes with the incredible detail and workmanship it absolutely could not be made today.  The deep relief hand engraving is really unlike any other you will see in depth and detail.  Ivory bead front sight, buffalo horn seamlessly blended in to form the rear trigger guard, and each and every exterior screw hand engraved-even the butt plate screws. Cocking Indicators, Greener crossbolt action, cross relief, Ejectors, with a 14 1/4″ LOP over a beautifully figured walnut stock, 5.9 lbs as shown. Price: $8930

Beretta ASEL 20 ga. O/U

Beretta ASEL 20 ga. O/UBeretta ASEL 20 ga. O/U: 26″ hand-filed vent rib barrels with double ivory beads are choked improved cylinder and full (.009/.024).  This late 1950s Abercrombie & Fitch gun features hinged front double triggers, auto ejectors and auto safe.  Fully engraved scallop-backed action, elegant special-order long forend, Prince of Wales grip.   Nicely figured Tyrolean walnut  stock measures 1-3/8″ comb, 2-3/8″ heel, 14-1/8″ LOP over the original wood butt.  Made in the same workrooms as the SO guns,  certainly the finest boxlock O/Us ever produced by Beretta.  The diminutive frame, scaled to the gauge allows this little 20 to weigh a mere 5 lbs, 10 ozs.  Honest example. Price: $6,750

Beretta BL4 (BL-4) - 28ga - 26 3/8” Barrels - Like New - ca. 1970 - Sk/Sk Chokes - 14 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” - 6 lbs - 99% Condition
Beretta BL4 (BL-4) – 28ga – 26 3/8” Barrels – Like New – ca. 1970 – Sk/Sk Chokes – 14 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” – 6 lbs – 99% Condition

Beretta BL4 (BL-4) – 28ga – 26 3/8” Barrels – Like New – ca. 1970 – Sk/Sk Chokes – 14 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” – 6 lbs – 99% Condition: Like New – ca. 1970 – Sk/Sk Chokes – 14 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” – 6 lbs – 99% Condition – Clean!  Upland Bird Gun: Price: $3,995 

Keith Thomas, one of the world’s top gun engravers…

Keith Thomas, Gun Engraver
Keith Thomas, Gun Engraver

Last April at the 2017 Southern Side By Side Spring Classic I had the good fortune to meet Keith Thomas, one of the world’s top gun engravers. Thomas began his engraving career in 1964 as an apprentice with Holland & Holland. He stayed with that famous London firm until he went own in 1975.

Since then, he has worked for most of the work’s top gunmakers, including, including Boss & Co, W. W. Greener, Hartmann & Weiss, Asprey, Peter V. Nelson, Watson Bros, and A. A. Brown.

The Hartmann & Weiss you see here features his work and is a great example of why Thomas’s rose & scroll patterns are considered to be among the finest ever.

You can see more of Keith Thomas’s work here.

Hartmann & Weiss 28 gauge over-and-under shotgun
Hartmann & Weiss 28 gauge over-and-under shotgun
Hartmann & Weiss 28 gauge over-and-under shotgun
Hartmann & Weiss 28 gauge over-and-under shotgun

The very best: 28 gauge Hartmann & Weiss over under shotgun …

HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE

Back in the 1950s, Otto Weiss was a young gunmaker working at W. Glaser in Zurich. He had grown up in the guntrade, and by the time he was in Switzerland, he had already worked for two of Germany’s most famous firms: Ernst Thälmann Werke and Merkel. So he knew a bit about shotguns.

At Glaser, he had an experience which changed his life. “When I was in Switzerland and came across some high-quality English guns, I thought ‘this is what I have to do’.” Fulfilling this ambition took him to London where he worked for Purdeys and then back to Germany where he met fellow gunmaker Gerhard Hartmann. Together, they formed — Hartmann & Weiss.

Today, many people believe Hartmann & Weiss is the finest gunmaker in the world. The over-under you see here is a good reason why. Built on Boss designs (with some improvements from H&W) and engraved by Ralph Bone, it’s about as perfect a shotgun as I’ve seen.

HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE

Check out these posts to see more pics of stunning Hartmann & Weiss OUs: It’s 1905 all over again & A HARTMANN & WEISS 20g Over and Under Engraved by Alan Brown &  The English and German Gunmakers. Hartmann & Weiss and Boss & Co.

HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGEI THINK THAT THERE ARE ONLY 4 OR 5 OF THESE IN EXISTENCE. ENGRAVED IN THE KELTIC STYLE BY THE LATE RALPH BONE 27″ BARRELS WITH A SOLID RIB  IC AND MOD 2 3/4 SINGLE TRIGGER EJECTORS BOSS STYLE FOREARM ENGLISH GRIP CHECKERED BUTT NEW UNFIRED IN MAKERS CASE 5LBS 6 OZ X 2″ X 1 9/16″ X 14 1/4″ LOP. Price: $199,500

HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE
HARTMAN & WEISS BEST BOSS STYLE OVER UNDER 28 GAUGE

The best of the best? Perhaps…

One of the taxidermy displays at the 2016 Safari Club Show in Vegas
One of the taxidermy displays at the 2016 Safari Club Show in Vegas. All animals were full, life size, btw.

