Manor & Co sidelock ejector
The maker’s name may not be familiar but this classicly styled side-by-side has been subject to significant recent development and is good value for a bespoke, steel-friendly gun, says Mike Yardley
THIS month’s test gun is a Manor & Co sidelock ejector with double triggers, Teague chokes and assisted opening. It weighs in at a whisker over 7lb 2oz – a sensible weight for a modern game gun – and has 27½in barrels, steel proofed in Birmingham for 70mm (2¾in cartridges). The barrels are equipped with a raised, file-cut rib that tapers from 10mm at the breech to 6mm at the muzzles (where there is a smaller than average but wellproportioned brass bead). The gun, unusually, has a balance slightly to the rear of the hinge pin, and its 15½in stock is equipped with a traditional orange Silver’s rubber recoil pad (which explains the slightly rearwards balance).
First impressions, meanwhile, are of a higher quality Continental sidelock with full-coverage scroll engraving on its silver-finished action and reasonable wood. The maker’s name is neatly inset in gold on the lockplates and the barrels. The specification is traditional with a straight-hand, oval cross-section grip and splinter fore-end. The stock shapes are sound – and have been improved as this project progressed, as will be discussed shortly. The oil finish, applied in England, is good, too. There are some deluxe features, including gold-line cocking indicator, and a beaded edge to the trigger guard (and to either side of the action belly as well). Another pleasing detail was the engraving to the right side of the top-lever thumbpiece (with conventional diamond checks cut to the right side to aid purchase).
The genesis of this gun – which has a starting price of £10,500, including VAT (to include a bespoke stock and barrels to the customer’s specification) – is interesting. It has been created by Gerry Coulter, who is responsible for the new Manor brand and still works as an engineer within the aviation industry. Manor & Co is a subsidiary company of Coulter’s ongoing enterprise supporting obsolete jet engines. He has specialist knowledge in the field of metallurgy, having worked on Rolls-royce engines for many years, overhauling the hot-end combustion chambers and blades.
The shotguns (and rifles) he is producing now – and we have tested one of his over-and-unders previously – are something of a labour of love. The evolving Manor range, meantime, includes overand-unders (made with German barrels and French actions), side-by-sides in a variety of bores (including a new 10-bore, to be launched soon), and double rifles in both over-and-under and side-by-side configurations. This particular gun is built around an unfinished action supplied with a number of others from a wellknown but now defunct Eibar maker.
I should also declare that I have given Coulter some friendly advice as his guns have evolved. The form of the test gun was materially altered by my input – I had made some suggestions concerning how the stock form and trigger-work might be improved (and these have been incorporated). I did this because I liked the approach, the determination to bring a new, classically styled and made gun to the home market at reasonable cost. It goes without saying that Manor & Co has significant competition.
Gerry Coulter notes his mission thus: “What we are trying to do is produce high-quality, high-spec guns at attainable prices. We are using well-known Continental gunmakers to supply actions and other components. Our sidelock ejectors are built in a traditional London style. We have sourced parts made in Spain, Italy and France. German barrels are used in the over-and-unders and rifles. The guns are now regulated and final finished in the UK by established craftsmen working for the London trade. The barrels of our shotguns are all Teague choked and subjected to a special aviation heat treatment. This is something I’ve developed, which hardens the interior surface but retains the flexibility of the material. We are getting particularly good results with steel shot.”
I was impressed by the gun’s shooting qualities and Coulter’s determination to get it absolutely right before bringing it to market
TECHNICAL
The sidelock action is essentially of Holland & Holland pattern with spring assisted-opening (the works of which sit beneath the barrels between loop and front lump). It has just five pins (most Hollands have seven) and is equipped with disc-set strikers, commonly seen in Spanish guns but not in those of H&H (they are a feature of many Purdeys, however). There is also a hidden third bite (necessitating small cuts in the extractors and a slot in the action face). Third bites add a little complexity but can contribute to a flat shooting quality by reducing action table flex and downwards barrel ‘flip’. Some gunsmiths caution that they can lead to more breakages. The action has other atypical features: the cocking boss on the tumbler is cylindrical in form, and, like an Arrieta, there is a tiny coil spring and plunger within the interceptor mechanism rather than the more common tiny flat spring.
SHOOTING IMPRESSIONS
I have tested this Manor & Co gun twice. The first time, I noted certain points, which Gerry Coulter has incorporated into this prototype. Initially, trigger pulls (now 3¼lb and 3¾lb) were heavy, the triggers too closely spaced, the stock quite short for the shelf and the comb shape needed work. All these points have been addressed. The gun as modified shot and handled well with its mid-length barrels and pigeon rib. Only one long, quartering bird was missed. I was impressed by the gun’s shooting qualities and Coulter’s determination to get it absolutely right before releasing it to market. The extra bench work by British craftsmen has made an enormous difference. This significantly evolved gun now offers real value for a bespoke, steel-proofed, sidelock fitted with Teague chokes.