At the age of 14, James Purdey began an apprenticeship under his gun-making brother-in-law. For the next seven years he learned the craft, mastered the skills and by 1805 landed a job with a ...

At Holt’s December sale, a 12-gauge Purdey once owned by champion U.S. Shooter Russell B. Atkins had an estimated value of $24,000 to $32,000 — and sold for $52,800.