Hedge your bets

QWhat would you advise me to buy as an investment if I were shopping for an English gun?

ADIGGORY HADOKE replies: My approach to investing in guns is to consider the worst case scenario; the market crashes and you are left holding the baby. In these circumstances, 
you want to at least have something useful! So, buy a gun you like and that you can shoot. You will always have that, even if the monetary value goes down.

In reality, English guns have been great investments in recent years. I bought a Purdey at Holt’s in 2003 for £6,500 and sold it in 2010 for £12,500, having shot it every season.

The safe investment is the best quality gun you can afford, in the best condition you can find. Get a gun that will be easy to sell again, so good wall thickness, as much original finish as you can find and ‘average dimensions’ like 28-30” barrels and a stock with at least 14¾” of wood. Good hammer guns are getting very hard to find, so if you pick up a really nice one now, you should have a safe bet.