Can We Talk Parts?
Parts for English Shotguns and Rifles are hard to come by as most are made by hand. Many American Shotguns and Rifles have the same problem if they were made before say 1930. Joseph Brazier carries some of these parts and seeks to update older firearms as they come in with perpetual parts and components. However, with things such as shotgun screws and V springs used in many of these older guns we want to make those available where possible to service these old guns.
Shotgun Screws: There are a host of shotgun screws. Made in the past by a Screwer the thread patterns take on a number of types and are very hard to match today.
Machine Screw Blanks used for Sideplates
To make a shotgun wood screw for a Karl Lippard, James Purdey or Holland & Holland one needs to start with a proper Shotgun Wood Screw Blank. For an English sidelock or boxlock shotgun or rifle one of the more famous makers of these blanks was S. W. Silver & Co of England who is a purveyor of specific screws for the Trade with thread pattern used for over 100 years. The wood screw thread pattern is different than an American wood screw pattern and is design specific for the indexing of the screw for shotguns and rifles. Here you might start with a #1003 Short Trigger Guard and a #1002 Medium Trigger Guard screw to begin fitting it to your shotgun with a pattern no doubt on your firearm already. Now you can replace that disfigured shotgun screw which suffered misuse by a common screw driver with a new one and change the complexion and value dramically.
Most common types of shotgun wood screws are of a countersunk variety. The Trigger Guard corresponds to
Brazier Trigger Bow
the countersunk screw. One cuts a slot in the oversized shotgun wood screw head and turns it into the Trigger Guard on the Shotgun into the wood until firm. Then the sides of the screw is marked at a 12 and 6 o’clock position and removed. Now these marks are carried down the sides of the screw. The shotgun wood screw can then be removed and profiled down to a semi finished shape, a slot recut, the screw reestablished in the wood and filially profiled to the shape of the trigger guard. When completed it can again be removed and blued, engraved or left bright as the choice dictates.
Various Shotgun Screw Blanks used in the Trade
Shotgun Wood Screws for English guns and many America firearms are fashioned this way from Blanks. Like wise a Trigger Guard with a flat under surface can be made in the same way by simply removing the countersunk surface of the screw under surface. For without this type of shotgun wood screw one has to buy the more aggressive thread pattern in America or even worse, resort to using sheet metal screws or an improper wood screw sold today. You can of course use these but you have alignment issues and if the screw becomes slightly loose the edge now becomes a knife edge which is not a desirable thing for ones hands. The less aggressive thread pattern of the English Shotgun wood would not present this risk.
There are other Shotgun Screws for Trigger Guard, Forend, Tip and Toe Pins, Hand Pins, Breech Pins, (By Pins we mean the English name for Screws) Lock Plate Pins of various sizes, Top Lever Screws, Hammer or Tumbler Screws, are all the screws commonly used in the making of shotguns and rifles. Of course Joseph Brazier is about the “making of components” as well as Rifle and Shotgun Actions, Sidelock Plates,
Holland & Holland Sidelock Sideplate by Joseph Brazier
Hammers, wood stocks for rifles and shotguns, SolidSolid, MonoSolid and a host of barrels for which we have Patent applications applied for. The main difference in the Brazier components today is that we make high precision parts of superior steel. On the other hand we realize that there is a need for the older handmade parts to service guns of the past and we will attempt to expand our inventory to meet those needs based on demand. One could grab a file and go to work making a new screw the old way or step up to Joseph Brazier and upgrade to new technology….One of the ways we do that is to design new parts to replace the old making life easier for not only the gunmaker but the end user as well.
Joseph Brazier Hidden Trigger Bow Screw.
Like this New trigger bow screw that has a hidden screw device internally. Difficult to make yes, but we are in the 21st century. Why not show it??
While we are on the subject of parts “V” springs are a bit of mystery that comes to mind that might take a moment to discuss.
“V” Springs are not generally available as a replacement part for your Shotgun. Shotgun V Springs are largely made by hand using very old processes. Those processes are kept secret to the maker as to the steel used and the methods in which to hardened and temper this Spring. Second, generic springs are often used and modified in size and shape to fabricate for various kinds of guns. James Purdey as example
James Purdey Action by Joseph Brazier circa 1990
has a very unique spring for their sidelock shotgun designed by Frederick Beesley in 1979. It is a big brute which incorporates a roller. This type of spring made by Joseph Brazier up until 1996 until the owner passed away was fairly economical. From the Purdey factory today? maybe £3,000.00. Well, if asked to produce those for the Trade using modern methods I suspect a Pair would cost £60.00 from Brazier.
But other V Springs such as might be used on a Holland & Holland are difficult to make other than the old method for the sake of space. The V Spring lives often in a confined area and must produce several hundred pounds of pressure. A coil spring as example cannot duplicate that effort. Further back in the Holland and Holland lock design is yet another specialty Arch Spring for the Sear Arm. It has a tongue projection and a through hole for screw attachment. As it provides constant pressure on the sear arm it too is difficult to replace with anything other than the Spring for this design. In the Joseph Brazier designed John Wilkes Shotgun, the locks have been designed to use coil springs. The reason is obvious in that replacement is inexpensive and reliability is assured. I might say however that it was difficult to design out the V Spring because of the advantages inherent in this type of Spring and displacement area offered for function. Soon, Brazier will offer conversions to replace many of these V Springs as firearms come in for such things as wood Stocking, rebarreling and the like where by a customer can receive an overhaul extending the life of his shotgun or rifle for another 100 years.
