Purdey-Woodward Over & Under

From our September/October 2025 Issue

The most sizeable shift in shotguns during the past 75 years has been the switch from side-by-sides to stack-barrels. One of the most influential marques both in terms of originality of design and the effect it has had on other makers is the Purdey-Woodward. Now comes the news that James Purdey & Sons has made a commemorative shotgun to mark the 75th anniversary of the Purdey-Woodward over and under.

Purdey has been producing the Woodward over/under since 1949—after Purdey purchased James Woodward & Sons and acquired the rights—but the gun’s origins go back much further. In 1913 a patent was registered in the names of Woodward, Evershed and Hill that Geoffrey Boothroyd called a “marvelously sophisticated design, with excess depth reduced to nil, yet with a tremendously strong lockup.”

The new 12-bore marks the milestone dates with a three-line inscription inlaid in gold on the underside of the gun that reads “WOODWARD 1913—1949—2024 PURDEY.” A recent appetite for firearms with unique signature features has not gone unnoticed by Purdey, and aesthetic flourishes include Woodward’s T-shape safety; trademark “Half Hand Pistol Grip” and 29" barrels, favored by Woodward collectors. The action-body shape was inspired by the first Purdey-Woodward (No. 26113), and the gun is fitted with a single trigger and engraved with fine scroll sans bouquets.

Purdey’s latest reveal is housed in a brass-mounted oak-and-leather case lined in Woodward scarlet goatskin (rather than Purdey burgundy) with Woodward-name accessories in form-fitted cutouts in the French manner. A leather-bound limited-edition history of James Woodward & Sons written and signed by Purdey’s Gunroom manager, Dr. Nicholas Harlow, completes the package. With its seductive mix of nostalgia and rarity, this Purdey-Woodward functional commemorative is armed with attributes likely to seduce seasoned collectors and those new to the field of firearms.

For more information, visit purdey.com.