Purdey new bolt action rifle

[Red Leg]

For me, a large bore double rifle (.45 and up..) is an elephant hunting only weapon....I simply do not see well enough to use it on ie. buffalo, need optics..

So I am pretty content with my old .475..

Should I ever be able to order a new one for elephant exclusively I would probably go for a Westley Richards gold name model, Anson& Deeley in .577 NE..

Can't argue with that choice either. In for a penny - in for a pound, might as well make it a drop lock as well.

 

[CTDolan]

This is very interesting...perhaps a different topic, but I’ve always been fascinated by Purdey’s action that is used in their double rifles.

Why do you feel it’s sub optimal? Which one is optimal/why?

I don’t often run across people with first hand experience, so your info is appreciated.

The Beesley action is a mechanical wonder but its finest attributes are more applicable to a shotgun than to a heavy rifle. With a set of barrels such as exists on a big double rifle assisted opening is not necessary. The weight of the barrels alone is plenty sufficient to cock the locks. And, as mentioned, when you go to close a Beesley you’ve got four springs to compress (the two mainsprings and the two ejector springs), in addition to lifting the weight of the barrels.

A Holland & Holland back-action sidelock is a better option.

 

[CTDolan]

Should I ever be able to order a new one for elephant exclusively I would probably go for a Westley Richards gold name model, Anson& Deeley in .577 NE.

Absolutely!

 

[lockingblock]

The Beesley action is a mechanical wonder but its finest attributes are more applicable to a shotgun than to a heavy rifle. With a set of barrels such as exists on a big double rifle assisted opening is not necessary. The weight of the barrels alone is plenty sufficient to cock the locks. And, as mentioned, when you go to close a Beesley you’ve got four springs to compress (the two mainsprings and the two ejector springs), in addition to lifting the weight of the barrels.

A Holland & Holland back-action sidelock is a better option.

I’ve seen people opine that the Dickson type round action, or it’s cousin from David McKay Brown, is ideal for a rifle as it uses roller bearings and coil spring ejectors.

It’s an intriguing question as my assumption would always be the WR Droplock as it’s uber simple, user cleanable, and you can replace the locks in minutes without a gunsmith.

The Purdey should be top of its game for the $$$

 

[CTDolan]

The Dickson is an excellent action for a double rifle due to its short, stiff bar. The mainsprings do have a roller as opposed to a swivel connection but this is due to the geometry of the arrangement and otherwise lends no real benefit. As for the ejectors, they actually weaken the assembly as the mechanism is housed in the bar rather than in the fore end. I’ve always thought that a marriage of the Dickson combined with a Southgate ejector would be near ideal as it combines the best of both, the utter simplicity of the Southgate with the solidity of the Dickson trigger plate action. In this event a third fastener would likely be superfluous, provided that the circle is cut slightly eccentric and has a firm, full bearing.

 

[MartyJ]

Damn it !
There goes my Christmas bonus.

Sent from my SM-G930T using AfricaHunting mobile app

 

[MartyJ]

Ok I am not with Red Leg on this one definitely brunettes ... ))))

Always brunettes

Sent from my SM-G930T using AfricaHunting mobile app

 

[cem rona ergin]

The Beesley (Purdey) SxS action is an assisted opening design. That means it uses the springs to add downward pressure to the barrels to make the gun faster to open. The payback is on closing the action, which is correspondingly harder (resetting the spring). The old joke about the Beesley went that an American visiting the Purdey shop once commented about how difficult it seemed to close the action. The salesman sniffed, looked down his nose and replied "most of our clients do not close their own guns." Their is some truth to that. The ultimate guns to take on a driven partridge shoot would be a matched pair of Purdeys or perhaps Holland & Holland Royals. Indeed, the shooter hands the fired gun to his loader while taking the newly loaded one of the pair to fire. Seeing people practiced at this sort of shooting is a bit of a marvel.

That closing issue could, to my mind, be a real handicap in close quarters with a double rifle. It is hot, you are sweating buckets, you have to reload, and that buff is coming from right there. I personally think the Rigby Bissell Rising Bite action is the finest design ever created for a double rifle. Brute strong, elegant, and smooth as silk to manipulate. Rigby is beginning to produce the first new production rising bites in eighty years. Finding one from the golden age before WWII is difficult and prices reflect their rarity.

