Building fine shotguns that blend beauty, performance and value is the key to gunmaker Caesar Guerini. Imported from Brescia, Italy, their over / under models combine craftsmanship, precision, and premium materials in a stylish package. The quality of the wood, the spot-on fit and finish and the intricate engraving are matched by the kind of perfect ergonomics and handling Italian gun makers are famous for the world over. Each Guerini gun is a work of art that is perfectly functional for sportsmen. The company now makes shotguns for legendary sporting outfitters Orvis, a testament to their worth.

Their newest and most stunning model, the Apex, put in an appearance in our recent Fall Sporting Style feature. It has distinctly British lines with a classic Prince of Wales grip on oiled Turkish Circassian walnut and a trim, rounded fore-end, with a revolutionary new full-length trigger guard. The action is embellished with full-coverage engraving that incorporates no fewer than four different techniques; the hand work and design are from the studios of the world renowned Italian engraving house Bottega Incisioni C. Giovanelli. And most importantly it shoots like a dream. Small wonder the gun was named Outdoor Life Magazine's Editors Choice. Not bad for a company started from the ground up in 2002.

Another much-lauded Guerini model is the Maxum, a true collector grade shotgun featuring deep relief floral scroll hand finished engraving on the receiver, side plates, and forearm assembly. An elegant coin finish complements the strikingly detailed classic style engraving. A deluxe grade of Turkish walnut, featuring precision cut, fines 26 lines-per-inch checkering and a natural oil finish, is hand rubbed to a stunning sheen. You can see both the Apex and Maxum in the gallery. The company also now has a custom shop in its Cambridge, Maryland, headquarters, offering services such as gun fittings and custom stock finishing.



We had the pleasure of meeting Wes Lang, president of Guerini U.S.A., at the recent Orvis Cup sporting event sponsored by Barbour at the Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds in Millbrook, New York. "We are like you, avid shooters and hunters," Wes says. "The passion for fine shotguns and the related activities influences many of our decisions. Our goal is to produce the very best shotguns possible at a price that makes your purchase a good investment. We constantly strive to manufacture shotguns that we enjoy shooting and we want to share the results of our passion for finely crafted and highly functional shotguns with all of our customers. Providing exemplary customer service to anyone who owns a Caesar Guerini is our mandate as well. When you own one of our shotguns you become part of a family - our family - and it's our goal to treat you that way."

This past weekend many people went to see Johnny Depp as John Dillinger in "Public Enemies," spiking renewed interest in the gangster. That makes it perfect time to float a piece of Dillinger memorabilia on the market. The small pistol gangster John Dillinger was carrying hidden in a sock when he was arrested in Tucson, Arizona 75 years ago, six months before he was shot and killed in Chicago, will be up for bid at Heritage Auctions in Dallas (and online) on July 25.

The Remington .41 caliber Double Derringer was confiscated from Dillinger when he and members of his gang were taken into custody in 1934. According to Dennis Lowe, Director of Militaria at Heritage Auction Galleries, the gun ended up in the hands of Tucson Sheriff, John Belton who gave it to Deputy Probation Officer, Evelyn B. Jenney. Jenney's son, William LeBaron Jenney III, sold it to the current owner in 1959, who has held on to the gun for 50 years. The seller wishes to remain anonymous but is said to have put the piece up for sale because he is in poor health. The gun has been shown to friends and family over the years but never was never publicly displayed. The pistol is expected to sell for $35,000 or more.

UPDATE: This gun sold for $95,650 at auction to a Los Angeles area collector.

Movie fans should really enjoy Christie's upcoming movie memorabilia auction, which is scheduled to be held on December 5th. Some of the lots include a program for the Qudditch World Cup from the recent Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film, valued at £2,000, and Obi-Wan Kenobi's costume from the original Star Wars trilogy, estimated at the same price. Audrey Hepburn's little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's is estimated to sell for as much as £70,000. Perhaps the most interesting thing at the auction will be a large collection of guns from the various James Bond movies, including the gun Sean Connery used in Dr. No, which is expected to sell for £25,000 alone.

Antonio Riello is a designer with an eye for luxury and, with this line of Ladies Weapons he blended elegant touches that are normally reserved for upscale accessories with accessories of, well, war. Using real military-issue weapons such as the American M-16, Italian Beretta, Israeli UZI and German HK 33, he adds furs, leather, jewels and bright colors to create pieces that are "hybrids born from Italian obsession for high fashion as well as for violence" for "wives of mafia bosses, arms dealers [and] sophisticated ladies."

Sophisticated ladies who need their axe, guns and grenades with them, of course.

[via Boing Boing]