Can you really get a custom-built game gun for off-the-shelf money? Absolutely, says Robbie Shedden of Cluny Country, laying out the Chapuis range on the gunshop counter.
This French gunmaker is now part of the Beretta group. It offers side-by-sides and over-and-unders at prices from around £2,500 up to £6,500-£7,000 – and just about every aspect of the gun can be built to your specification in as little as 3-6 months.
“In the entry level guns you can make small tweaks like auto or manual safety, single or double trigger, and of course you can choose your barrel length,” Robbie says.
“Then you go up to their Artisan range and, well, just look at that – it’s a beautiful gun,” he exclaims, stroking the stunningly figured walnut stock.
“Chapuis offer something a bit different,” he says. “You’re getting a really high quality gun, and you’re getting to make the small tweaks that you might not get to make with other brands.”
Find out more about Chapuis guns at the Cluny Country Guns website.
More about game guns from Fieldsports Channel and Fieldtester
What you need to know about game guns
Here’s everything (we reckon) you want to know about shotguns for pheasants. Jason Doyle takes up Rizzini’s invitation to go shooting in Wiltshire, and finds out about the Italian gunmaker’s spectacular range of sporting guns. Plus gunsmith and gunshop owner Dennis Stepney gives his honest appraisal on what to look for in a shotgun – size, length, weight and which bells and whistles to ask for – and price.
Guns and cartridges for driven game
Going gameshooting in the UK? Don’t know what to bring by way of guns and cartridges? This film is for you. Edward King lays it on the line about what kind of shotgun to bring and how many cartridges.This film was first shown in Fieldsports Britain episode 366. To watch the whole show go to Fcha.nl/fieldsportsbritain366
The best O/Us for under £2,000
Gunshop owner Ian Hodge of Ian Hodge Fieldsports talks through his bestsellers. The Beretta Silver Pigeon 3 might exceed a £2,000 limit but these brands will provide a quality gun without breaking the bank, as Ian explains: Lincoln shotguns, Caesar Guerini Maxum, Browning 525 SL, Marocchi Finn 612, Bettinsoli shotguns and Beretta’s 686 White Onyx Sporting all make Ian’s list.
Breda’s Zenith L game gun
Italian gunmaker Breda has made some cracking semi-autos over the past 100 years or so. More recently they’ve turned their skills to making over-and-unders – and the Zenith is going down well with clay and game shooters alike. This one is the game model, the Zenith L. It’s steel proofed of course, and comes with 30 or 32in fixed choke barrels chambered for 2 3/4 in cartridges. “It’s designed specifically for shooting high birds,” says Andy Norris from distributors Viking Arms.
