Please ignore the extraordinarily rare Lindner Daly 20 gauge in a couple of the pics.
I tried....and failed....
Let's see some pic's of your SxS's & O/U's
- Thread starter Win/64
- Start date
I tried....and failed....
I was wondering who would pick up on that.
Further to Dilly's post and also Spank's.
Aside from "filling slots" in my safe, the other thing I usually look for is a basket-case of a gun. With the exception of the Francotte 28 gauge, most of the guns I have posted here did NOT look that way when I first acquired them. I know I'm already going to spend money on the gun......I already know I will be rebluing, refinishing the wood, perhaps CCH and I know from past experience, even the apparently best condition guns usually have a few flaws. That's the nature of 120 yo guns. So I don't like paying the price for 90% guns. That's just me and I don't recommend that approach to others. I look for guns that are unshootable currently and have that condition reflected in the price.
Normally I don't post "before" pics. But I'm going to on this gun. So you get an idea of what I'm starting with. Those guns that I have posted in the past look the way they do because of a lot of work getting them there. And, when all the work is done on this gun, I'll post "after" pics. That will be something like a year from now. I couldn't have the guns look and work as well as they do without a lot of hard work and effort from the two gunsmiths I use, Chris Dawe and Claudio Opacek. Both are superlative.
I posted one pic of this gun a number of months ago but now I'm going to give you a good look. It's the Lindner made Charles Daly Diamond Quality model 275 from around 1905. I bought it along with the two Francotte 28 gauges. It's a 20 gauge with 26" barrels choked Cylinder and Full. The gun weighs 5 pounds, 9 ounces with a 14 3/4" LOP.
For those who don't know, there never was a Charles Daly who made guns. He did own a very successful sporting good store in NYC starting in the late 1860's. His store carried most well known shotgun brands, American, British and Continental. In the early 1870's Mr Daly had the idea of having their own guns made, spec'd for the American market and competing with the best London could offer. A very early example of private label products. Much like President's Choice today. He started working with Herr H.A Lindner in Germany and bought most of Lindner's output until Lindner closed shop at the onset of WWI. The quality of Lindner's work is specifically why the Charles Daly brand exists today. His high end guns are often considered to be the finest boxlocks ever made and give up nothing in quality and craftsmanship to the London Big Four.
20 gauge Lindner Daly's are very rare and command prices that reflect that rarity. I have seen four 20 gauge Diamond Quality Lindner Daly's for sale in the last 12 months.....more than I had seen in the previous 7-8 years that I have been following Lindner Daly's. And their asking prices have ranged from $25K to $42K USD. This gun however, had enough wrong with it that it was never going to fetch prices like that. And so a tailor made acquisition for my approach. The most obvious problem was that it needed to be restocked. Past breaks in the wrist and subsequent repairs meant there would be no way to "rehab" the original stock. And it's not even the original stock. The gun had been restocked already. And Claudio thinks he knows why it had to be restocked once already and why this stock broke again. Other problems of a mechanical nature made themselves known when Claudio and I examined the gun once it arrived. Everything is fixable but the barrels (you never know everything that will be wrong until the gun is in hand) but it will not be a job for the feint of heart.
In these pics the other gun is a fully restored Lindner Daly (same model) just in 12 gauge.
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Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Someday, James, I hope you will let me shoot that one! Both are spectacular.
Done, John. First time we are together after it's completed its your for a round. I was thinking of you when I was writing that essay above as you also spend a fair bit of time transforming sows' ears into silk purses.
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
I've learned a lot from you and not the least is that the barrels are the most critical part. So following your advice when required to ship them I do so in a PVC pipe.
John, was looking at some pictures yesterday of a Canada Post disaster. Recently restocked and rehabbed Parker. Shattered stock and smushed barrel. Not dented. View of the muzzle shows how it’s become oval. Maybe it can be fixed but I can’t help but wonder how the barrels would have faired had they been packed in the PVC pipe, inside the shipping box. Would have been no help to the stock but I wonder about the barrels. Round is pretty strong.
Knowing the inherent value of that Daly and the 2 Francotte 28 gauge guns, when it was time to ship them up from Idaho, I sent down my heavy duty aluminum travel gun case I bought when going to Africa. Designed for two scoped rifles so three shotguns fit just fine. You can drive a car over it. I wasn’t taking any chances with those guns and having a couple 80 yo, who had never packed a gun up for shipping before, make this group of guns their first try. Lol.
Knowing the inherent value of that Daly and the 2 Francotte 28 gauge guns, when it was time to ship them up from Idaho, I sent down my heavy duty aluminum travel gun case I bought when going to Africa. Designed for two scoped rifles so three shotguns fit just fine. You can drive a car over it. I wasn’t taking any chances with those guns and having a couple 80 yo, who had never packed a gun up for shipping before, make this group of guns their first try. Lol.
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Prudent measures, James. Cowtown Bill and I did an exchange recently with similar precautions.
