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The company recommends a single trigger (always called the One-Trigger-Mechanism at Westley Richards), which, it says, ‘removes the difficulty experienced by ladies of reaching the fore-trigger of two-trigger guns’.
This is an interesting comment, as, though men and women do differ physically, their hands are not so disproportionately arranged as to make the length of pull significantly difficult to set.
Differences the company does note are explained later: ‘A woman’s arm is short, her hand small and by compressing the hand piece we are able to furnish the gun with a stock of graceful proportion which gives her sure control and unhampered action.’
Gun-fitters will recognize the next point: ‘The toe of the stock is peculiarly shaped to avoid all chance of physical injury and to the same end is fitted with an anti-recoil heel plate and face pad, if desired, both of a new and very soft type.’
The page dedicated to the specifications of ladies’ guns illustrates an Anson & Deeley single-trigger ejector 20-bore, weighing 5lbs and priced at forty-seven pounds, ten shillings. For comparison, a best sidelock cost one-hundred-and-thirty pounds. I fear modern feminists may bristle at the implication that it was not worth quoting for best guns for ladies!
It advises readers that a 16 or 20-bore gun ‘gives the average woman a better chance of holding her own with the 12-bore generally used by men’.
A quote from Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford says; ”the charge I have found most suitable for a 16-bore is 35 grains of Amberite and 1oz of 5 ½ shot. My own gun weighs about 5 3/4lbs, which is less than many 20-bores.”
The catalogue also demonstrates a young lady in the field, equipped with just such a gun, taking a variety of shots, standing at the ‘ready’ position and seated on a shooting stick. Her attire consists of a black beret, worn loose, a white shirt, dark tie and a knee-length, belted, beige, MacKintosh field coat.
One must imagine a check shirt underneath it, with long woollen stockings.
Her pose is confident and her stance competent but I can’t help feel Rachel Carrie does it better nowadays.
We do know, from these early twentieth century illustrations and formulae, that gunmakers have been considering the needs of women involved in shooting sports for a very long time.
Apart from the stocking considerations for a female physique, the focus appeared, then, to be on weight-saving and making a gun with a set of properties that a smaller, less physically robust person could use without suffering from fatigue.
Recoil appears to have been considered a lesser issue, as a full ounce fired from a 16-bore weighing just 5 3/4 lbs (like to one the Duchess of Bedford owned) would produce a fairly severe kick, though proper gun fit would reduce the effects of this significantly.
Whether for the discerning collector or the avid sportsman, Westley Richards firearms represent the epitome of excellence in the world of bespoke gunmaking. Known for the droplock shotgun, over and under shotgun, double barrel rifle and bolt action rifle, the company has achieved an illustrious 200 year history of innovation, craftmanship and artistry. As part of our best gun build, clients can choose from three levels of gun engraving: the house scroll; signature game scenes; and exhibition grade masterpieces. All Westley Richards sporting arms are built at their factory in Birmingham, England. Discover more about the gunmaking journey at our custom rifles and bespoke guns pages.
