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Piotti King No.1, SLE, Best Gun, two bls. 30", 26", Granetti engraved, 99%, cased
Guns International #: 102500503 Seller's Inventory #: 23-024
Category: Piotti Shotguns - Shotguns - Italian Double
Seller's Information
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Seller: rcrwin70
Member Since: 9/26/07
First Name: Roger
State: Hawaii
Country: United States
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 1
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
3 days
Payment Types Accepted: cashiers check or money order or pay pal plus 3%
Description:
SOLD ** Piotti King No. One, Sidelock Ejector, Best Gun 12 Ga., 30” and 26” bls. Oscar Granetti engraved, 99% New.
F.lli Piotti King Number One is Piotti’s sidelock sxs featuring Holland & Holland style of Acanthus scroll engraving by Master Engraver Oscar Granetti, 12 Ga., 2 ¾”, Double Triggers, two barrels with hand-filed flat ribs, pistol-grip stock, semi-beavertail forearm, true 7-pin sidelock ejector action, coin finished with Leather-covered recoil pad and factory case and accessories.
Keeping to the classics, the maker set the gun up with two barrel sets with popular chokes rather than turn the muzzles thin by fitting them with removable chokes. Barrel Set I is 30”, choked right .009” (IC) and left .020” (M) and Barrel Set II is 26”, choked right .005” (SKt) and left .012” (IC). Both have hand-filed flat ribs.
This gun uses an improved Holland & Holland Royal action and is 99.9% condition.
Metal: This Piotti is standard with traditional features of the highest quality gun with beaded fences, chopper lump chrome-lined barrels, automatic ejectors, H&H high-grade double seared 7-pin sidelocks with double triggers (the front trigger articulated), H&H Southgate ejectors, intercepting sears, bushed strikers (with engraved locking screws), gas escape valves, cocking indicators and manual safety (to give the shooter control). These are features generally found on Boss's, Purdey's and Holland & Holland Royal grade guns which new cost between 100K and 200K!
Finish is Piotti’s beautiful polished coin-finished receiver which is preferred for master-quality engraving, which this gun has. Its pierced top lever is carved with a rose and leaves. The engraving is the finest H&H ancanthus scroll hand engraving by the Italian master engraver, Granetti (who did nearly all of the Pioti Kings, page 155 of The Italian Gun), with a hand-filed level rib separating the deep rust blue barrels.
Inscriptons: The right and left side locks are inscribed with F’lliPiotti in a banner with Piotti logo above. The inscription, “ACCIAIO SIAU U145” shows on the top side of the right barrels, and “FLLI PIOTI” on the top side of the left barrels.
Hidden from view: The water table shows Boeler ECN 750, serial number, F.lliPiotti, PSF, and Finito with Italian proof marks. The two barrel flats shows the serial number, PSF and Finito with Italian proof marks, AF (for 1980), 250 (length) on the short barrel and 340 (length) on the longer barrel. Underneath and out of view, on the left barrel chamber of both barrels, “Made in Italy, F.lliPiotti KG1”. On the underside of the right barrel chamber of both barrels, William Larken Moore’s inscription: “William Larken Moore, Westlake, CA Mod PHEE. Model PHEE” (WLM’s designation for the KG1, King Number One).
All imported guns are required to have the importer’s inscription in addition to the maker’s inscriptions.
Stock: Carpathian walnut (a high quality English walnut) buttstock has deep rich warm brown tones with some fiddleback and marble-cake figure and matches perfectly with the semi-beavertail forearm. The hand checkering is generous wrapping around the semi-beavertail forearm and coming together in a pattern over the wrist. It is executed flawlessly by hand in point pattern, 26 lpi – with fine single borders and the forearm face has a diamond pattern inlaid with the gold Piotti crest indicative of the King model, and a delicately inlaid Anson forearm release in the forearm tip escutcheon.
The flawless hand checkering surrounds the coin-finished inlaid trigger guard tang that ends with an inlaid point. The pistol grip is finished with a coin-finished and fully engraved steel cap.
