Guns as Art: Westley Richards redux

Most guns have the beauty of function. Many single-action six-guns are wonderful and even a no-nonsense 12 gauge pump action has certain appeal. But some weapons are true works of art.

One of the makers whose work routinely falls into this category is Westley Richards.

Today the English company builds just 50 new firearms a year. Each "bespoke gun" is made to order for an individual customer, who may wait two years or more to receive his prize.

A new shotgun sells for $80,000, a new double rifle for $90,000. The engraving alone may cost $30,000 to $40,000 when inlaid with three colors of gold.

I never get tired of looking at these guns... Too bad they are out of my price range. Current set of 2nd hand models available on the Westley Richards website run from about 7 grand (for a plain-Jane edition) to 36 thousand dollars. (Check out the Engraving!)