Custom Rifle Craftsmanship

William Westley Richards, founder of the company, was once heard remarking to be the maker of as good a gun as can be made, a statement long since adopted as the companys motto. Today, every individual gun and rifle begins its life in our engineering business where a live model of each design is available for inspection so that subtle modifications can be made to ensure that the gunmakers at the bench have the finest components from which to work with. Gunmaking is ultimately the pursuit of perfection, and it has always been a marriage of new technology combined with the very best practices of craft. Our gunmakers take anywhere from 400 to 650 hours to complete an individual gun or rifle, and we take great pride in ensuring that nothing leaves the factory workshops until it exceeds our own expectations. Only with this dedication can Westley Richards guns continue to be the best in the world, something both the company and, more importantly, our clients can be proud of.

Our apprenticeship scheme is the single most important investment we've made in the future of our business. Founded in 2007, the scheme sees apprentices spend five years learning the fundamental skills required to build best guns. At Westley Richards, the focus has always been on all-round excellence and this requires a focus on and belief in quality rather than just learning to be skilled with the tools of the trade. Our apprentices understand that they have the history of this company on their shoulders, and it is a responsibility they carry with pride. The degree of workmanship requires an average of 400 to 650 man-hours on each gun in the workshop: a sidelock shotgun might be made in 500 hours but a droplock rifle would take more like 650 hours.