Measurements: 1 1/2” x 2 1/8” x 14 3/4" with neutral cast. Weight 7 lbs 7 oz. Includes maker’s leather trunk case with sewn-in label.
Condition:
The pleasing figure and great color of the Carpathian Walnut contrasts stunningly with the clean polished coin-finished frame and deep blue barrels. The blue remains 99%, wood at 99%, and checkering is 100%. The bores are “as new” and the barrels remain tight on face and ring like chimes. Lockup feels like shutting a vault door.
About the Engraver, Oscar Granetti: In the book, The Italian Gun, by Smith and Morrow, the authors write when addressing Piotti’s guns:
“The customer may choose an engraver; however, Piotti has had a lifelong relationship with master engraver Granetti who has been working full time for Piotti for 35 years. Today (1997), he engraves most of the King guns.”
This King Number One was engraved by Oscar Granetti in 1980, and is simply signed “Piotti” on the right side of the trigger guard, which was the engraver’s style for his fulltime employer for many years. Sometime in the early ‘90s, he began signing, “Granetti,” see The Italian Gun.
About the Gumaker: Fratelli (Brothers) Piotti, founded in 1961 by two brothers, Araldo and Faustino, and located via F.Cinelli, 10/12 – 25063 Gardone, Italy, in the pantheon of the world’s best gun makers in Italy. They are widely respected not only as one of Italy’s top gunmakers, but one of the world’s top gunmakers.
According to the Blue Book of Gun Values, “Fratelli Piotti is one of the world’s premier gunmakers. Their long guns meet the highest standards of craftsmanship.”
The production at Fratelli Piotti is limited to a small number of handcrafted, best quality, double barrel shotguns and rifles, approximately 100 per year.
In the book, The Italian Gun, quoted above, the authors asked William Larkin Moore (famous sidelock shotgun dealer of all makes): Is a Piotti better than the Purdey?” Moore qualified his answer, but after a simple explanation, stated, “…it’s my opinion that a Piotti is perfectly acceptable alternative to a Purdey that’s made today. In fact, I’d rank Piotti as one of the best gunmakers in the world, the others, of course, being Purdey and Holland & Holland in London, Fabbri, F.lli Rizzini, Luciano Bosis in Italy.”
Later in the book, in the chapter entitled F.lli Rizzini, the authors state, “No Italian gunmaker is the best. There are three: Ivo Fabbri, F.lli Piotti and F.lli Rizzini (p.156).
What makes Piotti’s guns so exceptional? Each action is fashioned from a solid billet of Boehler steel in the House of Fratelli Piotti with traditional tools using the building method that has been the same for the past two centuries. Like F.lli Rizzini, Piotti’s mainspring is made of specially-imported Belgium steel.
Craftsmanship is to the most exacting specifications, assuring every gun meets the most demanding standards. This predominance of the handmade comes out magnificent in each single detail, from the 7-pin sidelocks to the inletting of the wood. The action and tang are integral. The locks and barrels are made in house.
Piotti only uses the super stars of engravers.
On all models, the action size, gun proportions and weight are proportional to the gauge. The quality of the shaping, checkering, stock, action and barrel-work even exceeds the standards achieved by the great London gunmakers prior to WWII.
The MSRP of the Piotti King model was $42,800 as of November 2017. Add $4,800 for second barrel, $1200 for beavertail forearm, and $2,030 for leather case bringing the grand total to $50,830.00
Priced here to move, at $23,450, this excellent plus gun comes with leather case and accessories as shown.
Buyer must furnish FFL for shipping, payment by money order or cashier’s check. Buyer pays $50 toward shipping. Seller is the author of The Rifleman’s Rifle (pre-64 Winchester Model 70s) and will furnish a Letter of Provenance that this gun is from the author’s collection. Feedback can be checked on eBay under rcrwin70roger. 3-day non-firing return privilege, no questions asked. For questions, call (808) 989-1863 Hawaii time zone, and ask for Roger.
SOLD
Engraving: Oscar Granetti
Proof:Nitro: Yes