Don’t know how far away you are from Ashcroft but a lot of what I’ve bought has been too far away. The Maritimes. Idaho. Missouri. But I have enjoyed being able to just go get it. I been able to buy a few guns from friends and that’s always nice. Get the gun and have a good visit.
I'm with you brybenn, hopefully something will come together for those of us in ON this summer.
Not that I have any interest in competing against you on the skeet field!
I've seen you shoot your Bakail....
~maybe I can sign up for some pointers instead?
After a 2 year shutdown due to covid, the Calgary Easter Gun Show is a go this year. It was just announced and we have a new venue at a casino in SW Calgary. There is lots of parking and best of all it is free. The Show attracts collectors from across western Canada as well a number of hardy collectors from the East.
There are a number of double collectors that frequent the show. An excellent way to meet enthusiasts with similar interests.
There are a number of double collectors that frequent the show. An excellent way to meet enthusiasts with similar interests.
I brought my Baikal sxs to the New Years day turkey shoot at my club this year. They don't allow homemade cannon loads anymore so it's a leveler playing field. Most of the games were at 30 yds plus and the super tight chokes on the Baikal really shone with AA shells. I knocked out 3 shooters as the 4th gun a couple times. I had a few Beretta owners asking what I was shooting.
I'm with you brybenn, hopefully something will come together for those of us in ON this summer.
Not that I have any interest in competing against you on the skeet field!
I've seen you shoot your Bakail....
~maybe I can sign up for some pointers instead?
I get lucky every now and then lol.
As for pointers...pull point and pray.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
I was wondering who would pick up on that.
Further to Dilly's post and also Spank's.
Aside from "filling slots" in my safe, the other thing I usually look for is a basket-case of a gun. With the exception of the Francotte 28 gauge, most of the guns I have posted here did NOT look that way when I first acquired them. I know I'm already going to spend money on the gun......I already know I will be rebluing, refinishing the wood, perhaps CCH and I know from past experience, even the apparently best condition guns usually have a few flaws. That's the nature of 120 yo guns. So I don't like paying the price for 90% guns. That's just me and I don't recommend that approach to others. I look for guns that are unshootable currently and have that condition reflected in the price.
Normally I don't post "before" pics. But I'm going to on this gun. So you get an idea of what I'm starting with. Those guns that I have posted in the past look the way they do because of a lot of work getting them there. And, when all the work is done on this gun, I'll post "after" pics. That will be something like a year from now. I couldn't have the guns look and work as well as they do without a lot of hard work and effort from the two gunsmiths I use, Chris Dawe and Claudio Opacek. Both are superlative.
I posted one pic of this gun a number of months ago but now I'm going to give you a good look. It's the Lindner made Charles Daly Diamond Quality model 275 from around 1905. I bought it along with the two Francotte 28 gauges. It's a 20 gauge with 26" barrels choked Cylinder and Full. The gun weighs 5 pounds, 9 ounces with a 14 3/4" LOP.
For those who don't know, there never was a Charles Daly who made guns. He did own a very successful sporting good store in NYC starting in the late 1860's. His store carried most well known shotgun brands, American, British and Continental. In the early 1870's Mr Daly had the idea of having their own guns made, spec'd for the American market and competing with the best London could offer. A very early example of private label products. Much like President's Choice today. He started working with Herr H.A Lindner in Germany and bought most of Lindner's output until Lindner closed shop at the onset of WWI. The quality of Lindner's work is specifically why the Charles Daly brand exists today. His high end guns are often considered to be the finest boxlocks ever made and give up nothing in quality and craftsmanship to the London Big Four.
20 gauge Lindner Daly's are very rare and command prices that reflect that rarity. I have seen four 20 gauge Diamond Quality Lindner Daly's for sale in the last 12 months.....more than I had seen in the previous 7-8 years that I have been following Lindner Daly's. And their asking prices have ranged from $25K to $42K USD. This gun however, had enough wrong with it that it was never going to fetch prices like that. And so a tailor made acquisition for my approach. The most obvious problem was that it needed to be restocked. Past breaks in the wrist and subsequent repairs meant there would be no way to "rehab" the original stock. And it's not even the original stock. The gun had been restocked already. And Claudio thinks he knows why it had to be restocked once already and why this stock broke again. Other problems of a mechanical nature made themselves known when Claudio and I examined the gun once it arrived. Everything is fixable but the barrels (you never know everything that will be wrong until the gun is in hand) but it will not be a job for the feint of heart.
In these pics the other gun is a fully restored Lindner Daly (same model) just in 12 gauge.
The engraving on that Lindner Daly is truly something to behold!
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
That it is, awesome!
We are trying. For very obvious reasons the last couple years have been a no go originally because of venue closures followed by gathering size limits and, as venues reopened, a move away from general public access. But we are working on a couple ideas. Hopefully we'll be able to have some concrete plans in a month or two.
If we can get the SxS Classic back on track, both guns will be there and truly, the pics don't do them justice.
