Thomas Ferney & Co.'s chief designer Ashley Handy long dreamed of filling a need in the bespoke / best shotgun market by producing a classic side by side upland game shotgun hand crafted and finished in the strictest centuries old European tradition, while simultaneously incorporating the knowledge he had amassed over years of work in sporting shotguns made using state of the art manufacturing principals. The shotgun Mr. Handy envisioned would blend the artful, painstaking hand work of European gun-craft mastered over 100 years ago with the best modern materials, computer design and state of the art manufacturing technology. The modern metal alloys and precision milling, would improve the shotguns accuracy, weight and resistance to wear while the beautiful aesthetic quality and unmistakable feel of a hand finished shotgun would be preserved. This combination resulted in an enhanced experience both in performance and appearance...a modern shotgun finished as it would have been over 100 years ago.

 

Mr. Handy was convinced that manufacturing a modern shotgun that was finished by hand in the traditional way is a clear and logical genesis for a tool as valuable, prized and sought after as a bespoke shotgun.

 

With this result in mind, he set about forming relationships with his counterparts in Europe. He spent two years interviewing and discussing his vision with the creme-de-la-creme of the European master gun-makers in an effort to find an innovative partner who understood the grand vision for what what he called the"Type-1 Project".

 

Finding the right partnership was not an easy task, a suitable partner first had to have a world renowned reputation for quality and craftsmanship. They would have to be skilled in the art of producing handmade shotguns of the highest order in the ancient tradition. A suitable partner also must be adept at, and open to working with, shaping and finishing modern metal alloys. Lastly, they would need a production team that was large enough to turn out a custom shotgun relatively quickly  ( 4-5 months ) but still be small enough that each artisan was thoroughly involved with the creation of each shotgun, ensuring that the art and quality of the finished product would not suffer. 

 

Many potential partners excelled at one of Mr. Handy's criteria but fell short in one or more other areas. Not willing to settle for a less than ideal partnership Mr. Handy searched on. Then, in the summer of 2013 an email arrived that would put events into motion that would bring the Thomas Ferney Type-1 shotgun to life!  

 

Gun Maker Inigo Usobiage had heard that Thomas Ferney & Co. was searching for a production partner and after some research into the company reached out to suggest opening discussions about a collaboration. Usobiage and his team of 13 master craftsmen at the historic and esteemed Grulla Armas workshop in Ebair, Spain are considered among the best gun artisans in the world. Most importantly, Usobiage is an innovator not content with what is, but fascinated with what might be.

 

In discussion after discussion, Mr. Usobiage and Grulla Armas proved to have the the necessary innovative spirit, as well as the technical and artistic expertise that producing a shotgun like the Type-1 required.

 

After much planning and preparation a partnership was born and through that alliance, Thomas Ferney & Company is proud to offer its clientele the Type-1 double shotgun. Imagined and designed by C. Ashley Handy at Thomas Ferney & Co. in Maryland USA and hand crafted by the artists overseen by Inigo Usobiage at Grulla Armas in Eibar, Spain.