Longthorne of Northampton, England - titanium one-piece o/u shotgun...

[tac]

Please note that John Longthorne makes the over and under barrels in one piece - from a single billet of titanium, just as they do with their steel barrelled guns.

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[P7M13]

What does a Longthorne cost? When they were at EJ Churchill, that final Titanium was one beautiful shotgun he was holding.
Seeing him wave it around with one hand at ~7:50, it's pretty cool.
Comparing it to the Lamborghini (beautiful to look at), I was amused at his, "let's see if it's rubbish to drive..."
The barrel ringing at 13 minutes is also tres cool.

 

[tac]

What does a Longthorne cost? When they were at EJ Churchill, that final Titanium was one beautiful shotgun he was holding.
Seeing him wave it around with one hand at ~7:50, it's pretty cool.
Comparing it to the Lamborghini (beautiful to look at), I was amused at his, "let's see if it's rubbish to drive..."
The barrel ringing at 13 minutes is also tres cool.

The average price for one of his guns with steel barrels and basic scrollwork is around £15,000. After that, depending on the wood and so on, it can get quite expensive. Would you like to see the tall guy in the article having HIS gun made for him? He had two sets of stocks, by the way, as he didn't get on well with the first set. He is 6ft 7in, BTW, in itself a problem for any gunmaker......

Here y'are -

 

[tac]

And the site -

Northampton based gunmakers Longthorne, renowned for their bespoke range of true sidelocks have recently launched a new range of side plated boxlock shotguns built on a trigger plate action.

What if I told you that you could buy a brand new 100% english-made shotgun for less than £15K? Just over a decade ago, in 2010 to be precise, a new name appeared on the English gunmaking scene: Longthorne. Since then they have quickly built up a formidable reputation for making stunning bespoke sidelock shotguns. Now they've launched an off-the-shelf offering that brings new English-made guns within the reach of many more shots.

Based in Northampton, just a short journey from London, Longthorne is truly a family affair. James Stewart is the engineering brains behind the operation and the company name is derived from his middle name. James's wife Elaine looks after the marketing and sales side of things, while their daughter Chloe uses her artistic talents to develop the brand's distinctive engraving designs.

I spoke to Elaine on Zoom about Longthorne's new range of guns built on a trigger plate mechanism, but before asking her about that, I wanted to get an understanding of the company's origins. "We started designing our barrels in 2006, from a tiny workshop at the back of our home in Lancashire," she told me. "And then launched our first gun, 'The Hesketh', in 2010. Although a complex sidelock design, It incorporated a simple but traditional engraving design. Shortly after this, we launched the 'Hesketh Deluxe' which was quite a bit more elaborate."

The strongest shotgun barrels around

Since then the company has continued to expand. The success is in no small part down to their innovative, patented barrel technology. Their barrels are machined from a single 27kg piece of steel, with no soldered joints. This not only reduces weight - the finished barrels weigh in at around 1.3kg depending on the length - but James explains when he drops in on the Zoom, it also improves rigidity and strength. The reduced weight from the lack of a soldered central rib means the barrel walls can be thicker. This makes them incredibly strong, to the point that they can be proofed for HP steel loads up to full fixed choke (with multichoke the usual rule of a maximum of ½ choke applies).

Another contributing factor to their growth has been their quest for accuracy - that is to say, engineering accuracy. "All of our guns are made in-house to very exacting tolerances," adds James. "We had originally intended to manufacture fabricated barrels, but we felt that we could factor out any inherent weaknesses by machining from solid high specification steel and make a consistently accurate and reliable product".

English-made luxury shotguns at a reasonable price

Then of course there is the cachet attached to the fact that all Longthorne guns are 100% Made in England, something that is a bit of a rarity in today's world unless you have extremely deep pockets. Today, Longthorne has a reputation for high quality, thanks to a combination of engineering know-how and traditional methods. "We pride ourselves on producing a reliable luxury product to withstand the test of time," says Elaine.

Not that it has all been plain sailing. "In the early days we did encounter inevitable resistance to our technology, surprisingly, mainly by a few members of 'the trade'," observes Elaine, "but we fully understand that it is difficult to engage with technology when it is perceived as a threat and it is not quite understood. New ideas always take time to establish, that's why we developed in-house processes and became completely self-reliant, which enabled us to monitor our quality and make changes very quickly if we need to."

More recently, the company have been approached to make components for other brands who want to take advantage of their facilities and engineering expertise. "It is only a matter of time before Longthorne barrels appear on other brands," says Elaine.

All of this, plus the boost given by the Duchess of Rutland in commissioning four guns to celebrate the history of shooting at Belvoir Castle, saw the business grow to such an extent that by 2012 they needed new premises, resulting in a search for a new space. The new factory, to which they moved in 2015, is state of the art and has allowed the company to take on and train new craftspeople. It is here that James, Elaine, Chloe, and the growing team now manufacture their shotguns. With the increase in capacity and the new factory, Longthorne have been able to spread their wings.

Longthorne trigger plate shotguns

Like many businesses, COVID-19 has had an impact on production, but they are starting to ramp back up again. "We've had some nice orders for bespoke guns throughout COVID - it's been quite humbling, that people have been placing orders given everything that's been going on," says Elaine, "it sort of keeps you going." As confidence returns, however, she says there's been a huge surge in interest in the new trigger plate range."

Ah yes, the new guns. I was having such a nice time chatting about the history of the company that I almost forgot the reason for the call. The Longthorne trigger plates are "more of a mass-market product" Elaine explains. Where the Longthorne sidelock range is bespoke and therefore made to order, they offer fewer customisable elements on the trigger plate range which allows them to keep parts in stock. "There are 102 parts in the trigger plate compared to 128 in the Longthorne Sidelock, and the mechanism is simpler and therefore is easier to regulate because the components are contained in the triggerplate," says James. "The type of spring used on the triggerplate range is a coil spring as opposed to a 'V' spring. They are far less likely to break suddenly so are less prone to failure in the field. We've spent a lot of time working on the trigger pulls on the 'trigger plate' to make them feel nice."

There are a total of 11 models in the trigger plate range, five without sideplates, six with. In terms of price, they start at just under £12K for a non-side plated Sporter, with prices going up to £25K for the side plated Snowdrop model. Side plated models start at £22K.

Of the non-sideplated models, probably of most interest to game shots will be the Pheasant Scene 3005, which features an engraving of a cock and hen pheasant, and the Acanthus 3003. In the side plated range the game guns are the Acanthus 2006, Acanthus with game scene 2007, Snowdrop, Celtic 2008 and the Regency. The sideplated models in particular feature some gorgeous, elaborate engraving designs.

The non-sideplated guns come with a standard grade, adjustable, walnut stocks with a satin finish, while the sideplated models have a medium grade, walnut stock and all are available with a choice of the slim rounded, rounded, beavertail, and tapered forends. The barrels, available in 30" and 32", employ Longthorne's patented technology, and come with interchangeable multi-chokes and a choice of flat or ramped rib. They are proofed for High-Performance steel up to ½ choke, and there are several customisation options including fixed chokes, lightweight game barrels, colour hardening and stock fitting (included in side plated models). All models are available in 12, 16, 20 and 28 bores.

Additionally, the side plated models include a Longthorne custom gun fit at the factory. Once the stock has been 'headed up' to fit an action the customer attends while the stock is hand shaped to suit their requirements, a very special, personal experience.

At present Longthorne's guns are only available through Longthorne themselves, but they will soon be available through a range of selected dealers. For more information about Longthorne's entire range of guns, visit www.longthorneguns.com.