I found this on Westley Richards blog
So if we were to buy Beesley action we should go for 375 H&H ?

 

[Velo Dog]

Can't afford any of the Best Grade doubles, from those marvelous English Makers.

But of the few I've been privileged to examine in person, I find that Westley Richards doubles are my favorite.

Their Drop Lock patent is pure genius.

As for Best Grade repeaters, such as this newest one from Purdy, I have not seen a new one from any English Maker in person, Purdy or otherwise.

So, I guess I'd be a poor choice to declare which maker of the finest repeater available is the finest of them all.

However, I will say that this one discussed, with no iron sights on it yet, looks not quite ready for the bush, (how's that for sour grapes, lol).

 

[Pondoro]

View attachment 208595
I found this on Westley Richards blog
So if we were to buy Beesley action we should go for 375 H&H ?

Cem, to put it politely, screw the Beesley action in a double rifle, buy a Westley Richards gold name model (Anson&Deeley action) or a drop lock...or an older double of english make with the long Webley action. The new Heym model 89 is also a very good choice..

And if you want a .375H&H, take the flanged version, a better choice in a double..

 

[lockingblock]

Back to the bolt rifle...

It will be interesting to see how they protected against galvanic corrosion. Assuming that they are fitting the chassis closely to the action, they now have two dissimilar metals in contact. Not a huge issue until you add something like sweat or rain... then metal turns to powder over time.

On the plus side, the metal chassis makes disassembly for cleaning much easier...no loss of zero.

Risk is storage while damp...doesn’t take much moisture to bridge between metals in contact with one another.

Ideal solution would be to coat the contact surfaces, anodize if aluminum, ceracoat the underside of the steel action.

 

[lockingblock]

Cem, to put it politely, screw the Beesley action in a double rifle, buy a Westley Richards gold name model (Anson&Deeley action) or a drop lock...or an older double of english make with the long Webley action. The new Heym model 89 is also a very good choice..

And if you want a .375H&H, take the flanged version, a better choice in a double..

Side question...

My future double rifle will likely be a 375. I understand the basic rationale behind a flanged/rimmed cartridge for a double rifle. However...I’ve seen several manufacturers say that they could make it work without the flange, on a standard cartridge.

Is it a big deal, either way?

 

[lockingblock]

View attachment 208595
I found this on Westley Richards blog
So if we were to buy Beesley action we should go for 375 H&H ?

Everything about that rifle is beautiful. Side clips, bolsters, forend shape...beautiful.

Wonder what the price is?

 

[geoff rath]

Waaay beyond my payscale...

 

[nztimb]

I guess the old and well travelled expression applies (to me at any rate) If you have to ask-------

 

[cem rona ergin]

Cem, to put it politely, screw the Beesley action in a double rifle, buy a Westley Richards gold name model (Anson&Deeley action) or a drop lock...or an older double of english make with the long Webley action. The new Heym model 89 is also a very good choice..

And if you want a .375H&H, take the flanged version, a better choice in a double..

The reason I posted this one was the comment Westley Richards made on the Beesley action .if I were to invest in one of these beauties that we are discussing Westley Richards will always be my first choice .

 

[cem rona ergin]

Everything about that rifle is beautiful. Side clips, bolsters, forend shape...beautiful.

Wonder what the price is?[/
Could not find how much it was sold for .. I am guessing around 100 K . Give or take 10%?

 

[Pondoro]

Side question...

My future double rifle will likely be a 375. I understand the basic rationale behind a flanged/rimmed cartridge for a double rifle. However...I’ve seen several manufacturers say that they could make it work without the flange, on a standard cartridge.

Is it a big deal, either way?

It really depends what you expect to hunt with it. As long as you dont hunt DG it really dont matter. I personally would never hunt DG with a non-rimmed cartridge in a double...some do but I will not..

The .375 Flanged is a splendid cartridge..almost as powerful as the belted one..

 

[CTDolan]

All the talk of accuracy in this thread made me think of sharing the below:

https://www.fieldandstream.com/custom-rifles-vs-hunting-rifles

The article crossed my radar maybe an hour ago. Given my nearly 40 years of experience, in field and forest, I cannot say that I disagree.

 

[geoff rath]

Too true. Sometimes we let our fantasies get in the way of reality. Is the most inaccurate part of the rifle the nut behind the butt? I reckon so....