Gun Engraving

[canvasback]

I saw pics of the 490 Serpentina when they were first released. Despite being very much a traditionalist in many ways, I just love what they did with that gun. For me, it’s a toss up between the blued version and the black one. I think they are better expressions of the design brief compared to the CCH version.

I also think it is one offs (three offs?) like this that can push design forward. Decades ago I used to subscribe to a hard cover publication called Automobile Quarterly. Remarkable to look at some of the designers’ visions of what cars 40 years in the future might look like as imagined in the late 1960s and to know what actually came to be produced.

 

[sillymike]

The lines kind of reminds me of this Beretta 486

 

[Cow Town Bill]

I'm always in awe by a well executed inlet job

What a coincidence. I, too, have a 1880 Purdey hammer gun.
I've had it for close to 50 years. Needless, to say, I love it!

 

[sillymike]

Ok, where is that like button?
- Beautiful gun!

 

[ParksPipes]

The lines kind of reminds me of this Beretta 486
Yah that one’s neat too.
The toplever is cool when seen from the top.
I like the oriental dragon engraving but think it would work really well with something classically English too.
The pricetag on the other hand.....I guess were not really talking about price anyway

As for those Serpentinas I wish the pics were better of the Ebony one, I still feel like I can’t see it.
The case coloured gun wins for me though, I’d hunt with that right now!

And I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a bar-in-wood Purdey, it’d be cool to see it shooting side by each with one of these Berettas.
Fine guns in tradition

 

[sillymike]

- Thomas Horsley 28g single barrel

 

[Falconflyer]

The serpentine Beretta is kinda yeah ok but maybe not. I'm very appreciative of the talent needed to do this sort of work and the time and dedication that it takes but some of them just aren't to my taste...maybe i'm just too old fashioned...but they probably are not to my wallet's taste either!

 

[Pinfire]

- Thomas Horsley 28g single barrel

Thomas Horsley of York was unusual in that most operations were done in-house, instead of farming them out to specialized outworkers. This included barrel work, actioning, and engraving. Not surprisingly, Horsley guns show a distinctive in-house engraving style, shown by Sillymike's wonderful 28 gauge single, a superb gun!

Here are two earlier Horsleys dating from 1866, showing some of the firm's characteristic engraving style:

 

[Longstud]

This recently acquired Perazzi was engraved by Angelo Galiazzi. It’s really beautiful to my eyes. View attachment 703721View attachment 703722

 

[Falconflyer]

I certainly like it Longstud!

 

[Ashcroft]

Very nice, well done game scene engraving like this is quite scarce. I wonder about the plain blued metal on the forend, being unengraved it looks out of place like it came from a different gun?

 

[Falconflyer]

Very nice, well done game scene engraving like this is quite scarce. I wonder about the plain blued metal on the forend, being unengraved it looks out of place like it came from a different gun?

I have an Mx8 that has the receiver color case hardened but the forend metal is blue. It was that way from the factory so maybe it's a Perazzi thing.

 

[Ashcroft]

I have an Mx8 that has the receiver color case hardened but the forend metal is blue. It was that way from the factory so maybe it's a Perazzi thing.

But note it’s also un engraved, does not match the nicely engraved action or even the border engraving on the barrels. It looks cheap, unfinished and out of place on a nicely finished gun, like a replacement part from a basic model. Spoils the effect. I can understand this on a factory finished production gun but this gun has thousands of dollars worth of hand engraving, why omit engraving a very obvious area? I would expect something like this on a gun with this quality of engraving….

 

[sillymike]

Maybe it was an option?

Meanwhile for the Perazzi shooters... Seems like there's a market for replacement-engraved parts.
- From LOMBARDO SPORTING ARMS

 

[Falconflyer]

You make good points Ashcroft but do we know that this gun wasn't engraved at the factory? Many Perazzi's are custom ordered and it's possible that the original purchaser of this gun wanted it that way. I agree that the forened iron should have had at least a border engraved on it but there's no accounting for some people's taste. I do like that the forend iron and the trigger guard are blued to offset the receiver though.

 

[Cow Town Bill]

Thomas Horsley of York was unusual in that most operations were done in-house, instead of farming them out to specialized outworkers. This included barrel work, actioning, and engraving. Not surprisingly, Horsley guns show a distinctive in-house engraving style, shown by Sillymike's wonderful 28 gauge single, a superb gun!

Here are two earlier Horsleys dating from 1866, showing some of the firm's characteristic engraving style:

I sure like the Horsley engraving pattern.

 

[Cow Town Bill]

This recently acquired Perazzi was engraved by Angelo Galiazzi. It’s really beautiful to my eyes. View attachment 703721View attachment 703722

Is your Perazzi from the late 60's or early 70's?
Very nice shotgun!

 

[Longstud]

Is your Perazzi from the late 60's or early 70's?
Very nice shotgun!

Im always amazed at the knowledge of the many fine members on here. Truly outstanding and on the most part FUN. In my haste to show my new toy and some pics. I forgot to mention it came with two sets of barrels so the questions will be answered by the engraving as too which are the original!! I have included a couple of the wood as its quite beautiful to me. I believe its from the early seventies but can find out exactly as the fellow I bought it from is a shooting buddy and a very dear friend to my wife and I.

 

[Longstud]

Maybe it was an option?

Meanwhile for the Perazzi shooters... Seems like there's a market for replacement-engraved parts.
- From LOMBARDO SPORTING ARMS

Thanks for probably costing me more money that I cant afford haha. Awesome looking upgrades. Gonna avoid looking them up for now but definately/ maybe a merry christmas to me deal.

 

[sillymike]

Yup, very nice indeed