James Purdey and Sons - Gun Building

Regulating
On arrival in the finishing shop, the gun, now completely made, requires regulating. The mechanical function, so important to absolute reliability, has to be built in. Cam and sear firing points are regulated to give absolute sequence of operation for trigger pulls, striking, opening, ejecting and closing, all the time with absolute safety.

Once the gun is regulated it is taken and shot in the field and otherwise tested thoroughly. At this stage, the precision of choke pattern and point of aim is checked and regulated.

‘When we finish a Purdey gun, our aim is to make it beautiful, and to make it work beautifully for a hundred years and beyond’.

Polishing
After regulating the new Purdey gun is polished. The action is lacquered, the pins blued and parts, inside and out, polished and buffed to a mirror-like finish. It is at this stage that the stock and forepart are polished, then burnished with leather ready to have the Purdey Slakum finish applied. This is an oil finish unique to Purdey and is made up in house from linseed oil, beeswax and driers.

The process of Slakum finishing a stock takes up to six weeks of daily application of Slakum - and 'rubbing off'. This produces an extremely hard, durable and waterproof high gloss finish that is fixed in the wood itself, bringing out all its natural beauty.