Behind the brand: William Evans
Independent gun makers William Evans have been an ever present force in country circles for more than 130 years. Formed in 1883, the company has a global reputation for high-quality side-by-side and over-and-under shotguns, bolt-action and double rifles.
The back-bone of its client list was firmly established in its early years – notably with ranking officers in the Guards Regiments who ordered sporting guns and rifles before being posted to various parts of the Empire.
As its status grew the business attracted the patronage of members of several prestigious gentlemen’s clubs, such as White’s, Boodles and Brooks, while it was also proud to list HRH The Duke of Connaught and HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught among its customers.
The company’s Connaught side-by-side shotgun is named after the Duke and it remains one of its most popular models at its gun room at 67a St James’s in London.
With tight Boss-style scroll engraving and highly-figured walnut, the Premium version – retailing from £11,500 – provides sportsmen with the opportunity to personalise a classically-styled true sidelock ejector shotgun to their exact requirements.
Hand-crafted by their Spanish partner Grulla-Armas, the country’s leading manufacturer of high-quality sporting arms, it features a drop-forged steel frame with disc-set strikers and gas escape valves. The chopper-lump barrels are made from best-quality steel and proofed for steel shot.
Available in 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410 calibre, there is a choice of barrel lengths from 25″ to 31″, 2¾” or 3″ chambers together with numerous stock and fore-end styles. The Connaught retails from £7,800, when specified with a traditional square-body action and from £8,000 as a round-body design.
Alastair Phillips, Gun Room Manager at William Evans, said: “Owning an English shotgun still holds massive appeal, both for experienced shots and those who are new to the sport. For these reasons, they are attracted by the prospect of purchasing a new, high-quality shotgun from an English gunmaker, at a more affordable price than a traditional ‘best-quality’ English shotgun.
“The Connaught is a classically-styled five-pin sidelock design which takes William Evans back to its roots in terms of offering ‘affordable’ guns. Having studied what our competitors are offering we are confident that The Connaught is of much higher quality, as one would expect from William Evans. There is no question that the model offers our clients exceptional value.”
For more information on William Evans visit their website here.
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