Last month, I was fortunate to spend a few day in Las Vegas at Safari Club International’s annual get together. It was a huge show, featuring outfitters, gunmakers and retailers from around the globe. If you were looking to book a hunt to anywhere in the world, find a taxidermist, order a new shotgun from the world’s top makers, or buy an expensive fur coat (oddly, several people were selling these), it was the place to be.

Droplock Westley Richards SxS shotgun. Pic from WR website
Droplock Westley Richards SxS shotgun. Pic from WR website

I was there to see the guns, and I have to say, I saw plenty of them. Most of the major makers were there with plenty of new guns on hand for me to inspect. Of these, three makers really stood out: Westley Richards, Boss & Co and Hartmann & Weiss.

Westley Richards’ new droplocks are great doubles, and their sidelocks are nice, too. While far from cheap, both are some of the best guys in the new, best-quality market. Deliver times are reasonable, too.

Boss & Co had two of their new OUs on hand for me to look at. Both were 28 gauges and very impressive.Boss & Co invented the low-profile style OU, and the guns the company is making today retain the style, elegance and quality that made this design so famous. From what I saw at the show, Boss is building the best over-unders coming out of London (and the most of London’s other major makers were at SCI).

Hartmann & Weiss OU shotgun. Pic from H&W site
Hartmann & Weiss OU shotgun. Pic from H&W site

Compared to the other gunmakers, Hartmann & Weiss had one of the smallest booths at the show. But their doubles were hugely impressive. Drop dead ‘friggin gorgeous. The 16 gauge, Boss-style OU had on hand blew me away. It may have been too nice, actually. If it were mine, I don’t know if I could bring myself to use it. Even though it was a standard gun with rose-and-scroll engraving, it looked it deserved to be displayed behind glass forever.

To see some more pics of new doubles by Boss & Co and Hartmann & Weiss, check out these posts from The Explora, Westley Richards’ great blog:

The English and German Gunmakers. Hartmann & Weiss and Boss & Co.

Boss & Co. Over and Under .500 3″NE

BOSS & Co. 20 & 28g. OVER AND UNDER.

A HARTMANN & WEISS 20g Over and Under Engraved by Alan Brown.

Auction alert: 12g Hartmann & Weiss 12g SxS Boss-style round body, self opener …

HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403
HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403

For a while now, some of the finest British shotguns in the world have been built by two German gunmakers. Hartmann & Weiss is located in Hamburg, and their guns are on par with, and maybe better than, the finest side-by-sides and over-unders being built in the UK today.

Gerhard Harmann  & Otto Weiss learned gunmaking in Germany: In the ’50s, Otto trained in Suhl and Gerhard  trained in Hamburg. Otto Weiss furthered his education in Switzerland and England (with James Purdey & Sons), and Gerhard Hartmann went to work in Austria. In ’65 they joined together to build firearms. Today, their company builds a range of rifles as well as side-by-side and over-under shotguns.

Their over-unders are built on Boss-style actions, and their side-by-sides are built on Boss , Holland & Holland and Purdey/Beesley systems. The one you see here is one of the very few self-opening, Boss-style Round Body side-by-sides Hartmann & Weiss built. It unfired, and it’s coming up in next month in  Holt’s December 2015 Fine Modern & Antique Guns Auction.

HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403
HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403

Boss & Co introduced their Round-Body style actions in 1893, and so far they’ve built around 300 of them all together. The self-opening feature was introduced in 1932 and used on a small number of SxSs up to WW2 and then phased out after in the ’50s. Finding both these features on a real Boss is tough to do, its not impossible: Here’s a real 12g Boss & Co. Round Action Self Opener.

(BTW: Vic Venters published an excellent piece about Boss & Co. self openers in the Nov/Dec, 2o15, edition of Shooting Sportsman magazine. To find out more about these super rare guns, check it out.)

HARTMANN & WEISSAN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 240329in. nitro chopperlump barrels with finely matted rib with fine acanthus scroll detailing at the breech end, the tubes engraved ‘HARTMANN & WEISS. HAMBURG’, 2 3/4in. choke, bored approx. 1/4 and 3/4 choke, rounded bar action with Boss patent self-opening system, removable striker discs, manual safety with gold-inlaid ‘SAFE’ detail, gold-inlaid cocking-indicators, non-selective single trigger, rolled-edge triggerguard, best fine floral bouquet and acanthus scroll engraving, the triggerguard signed ‘F. GULLERT’, retaining virtually full original colour-hardening and finish, 14 3/4in. highly-figured stock, weight 6lb. 10oz., in its lightweight leather case with accessories. Estimate: £40,000 – 60,000.

HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403
HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403
HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403
HARTMANN & WEISS: AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE GULLERT-ENGRAVED BOSS-TYPE SINGLE-TRIGGER ROUNDED BAR SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 2403