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THE NEW PURDEY SPORTER

The new Purdey Sporter will launch next week (28 June, 2022) and is to be made entirely in-house in London, making the best of the original Sporter while introducing several new features.

Described by The Field as “possibly the finest over-and-under design ever conceived,” the original Sporter has, since its inception in 2007, been a joint effort between Purdey and their partners in Italy. But manufacturing for the new model will now all happen at Felgate House in London, on the same benches as every other Purdey gun.

“It has always been an aspiration of Purdey to adapt its manufacturing capacity to manufacture all our guns at our London factory. This goal has now been achieved with all our models being completely built in-house,” says Andrew Ambrose, Director of Gun Sales at Purdey.

“The main benefit of now producing this model entirely in our London factory is we can control all elements of production. Not only does this mean we can control the quality but also we can control the manufacturing time. Additionally clients can now come and see their new Purdey Sporter being fully built which has only previously been available to our Sidelock and Purdey Trigger Plate model shotguns.

“One of the very exciting features is our exclusively developed anti-corrosion coating to protect against rust. This special coating is applied to all the internal parts of the action. Given the very fine tolerances on handmade guns, rust can be the cause of a large number of mechanical and functional problems. We believe that by helping to negate this problem it represents a huge step forward in our gun making,” adds Ambrose.

“Aesthetically, another new feature on this second generation Purdey Sporter is our specially designed ‘Rose & Scroll’ engraving pattern. This new pattern reflects the traditional Rose & Scroll engraving one would expect from a classic Purdey and now this model fits in with the Purdey family of guns. One final key feature is we have reduced the barrel weight on the Purdey Sporter to produce an overall better balanced and lighter handling gun. Weight is always a key element in our client’s decision making when buying a new shotgun and this formed one of our key goals.”

Every gun will go through the same quality-control, testing and hand-finishing process so it can be approved for use in the field or on the clay ground. Before sign-off, there is a rigorous examination by a master craftsman who has spent more than a quarter of a century at the brand.

“There isn’t [just] one reason why the Purdey Sporter continues to be popular,” says Ambrose. “One of the main reasons for its continued success is the Purdey Sporter’s great reliability combined with its durability and strength; it really is ideal for the rigours of modern day shooting. On a wider issue it continues to be popular in an increasingly crowded market at this price point because when a client purchases a Purdey Sporter they are also becoming part of the Purdey family and all the tradition, benefit and support that brings.”

Since 1814, James Purdey & Sons have been at the heart of British craftsmanship, heritage and tradition.

The new model will remain at £42,500 plus VAT and with a 9-12 month lead time, a new Purdey Sporter could be available for 2023. Visit purdey.com for more information.