Product Details
** FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF RUSSELL B. AITKEN
J. PURDEY & SONS
A FINE, DELUXE 12-BORE SINGLE-TRIGGER SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR LIVE PIGEON GUN, serial no. 24486,
32in. Whitworth-steel nitro chopperlump barrels with raised ventilated matt rib, moon bead sight and intermediate bead sight, tubes engraved 'J. PURDEY & SONS. AUDLEY HOUSE. SOUTH AUDLEY STREET. LONDON. MADE OF SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH'S FLUID PRESSED STEEL.', 2 3/4in. chambers, bored approx. extra full and 1/2 choke, treble-grip action with side-clips, fences deeply carved in relief with oak leaf and acorn motifs, removable striker discs, no safety catch, cocking-indicators, non-selective single trigger, the action, lockplates and furniture profusely engraved with bold stylised acanthus scrollwork on a matt background, retaining some original colour-hardening and finish, the triggerguard finely relief engraved and gold inlaid with the Aitken coat of arms, 15in. well-figured pistolgrip stock with monte carlo comb, horn pistolgrip and including 3/4in. rubber recoil pad, small repaired setting crack to rear of right lockplate, the stock inset with two gold escutcheons, the first initialled 'R.B.A.', the second with a leaf and berry border, with the inscription GRAND PRIX DE VICHY 1958 CHAMPION', beavertail fore-end inset with a further gold escutcheon with leaf and berry bordering, with the inscription 'PAN AMERICAN LIVE PIGEON CHAMPIONSHIP HAVANA 1956 CHAMPION', weight 8lb. 2oz., in its brass-cornered oak and leather case with some accessories and canvas and leather outer, the canvas outer with numerous worldwide Live Pigeon competition labels
Provenance: The makers have kindly confirmed that the gun was completed in 1931 for a Mr Locatelli with 'single trigger. no safety catch. clip sides. 3rd grip. large scroll engraving. oak leaf fences.'
Russell B. Aitken (1910 - 2002) was an American possessed of a superb marksman's eye and a thirst for competition. He served as Major in the U.S.A.A.F. during the Second World War and was stationed for the most part at Luke Field, Arizona and then Yuma Army Airfield as a gunnery specialist. He personally trained over 32,000 pilots and gunners in the area of marksmanship and was also a member of the Army Air Force skeet team where. for a time, he held the world record of 742 straight rounds.
Following the war he indulged his interests in competitive shooting as well as writing, collecting trophy heads and big game hunting. He was successful in all these activities and shot several world record trophies which are recorded in Rowland Ward's records.
He was also highly accomplished with a game gun and regularly travelled to the north for grouse. He managed to combine his love of shooting and competition in the form of live pigeon shooting, probably the most demanding of shotgun disciplines. In this arena he excelled and travelled to Europe after winning the Miller Memorial at Lebanon in 1955 and the Grand Prix and Pan-America Championships in Havana in 1954 and 1956. His victories with this shotgun are listed below, but the greatest was, without doubt, his winning of the Grand Prix at Vichy in 1958 when, with a full Mistral blowing, he shot 28 straight 'zuritos' to beat Franco Bornaghi, an Italian professional who was widely regarded as the greatest live pigeon shot in Europe.
Other Notes: Competition history of the shotgun:
Champion, The Miller Memorial, Lebanon 1955. Champion, The Grand Prix, Havana, 1954. Champion, The Pan-American Live Pigeon Championship, Havana, 1956. Prix de Larvotto and Prix Gaston Rambaud, Monte Carlo, 1956. Prix Roger Dubut, Deauville, 1956. Major cups at Rome, Milan, Madrid, San Remo, Valencia, Barcelona, Seville, Captain of the U.S. team at the Match of Nations World Championships in Estoril, 1957. Champion, Grand Prix de Vichy, 1958.
Estimate £15,000-20,000
S2