I’m always looking for good doubles (as you can probably tell). When I find a bargain, I hate to pass it by. But sometimes I have to, and in the case of this 12 gauge John Harper side-by-side shotgun, passing it up is killing me.
John Harper was a gunmaker in Birmingham, England. He opened a shop in 1902 and his business was in operation until 1975. From what I can tell, most of his trade was in good quality boxlocks, sort of the meat-and-potatoes of the English shotgun business.
The side-by-side you see here was one of those meat-and-potato kind of guns. Built on an Anson & Deeley patent, this side-by-side looks like it’s still in excellent original conditions. It also has ejectors – a nice plus – and some great looking wood. The price is the best part — just $2299. I hate to let it go, but I guess you can’t own them all.
