Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Clapton's shotguns

Eric Clapton, the blue-singing, guitar picking, rock-n-roll icon, is selling some shotguns.
Clapton has claimed that his passion has gotten out of hand in much the same way his guitar collection did. “It’s following the same pattern as when I collected guitars, cars and watches. I start out with a fairly broad spectrum, get obsessed and engulfed and finally narrow the collection down. I built a gunroom that can house a certain amount of guns and now I have to clear the decks for the new guns I have on order.”
Evidently, the man has marvelous taste in sporting guns.



The gun above is described thusly in the auction report:
WILLIAM EVANS
A FINE AND UNUSED PAIR OF MARCUS HUNT-ENGRAVED 20-BORE SINGLE-TRIGGER SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTORS, serial no. 20060 / 1, 28in. nitro chopperlump barrels, ribs engraved 'WILLIAM EVANS LIMITED. 67A, ST. JAMES'S STREET. LONDON. S.W.1.' and gold-inlaid '1' and '2', 2 3/4in. chambers, bored approx. imp cyl and 1/4 choke, actions incorporating Holland & Holland type self-opening systems, semi-selective single-triggers, rolled-edge triggerguards, automatic safeties with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' details, gold-inlaid cocking-indicators, the actions, lockplates and furniture deeply engraved with best bold acanthus scrolls on a matt background, the pinless lockplates very finely engraved with vignettes of Eric Clapton; gun No.1 with him sat against a tree playing an acoustic guitar (left side) and catching a trout on the fly (right); gun No.2 with him having cast a fly (left) and partridge shooting (right), all signed 'M.A. Hunt', the undersides set with colour-hardened roundels, gold-inlaid with the monogram 'W.E.', bright finish overall, 14 5/8in. highly-figured stocks, weight 6lb. 6oz., with gold escutcheons bearing the initials 'E.P.C.' in their brass-cornered oak and leather case with full complement of William Evans accessories and canvas and leather outer cover. The makers have kindly confirmed that the guns were completed mid 2007.
What an absolutely beautiful shotgun. And in 20-bore, my favorite.

Can't you just see me rolling up to the lease on the mule with one of those strapped to the gun rack? The boys would die! Just die!

Seriously, those are magnificent shotguns.

2 comments:

Old NFO said...

Bring a WHOLE bunch o' money... After you got through buying, a mule 'might' be about all that one would have left :-) but yes, it IS a beautiful piece!

Anonymous said...

I's pass on that shotgun, Pawpaw. If'n you look close, the two sideplate screw slots ain't aligned.