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[purdey]

I am glad you use an oil finish,I spend many a happy hour applying our mix.I went to Ferlach (Austria)recently to see some young engravers.I was extremely impressed with their work,also nice to see women in the trade.

[Nikitas]

A Greek fellow from Crete graduated from the Ferlach school. He is a fully qualified gunmaker but he turned exclusively to dealing. He took a Ferlib round action boxlock to Ferlach and had it engraved there. Very impressive work, assymetrical pattern and it alternated chisel engraving with smooth areas. It had a modern look to it but not at all kitsch.

Did you have a look at the Sodia workshop while in Ferlach? I saw one of their drillings and it was one of the best made guns i ever saw.

[Nikitas]

Could not resist. This is the Ferlib engraved in Ferlach. We need to look at something pretty in here.

[purdey]

I never visited Sodia but my wife knows the family.We deal with Peter Hambruch and his father.I think Ferlach is renowned for it's drillings,and it's rifles.
Ferlach is a strange place so many gunmakers all in competition,but all very friendly with each other.

[purdey]

Nice gun...
If my wife will let me I will post one of our guns.The barrels were made in Ferlach,but the rest of the gun is English made.

[Nikitas]

One fine but inexpensive English hammer gun. Midland round bodied back action. Would not mind hunting with one of these!

[Nikitas]

Is your wife Austrian then? I like Austrians, like Germans with a Mediterranean approach to life. And they cook better too! I had the best ghoulash in the world cooked by the Austrian army when visiting Swarovski optics.

I know what you mean by competitive but friendly people. Gardone is like that. No one there ever bad mouths a competitor. Not the way we do things in Greece or Cyprus!

[purdey]

There are plenty of Midlands on the market at the moment in the UK.Hammer guns became quiet fashionable again about six years ago.Then in the blink of an eye,nobody wanted them.
The hammer gun was my first gun,an old farmers gun,with a slipping right hammer.My left foot nearly felt a discharge when walking up snipe.

[Nikitas]

For years I have been trying to find a small volume maker who would entertain an idea- basically a copy of theMidland, with monoblock barrels, thinwall chokes, ribless, with detachable carbon fiber ribs, plain walnut stock, simplified locks with coil springs. The idea is to have the classic look and a really lively feel to the gun and be able to retial it at 1200 Euro. So far no luck.

[purdey]

No she is not Austrian,but she was sent to Austria every school holiday by her father with the hope she would carry on the family gun making business.The best she came back with is a fluency in the language,and a taste for very expensive guns,fine food and wine.