Purdey Sporter
Sporting Gun|April 2023
Becky McKenzie weighs up the qualities of this pedigree over-and-under shotgun
Purdey Sporter

At the end of last year, I received an email from Purdey at the Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS), inviting me to a ladies’ shooting afternoon. As I didn’t really want to spend a load of money just before Christmas, I thought, instead, to send the people at Purdey an email to see if they’d be interested in letting me do a gun review for Sporting Gun.

I sent the email and then went on the Guntrader website to have a look at some Purdeys. After picking myself up off the floor, I thought that maybe I had made a mistake in sending the email, as they were somewhat above the value of guns that I am used to. I need not have worried, however, as a nice gentleman called Andrew Ambrose replied, saying that they’d love for me to come down to the RBSS and test their Sporter.

Honoured 

I actually felt quite honoured that they’d let me shoot one of their guns but, for some reason, my email highlighted the Ambrose in Andrew Ambrose, so I proceeded to call him Ambrose – not the most auspicious of starts. We arranged a day to meet and I was warmly greeted on arrival with a coffee by the roaring log fire. I introduced myself to ‘Ambrose’ and almost died of embarrassment when I realised that his name was Andrew.

Anyway, Andrew laid out on the table three of the new Sporters – a 12-, 20- and 28bore. I had only brought 12-bore cartridges, so the 12-bore it was. This Purdey was originally designed and launched in 2008 and was partly made in Italy in collaboration with Perugini & Visini. However, as of last year, production is now entirely at Purdey’s in-house factory in Hammersmith, London, along with all their other models.

Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Sporting Gun.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Sporting Gun.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SPORTING GUNSe alt
Thermal spectrum
Sporting Gun

Thermal spectrum

Paul Austin explores both ends of the thermal market with latest high-end release from Zeiss alongside a surprising entry-level offering from Xinfrared

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2023
Roe, rucks and new ground
Sporting Gun

Roe, rucks and new ground

Jon Snowdon and his team have much to keep them busy and a new tool to help them

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2023
Tales from a lifetime of foxing
Sporting Gun

Tales from a lifetime of foxing

Join Mike Powell as he explores the evolving world of fox shooting, drawing from a career that spans seven decades

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Fox rot about Charlie
Sporting Gun

Fox rot about Charlie

Patrick Hook responds to claims that fox numbers are dangerously on the wane

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
The sniff of success
Sporting Gun

The sniff of success

Join Ryan Kay as he navigates the fascinating dynamic between a handler and their canine companion

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Adventures of Nick & Ted
Sporting Gun

Adventures of Nick & Ted

A new chapter in the histories of Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter has Nick Ridley reflecting on the dogs he has trained over the years he has been associated with the magazines

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system
Sporting Gun

The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system

Vet's advice

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Gundogs Q&A
Sporting Gun

Gundogs Q&A

No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2023
Stop-start!
Sporting Gun

Stop-start!

Fran Ardley continues her training tips on disciplining your dog to the stop whistle and the exercises you need to do

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Gundogs at the Game Fair
Sporting Gun

Gundogs at the Game Fair

Organising the Game Fair's prestigious gundog competitions: behind-the-scenes with Francesca Prentice

time-read
2 mins  |
August 2023