When you set off to meet a gun designer who heads a company named after a John Buchan adventure story you know you'll end up with enough material to write a book!

Skilled game shot, former racing driver, army captain, explorer and entrepreneur, Patrick Keen certainly didn't disappoint...

Patrick, whose experiences range from flying Tigermoths to hunting alligators in the Amazon, returned to his roots in the Wye Valley last year to expand a business he'd set up in Scotland - John Macnab.

Patrick has travelled the world to put together Macnab's eclectic selection of beautiful, fine handling and affordable shotguns. Many are produced by well-known factories in Italy and Spain but the company has also tracked down smaller firms that can offer something different.

Alongside John Macnab, Patrick also runs a thriving business in high-end, pre-owned guns ranging from Purdeys, Holland and Hollands and Bosses to Berettas and Brownings.

The new Macnab showrooms and offices, just off the M50 at Ross-on-Wye, were opened in May last year, offering a one-stop-shop for all those involved in country pursuits.

As well as selling game and clay guns and rifles the company provides a gun-fitting and repair service and sells an extensive range of clothing, footwear, accessories and gifts.

Patrick applies his vast personal experience as a shooting man to the guns that bear the Macnab 'badge', working with the manufacturers to deliver good handling even on the cheapest models.

In Spain, for example, Arrieta and Garbi produce 'side-by-sides' to an exacting specification for Macnab - handmade in the same way as the best London guns were in the 1930s.

Macnab also has an extensive range of high grade 'over and unders' made in Italy by companies like Sabatti - a family-run business founded in 1674 - and Rizzini.

The value of the Macnab range is enhanced by using the world's leading gun engraver C Giovanelli - who has the only engraving university in the world, in Brescia in northern Italy.

Patrick, working with technicians at the factories, designs three or four new models a year - tailoring ribs, stocks, grips, and engravings to enhance handling and appearance.

There are now 35 in the range to suit every requirement from first gun to prized investment.

Some special guns are made to order - and there's usually a waiting list. "We've just made a pair of MacNab Garbis for Lord James Percy (brother of the Duke of Northumberland) who is arguably one of the finest shots in the world."

Macnab also stocks a variety of guns from companies like the renowned rifle makers Shultz and Larsen of Denmark.

Hanging on the wall of the showroom is the head of a fiercesome wild boar - a reminder of the boss's remarkable experiences as a game shot! The boar was shot dead by Patrick in Tunisia as it charged his shooting party!

Patrick was born in 1941 into a military family. His great grandfather, Sir Frederick Keen, was the first subaltern to breach the wall at the siege of Lucknow, northern India in 1857. His father was in the Royal Hampshires then became deputy governor of Guyana.

Patrick enlisted in the Royal Engineers in 1958, went on to Sandhurst and was commissioned into the 1st Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment where he excelled in rifle shooting - representing Great Britain in NATO and CENTO matches.

His army exploits included freefall parachute jumping, flying Tigermoths and leading the first expedition to reach the King George VI falls in the far reaches of the Amazon in British Guyana - then believed to be the highest in the world.

He retired with the rank of captain in 1969 and set up in business exporting gunsights worldwide to both military and civilian markets.

In 1971 he co-founded GunMark (now GMK, the largest distributor in the UK). Patrick always enjoyed classic cars and racing - achieving considerable success at Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Thruxton. In 1981 he won the British Thoroughbred Sportscar Championship in a Morgan Plus 4.

Having conquered the road he turned to the sea - buying a Thames sailing barge, Kitty, and a Baltic schooner, Helga, to run as a charter business based in Southampton. He also set up a company to act as brokers for fine yachts.

In 1990 the recession forced him to part with much of this business but he retained his gun interests.

Living and working from The Old Coach House, Blairgowrie, in Perthshire, Patrick successfully dealt in top quality British guns while his wife Caroline, a cordon bleu cook, catered for shooting and fishing parties and provided holiday lets.

During his time at Blairgowrie Patrick set up 'John Macnab', named after the famous John Buchan book. Through his regular attendance at game fairs across the UK he ensured the brand quickly became a guarantee of excellence and quality.

In his time Patrick has pursued alligators in the Amazon from a dugout canoe, shot snipe in Thailand and duck in Saskatoon and hunted wild boar in Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia. And he's still undertaking game shooting adventures overseas at the age of 64. But he also gets enormous pleasure from rough shooting closer to home, working with his border terrier and black labrador.

In recent years one of Patrick's main interests has been his involvement in the annual BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) Macnab Challenge. For more information log onto www.macnab.co.uk or www.patrickkeenguns.co.uk