OUR VERDICT

In the sub-£1,200 new shotgun market, most guns look either very vanilla or their designs and style derive from more expensive brands on the market. When I saw the new Webley & Scott Vantage, it was clear that they were being brave and trying something new, and that should always be celebrated.

The stock is where we start. At the back there is a rubber recoil pad, the wood is plain but has a little more figuring than many other lower-grade walnuts. The stock also features a cheek piece — this is a bold move. Raised cheek pieces are more often found on rifles and on Continental shotguns, having never been a popular feature in the UK. Times have changed, however, and people are more willing than ever to try something different, so I can see the raised cheek piece appealing to some.

It is profiled nicely and fits my face well enough. It took a few shots to get used to the larger face contact, but after that, one doesn’t notice it. Looks-wise, the cut of the cheek piece leaves an aggressive and modern edge that catches the light well. The stock is finished with laser chequering to a good standard that provides just the right amount of grip.

Where the stock meets the action is a little different too, being angled

“Looks-wise the cut of the cheek piece leaves an aggressive and modern edge”

forward like the 900 Series Webleys. The wood-to-metal fit is done better than many other guns at this price. The action is less conventional as well. It is styled with large bolsters, unlike anything else on the market. Its closest relative would be a Merkel or SKB, but it’s much more modern-looking than that. They flow nicely into the detonation which is delicately carved as well. The metal-to-metal fit on this whole gun is great, especially where the barrels meet the breech face.

Into the silver action is set just the right amount of scroll-styled laser engraving, with the maker’s mark and model name laid out on the bottom. The trigger-guard, fore-end iron and the raised bolsters are all unengraved but have a nice even brushed finish.

The fore-end is unusual as well, and has a slight Schnabel lip, but also an angled finger choil like a semibeavertail. Its lines are aesthetically