Caywood makes a decent production gun, but for comparable dollars I'd take a Mike Brooks fowler anyday. Caywood components are nice, but the finished product looks mass produced, with machined parts and cast in "engraving".
I had a couple of Caywood's including a 12 gauge fowler which performed well, and which I generally liked until I compared it to a Mike Brooks fowler someone brought to a trap shoot.
There simply was not comparison between the quality of the two guns. My Caywood had a commercial pressure finish, that looked streaky. The Brooks had a traditional finish that simply looked authentic. Ignition with my Caywood was quick and reliable but the Brooks was quicker. Caywood won't use flash hole liners, and relies on an externally coned flashole. It works well, but liners seem to perform better. My Caywood had a nicely figured maple stock, but the Brooks gun I saw had an outstanding piece of walnut.
Caywood uses Mike Rowe locks. Mike Rowe makes a real nice product, but should you ever need replacement parts there is no other source of supply. The Brooks gun I saw had a Jim Chambers lock, and was in and of itself a marvel to behold. I broke a part on my lock and it cost me $40.00 and several weeks to replace from Caywood. Chambers and Brooks are celebrated for there customer service. The Rowe locks on the Caywood guns I owned looked "sandblasted." The Chamber's lock on the Brooks was authentically bright and enhanced the overall appearance of the fowler.
Compared to the Brooks gun, the forestock on my Caywood looked slab sided. Caywood also uses a large diameter ramrod channel, which just looked disproportionate.
While it's all subjective, I think Brooks builds a better product, and is truly a custom maker. After I handled the Mike Brooks fowler, I couldn't enjoy the Caywood. I might mention that I had also purchased a rifle from Caywood that I was so disappointed I sold it for a few hundred dollars less than I paid for it. In the long run, I think a Mike Brooks gun will retain it's value better over time than a production gun. I see a lot of Caywoods for sale well below what the original owner paid for them or Caywood advertises them for.
In the final analysis Mike Brooks will build what you want. When the gun delivers you will own something that is uniquely yours. A Caywood is a Caywood. You might spend several months waiting for it, but when it delivers you will have a production gun, built to Caywood's specifications rather than your own.
