Williams & Son’s are one of the most prestigious gun and rifle makers in the world. Their industry renowned craftsman with decades of experience, handcraft each and every component to produce a fully bespoke gun that is more than 1000 hours in the making. We take a look at the gun making process in awe.
You would have thought that due to the quality and craftsmanship that is evident in each and every William & Son gun or rifle, they were are a company with a century-old history. In fact, this prestigious company was founded in 1999 by William Asprey after he had managed the Gun Room at Asprey’s in Bond Street, and the vast experience on tap at William & Son doesn’t end there. The gun making team is led by gunsmith Paul West, an ex-Holland & Holland (est 1835) man with 45 years of experience in the gun and rifle industry. The gun-makers themselves, as you will see, have several lifetimes of experience between them and some of the finest craftsmen in the industry.
Commissioning a William & Son shotgun is somewhat of an event and an investment. Only a dozen or so guns are made each year due to the attention to detail and handmade nature of the pieces, taking 18 months to craft each piece. Considering the hundreds of man-hours it takes to make a typical shotgun the price is actually very reasonable – starting at £60,000 for a William & Son Sidelock – and in the field, you would find it to be very accurate and finely balanced, This places them among some of the most expensive and finest field guns in the world, but if we had the money we’d buy one just to place on the wall, they are stunning pieces of art!
