This month we look at a Franchi Esprit side-by-side 20-bore from GMK. It has a single selective trigger, multi-chokes and weighs just 5lb 12oz. Our test gun has 28in steel-shot-friendly, fleur-de- lys-proofed barrels equipped with a traditional game rib, and is also available in 20- or 12-bore with 30in barrels.…
This month’s test gun, made in Eibar, is a best-quality sidelock over-and-under from the relaunched firm of Arrieta. It is a 12-bore and weighs just under 7lb 3oz, a good weight for a 29in stack-barrelled game gun. ARRIETA SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDER First impressions are dominated by the acanthus and gold-accented engraving…
THIS month’s test gun is a 20-bore Browning 525 Game Tradition Light, tipping the scales at just under 6lb 5oz (so, light but not ultralight). It is distinguished by an American walnut stock, 30in barrels with a narrow rib, flush-fitting Invector Plus multichokes and an alloy action with scroll and…
There is always room for a workhorse in the gun safe, and a stringent budget makes the addition easy. After some consideration, ours was drawn at £2,500. Some of the guns mentioned are base models where their more decorated, but mechanically similar, stablemates may stray above the stated ceiling. Most…
Smart-looking and pleasing to shoot, the William Powell Princeps, an elegant over-and-under, is an excellent all-rounder and can be made with bespoke stock dimensions at no extra cost – what’s not to like? To see the 10 most expensive guns in the world, click here. WILLIAM POWELL PRINCEPS THIS month’s…
ITS SINUOUS beauty is the essence of the gunmaker’s art, although some regard it as an obsolete technology fit for nothing more than blackpowder. Damascus steel barrels are widely misunderstood and quickly divide opinion. Today the highly skilled, traditional art of making quality damascus barrels has been all but lost.…
This month’s test gun is splendidly different – a Manor & Co 10-bore side-by- side weighing in at 9½lb even with its relatively short 26in barrels. I’ve used the word ‘beast’ to apply to some 12-bores in the past, and it certainly applies here. When you bring the relatively compact,…
We present to you a world exclusive review on the new Gallyon shotgun released this year. For more gun reviews from The Field please visit our gun reviews section or discover what the world’s most expensive guns cost. Our world exclusive review of the new Gallyon shotgun It used to be…
Having a pair of side-by-sides to test is a luxury and Michael Yardley, after having a hand in the specification of the guns, takes even more pleasure when he takes them out to put them through their paces. AYA DE LUXE NO 2 SIDE-BY- SIDE This month’s test concerns a…
SMITH & TOROK 28-BORE SIDE-BY-SIDE SIDELOCK This review focuses on a pair of Smith & Torok 28-bore side-by-side sidelocks. Weighing a fraction under 6lb each, they are 30in self-opening guns based on the Purdey system made by Alex Torok, whose delightful .410 double we reviewed in the November 2021 issue.…
