THIS month’s test gun is a new sideplated over-and-under from William Powell, the Banbury gunmaker and sporting agency. Made in Italy in association with B Rizzini, it is called the Princeps. Classicists may recall princeps means ‘leader’ or ‘first one’ in Latin. (WW Greener famously offered a Facile Princeps – this translating as ‘obvious leader’ until I stand corrected.) The new model weighs in at a fraction under 8lb, has 30in, steel-proofed barrels with 3in chambers, and a single non-selective trigger. The barrels are fixed choke, both constricted at 1/2. Teague chokes or William Powell’s own multichokes are an option.
First impressions