I mentioned Shotgun Hammers. These can be either internal or external ones. Most of the hammers of concern would be the external ones.
Holland & Holland hand made hammer from Brazier
Generally made from castings and today using lost wax process, replacing a broken or missing hammer is a costly concern. As these were often hand shaped, Shotgun Hammers are just about an original. What Joseph Brazier does is machine those using a number of technologies. We do not cast anything. We machine it pretty much like the Cannon Locks we made for the HMS Victory. While the Hammer and Fizen were machined, because of the many curves and shape no one would believe a machine could duplicate a hand finished part formed by casting. But we can.
Shotgun and Rifle Barrels: I think it common knowledge now that Joseph Brazier can make just about any kind of barrel for the Trade. A best quality English Shotgun Barrel called a “Chopper Lump Barrel” can cost £16,000.00 or more today. This type of barrel involves the used of two tubes that resemble a chopper or axe. These are then filed, and welded together. Other trades are involved with things attached or fashioned to it such as ribs. Ribs are those parts that provide a sighting plane called a Top Rib. Or a Bottom or Side Ribs which cover the joining of the two tubes and make the amalgamation of components as more rigid body to take the explosive nature of the finished product. Production time for such barrels can be 2 ½ years covering 8 trades in the process. The Joseph Brazier SolidSolid™ barrel is one single piece of steel and has a retail cost of about £1,400.00 ($2,800.00) in comparison.
Brazier SolidSolid barrel begins as a solid piece of VAC steel
Bursting properties of the SolidSolid™ is 8 times greater than the conventionally made Chopper Lump barrel. So why would one wish to replace an old barrel with a Chopper Lump barrel for 5 times more money? (Reported to be more than $45,000.00 on a Fabbri) So there is no longer a need for a Chopper Lump barrel. It offers no advantage and cost is certainly out of the question.
The MonoSolid™ takes the place of a Monobloc type barrel. In Monobloc barrel it is comprised of many components. A Bloc which fits into an Action, two tubes that are soldered into it, a Top and Bottom Rib and Forend Hook which is soldered to the two tubes. Most mid to low range shotguns use this type of barrel today as it is far less expensive than a Chopper Lump barrel option. But, now we come to the Joseph Brazier designed MonoSolid™. What it does is provide a homogeneous barrel tube ribs composite made on one piece of steel with two finger projections. These two projections are then slid into a Monobloc section and silver soldered in place in about 30 seconds. Barrel completed, end of story. Meanwhile our conventional Monobloc barrel must go through 8 more trades toward its completion which can take as much as a week. When done, it is what it is, a economical process that is out of date, 50% weaker, and 90% less likely to stay together the life of the shotgun. So why would someone want to have a barrel that costs the same as a MonoSolid™, take longer to make, cannot be hot blued, difficult to be repaired and 50% less strong??? It makes no sense. The only two firearms in the world today to use our high tech barrels are the Karl Lippard O/U and a limited edition John Wilkes designed by Joseph Brazier. Smart? Karl Lippard believes his customers to be educated. Charging £16,000.00 for original or replacement barrels might justify a price for a gun but not be leading edge for his clients who demand value and safety.
So what’s up for the future here is that you find an old shotgun with beautiful engraving and a sound action. Maybe it has a short or broken stock or has barrels that are too thin, out of Proof, or pitted to much to shoot. You just package it up and send it to Joseph Brazier. With our new CNC barrel boring machine and CNC wood stock making machine, this old wall hanger can be put back in service for a lifetime of use and pleasure. Perhaps we all cannot afford to buy a new £100,000.00 shotgun but we can restore an unserviceable one into shooting condition for far less.
Besides a source of parts for these older model firearms we need to shoot them. Brazier has an inventory of Loading Dies both used and new. What dies are not available we can make to assist in the testing and use of most calibers.
In the area of wood for Shotgun and Rifle we have on delivery in later March a new CNC
machine dedicated to production of wood. This will include Winchester (for which we made Actions and components now from bar stock), Browning, Remington, Ruger, also the English and Italian guns of Westley Richards, Holland & Holland, James Purdey, Churchill, Rigby, Jeffery, Lang to name a few, as well as Kreighoff, Perazzi, Fabbri, Beretta, Boses, Gamba, FAMARS, Rizzini, among otheres in boxlock and sidelock configurations. Please enquire for assistance.
Coming soon are our accessories of Turnscrews, Oil bottles, Cleaning rods for Rifle and Shotgun. We have taken design queues from late 1700 hand made products and revamped those to new technology production methods. Completed in drawings and CAD we will squeeze those in production as soon as scheduling will allow.
In short, Joseph Brazier wishes to reduce the production time of manafacturers with our components AND to service the public when service is not availabe to you. It’s a big task. Can’t do it in a day. But we are well under way. Please contact us to schedule your needs. Think of Joseph Brazier when you are looking to restore a fine Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol or parts to get the job done.
Karl Lippard, Managing Director.