UNDISPUTED – DANIEL FRASER OF EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
People’s appreciation of fine firearms and the value system by which they judge these firearms are a complex function of their own knowledge of, experiences with, and their exposure to such firearms. In addition, they are influenced by legend, folklore, advertising, and their own personal bias. Ask most hunters or rifle enthusiasts to name the highest-quality rifle manufacturer they know, and you will quickly hear familiar names such as Holland & Holland, James Purdey, Westley Richards, and John Rigby being thrown around. Occasionally, someone who has perhaps studied this subject more thoroughly may bring up more obscure names like James Woodward or George Gibbs.
However, should you want to be less subjective and more scientific in your quest to determine the top riflemaker, your question needs to be directed at knowledgeable and experienced firearm collectors of these high-grade firearms, or alternately, at top gunsmiths specialising in high-quality rifles who have spent lifetimes disassembling these rifles, examined their insides in detail, and worked on most of these brands. If you persevere in this quest, you will slowly, like a hidden treasure, uncover the name of a gunmaker whose work was superior to all the famous brands mentioned above – that of Daniel Fraser of Edinburgh, Scotland.
In my opinion, Daniel Fraser was the undisputed champion of fine rifles. Anyone who disputes this has most likely never handled an original Fraser “highest-finish” (i.e. best-quality) rifle. His workmanship, quality and attention to detail was simply incredible and unequalled by any of his peers. In fact, it is difficult to comprehend how he made a profit on any of the rifles he sold considering the vast number of manhours that had to be consumed in the creation of each one.
With Fraser rifles, quality is not
