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The world’s finest shotguns by nation: 11 makers, 4 countries and a price list from £890 to £249,600
Fieldsports Journal’s pick of 11 top-tier shotguns, read for the international trade: four British best guns selling direct, an Austrian triple, five Italian houses, four of them selling through partners, and one American pump-action
Four nations, 11 makers and a spread of nearly £249,000 between the dearest gun and the cheapest with a figure attached: Fieldsports Journal’s guide to the world’s finest shotguns, published in the UK on 29 September, is a snapshot of where the top of the international shotgun market sits in autumn 2026 and who builds it. It runs from Purdey’s Damascus model sidelock at £249,600 down to an £890 Mossberg pump-action, taking in Holland & Holland, Westley Richards, John Rigby & Co., Karl Hauptmann, Beretta, Perazzi, Rizzini, Caesar Guerini and Fabarm along the way.
The 11 guns are the Fieldsports Journal team’s selection rather than the results of a test. Each is listed with its price and its maker or UK distributor. Prices are those supplied at the time of publication and may since have changed; note that some are quoted inclusive of VAT and some exclusive.
The national split is the story for the global trade. Britain supplies four of the 11, all bespoke best guns from the London and Birmingham houses of Purdey, Holland & Holland, Westley Richards and John Rigby & Co., priced from £137,310 to £249,600 or on application. Austria supplies one, Karl Hauptmann’s three-barrelled .410, at €120,000 and the only gun in the guide priced in euros. Italy supplies five, from Beretta, Perazzi, Rizzini, Caesar Guerini and Fabarm, between £5,950 and £19,181, and the United States supplies one, the Mossberg 590 Mariner at £890. The British tier sells direct; every Italian and American gun here bar the Fabarm reaches the UK market through a distributor, an importer or the maker’s own UK company.
Bespoke Best guns from Purdey, Holland & Holland, Westley Richards, Rigby and Hauptmann
Purdey The Damascus model Sidelock s/s
A side-by-side sidelock from Purdey of London, sold direct and priced from a starting figure.
RRP: From £249,600 inc VAT
Holland & Holland Royal Over & Under
An over-and-under from Holland & Holland of London, sold direct and quoted exclusive of VAT.
RRP: From £175,000 exc VAT
Westley Richards Hand-detachable lock shotgun
A side-by-side from Westley Richards of Birmingham, sold direct and priced on application.
RRP: POA
John Rigby & Co. The Rigby Rising Bite shotgun
A side-by-side from John Rigby & Co. of London, sold direct at a fixed figure.
RRP: £137,310 inc VAT
Karl Hauptmann Triple shotgun s/s/s .410
A three-barrelled .410 from Karl Hauptmann in Austria, priced in euros and exclusive of VAT.
RRP: €120,000 exc VAT
That is the bespoke tier, and it is British and Austrian to a gun: four London and Birmingham houses and one Austrian maker, each selling direct, and only Rigby, of the British houses, publishing a fixed figure, with the Hauptmann a flat €120,000 before VAT. Purdey and Holland & Holland price from a starting point, Westley Richards quotes on application, and the final invoice on those three is decided by the specification the customer chooses.
Over-and-unders, side-by-sides and a pump-action from £890 to £19,181
Beretta DT11 EELL
An over-and-under from Beretta of Italy, distributed in the UK by GMK.
RRP: £19,181 inc VAT
Perazzi High Tech Game
An over-and-under from Perazzi of Italy, sold in the UK through Perazzi UK.
RRP: From £13,273 inc VAT
Rizzini BR552 ‘de Luxe’ Special
A side-by-side from Rizzini of Italy, imported to the UK by ASI.
RRP: £7,866 inc VAT
Caesar Guerini Invictus ArtCo SG Specialist
An over-and-under from Caesar Guerini of Italy, through Caesar Guerini UK.
RRP: £6,895 inc VAT
Fabarm Grade IV Sporting
An over-and-under from Fabarm of Italy, listed direct from the maker.
RRP: £5,950 inc VAT
Mossberg 590 Mariner
A pump-action from Mossberg of the United States, distributed in the UK by Viking Arms.
RRP: From £890 inc VAT
Below the bespoke tier the guide is an Italian market with an American footnote. Beretta, Perazzi, Rizzini, Caesar Guerini and Fabarm hold every place between £5,950 and £19,181, and each reaches Britain by a different route: a national distributor in GMK, an exclusive UK distributor in Perazzi UK, an importer in ASI, a UK brand company in Caesar Guerini UK and the maker direct in Fabarm’s case. Mossberg, through Viking Arms, is the only gun under £1,000 and the only one from outside Europe. For the international trade the picture is the familiar one: British houses own the top of the price list and sell direct, Italian makers own the volume beneath it and sell through partners, and the distribution model, not the gun, decides who earns the margin.
Top tier shotguns at a glance
| Gun | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Purdey The Damascus model Sidelock s/s | Side-by-side sidelock | From £249,600 inc VAT |
| Holland & Holland Royal Over & Under | Over-and-under | From £175,000 exc VAT |
| Westley Richards Hand-detachable lock shotgun | Side-by-side | POA |
| John Rigby & Co. The Rigby Rising Bite shotgun | Side-by-side | £137,310 inc VAT |
| Karl Hauptmann Triple shotgun s/s/s .410 | Three-barrel .410 | €120,000 exc VAT |
| Beretta DT11 EELL | Over-and-under | £19,181 inc VAT |
| Perazzi High Tech Game | Over-and-under | From £13,273 inc VAT |
| Rizzini BR552 ‘de Luxe’ Special | Side-by-side | £7,866 inc VAT |
| Caesar Guerini Invictus ArtCo SG Specialist | Over-and-under | £6,895 inc VAT |
| Fabarm Grade IV Sporting | Over-and-under | £5,950 inc VAT |
| Mossberg 590 Mariner | Pump-action | From £890 inc VAT |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive shotgun in this guide?
The Purdey Damascus model sidelock side-by-side, from £249,600 including VAT, followed by the Holland & Holland Royal Over & Under from £175,000 excluding VAT. The Westley Richards hand-detachable lock shotgun is price on application. All three are British-built and sold direct.
What is the least expensive shotgun in this guide?
The Mossberg 590 Mariner pump-action, from £890 including VAT, the American entry, listed in the UK through Viking Arms at vikingshoot.com. The least expensive over-and-under is the Fabarm Grade IV Sporting at £5,950 including VAT.
Which side-by-side shotguns are in the guide?
The Purdey Damascus model sidelock, the Westley Richards hand-detachable lock shotgun, the John Rigby & Co. Rising Bite and the Rizzini BR552 ‘de Luxe’ Special, plus the Karl Hauptmann triple shotgun, whose three .410 barrels sit side by side.
Do the prices include VAT?
Not all of them. Most prices are quoted inclusive of UK VAT, but the Holland & Holland (from £175,000) and the Karl Hauptmann (€120,000) are quoted exclusive of VAT, and the Westley Richards is price on application.
Related articles
Beretta Holding buys Holland & Holland – when the Italian group took on the London house
Perazzi UK becomes the new exclusive distributor for Perazzi shotguns in the UK – the maker-owned route to the British market
Perazzi acquired by Czechoslovak Group – the ownership change at the Brescia maker
