Purdey’s New Sporting Clays Gun

Purdey’s New Sporting Clays Gun
Courtesy of James Purdey & Sons
By Alex Brant

When I recently received an invitation to put the new Purdey Sporting Clays Gun through its paces at Griffin & Howe’s Hudson Farm, in New Jersey, I could not resist. The Sporting Clays Gun is based on the action designed by Purdey for its triggerplate game gun, which has been offered for the past couple of seasons.

The gun performed admirably, as clearly its dimensions were good for me. The design of the stock and several other aspects were done in consultation with Don Currie, chief instructor for the National Sporting Clays Association. The gun has a fairly high stock configuration that is made to work with the 5mm raised ventilated rib, which tapers from 11mm to 7mm. The grip has a slight palm swell, and the radius is somewhere between a full grip and a Prince of Wales, though closer to a full.

While the 12-gauge I shot had bore dimensions of .728", for fiber wads, the gun can be ordered with larger bores for shooting plastic wads. The test gun also had 31-inch barrels and extended Teague chokes, although a variety of barrel lengths and fixed chokes are optional. The gun weighed a recoil-taming 8 pounds 11 ounces, but it reacted like a gun weighing a half-pound less, thanks to its between-the-hands balance and well-designed stock. The fit and finish of the gun were excellent, as one would expect from Purdey.

Currently the Sporting Clays Gun is being made only in 12 gauge, although a 20 will be available soon. Fine rose & scroll engraving is standard on a silver receiver, with case color hardening and custom engraving optional.

Starting at £65,000, the gun clearly is designed for the serious competitor with sufficiently deep pockets. It also would be an excellent choice for driven shooting—in which case you might order a pair . . . .

For more information, visit griffinhowe.com or purdey.com.


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