Holland & Holland, 98 New Bond Street, London
16 bore 'Royal’ Bar Action, Sidelock Ejector
No. 12035
Date of manufacture: 1888
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
||||
 |
|||||
Click on these images for more detail.
|
Heritage Guns' Comment
Holland & Holland records show that this gun was finished in
1888 for ‘Vernon’ and it is a very lovely example of Holland &
Holland's first 'flag ship' gun.
That the original damascus barrels have survived in functional condition is pretty amazing as most Hollands of this age have either been rebarrelled, sleeved or badly in need of such. The stocking is thought to be original albeit shortened at some point in the past and the quality of walnut quite breathtaking. We have had the stock lengthened and rebalanced by a highly respected stocker which has brought the stock back to more useable dimensions with a beautifully matched walnut extension. With its excellent weight and balance, interceptor sears, fine stock and barrel dimensions, this gun would make a superb target or game gun for the discerning shooter. Presented in its ‘Maker’s Oak & Leather case with some accessories. WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT US.
|
The
action
is of combined Holland & Robertson design and features:
Bar action,
'Dip Edge', nine pin locks with bolstered tumbler pivots;
Double
triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide;
Breech face
'Gas Checks'; ‘Block Patent Safety' interceptor sears;
Top lever
operating a 'Purdey Bolt' by way of a 'Scott Spindle';
Top rib
extension providing a 3rd bite;
Holland’s patent cocking levers;
Holland & Robertson's patent ejector
and Anson's push rod forend
catch.
The gun balances
½” in front of the hinge pin.
Engraving style Best Fine
Bouquet & Scroll. Beaded fences.
Underside of action engraved '”THE
ROYAL” PATENT SAFETY HAMMERLESS EJECTOR';
Top lever engraved
‘HOLLAND & HOLLAND PATENT NO.23’.
Top rib engraved ‘WINNERS OF ALL
THE FIELD RIFLE TRIALS LONDON 1883’.
Gold inlaid ‘SAFE’.
Gun weight 6lb 3oz.
Trigger pulls measure
approximately: Front 3 ¾ lbs Rear 4lbs.
The re-browned
original damascus barrels are 29 ½ " in length,
chambered
for 2 ¾ " (70mm) cartridges
and are of brazed 'dovetail'
construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of smooth, concave, game type.
Bores show a little vestigial pitting.
Birmingham
reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2020.
Note: The
Proof House marked the bore sizes incorrectly and has since corrected
this,
over-marking 17.1 with 17.2.
Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:
|
Nominal Proof Size
|
Bore Diameter 9"
from Breech |
Minimum Wall Thickness
|
Choke Constriction
|
|
|
|
17.2mm (0.677")
|
0.676"
|
0.021"
|
0.011" (IC)
|
Left Barrel |
17.2mm (0.677")
|
0.677"
|
0.023"
|
0.014"
(Mod)
|
The Original Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is lightly cast off for a right-handed shot, features an engraved white metal oval (coronet over ‘A’), well defined drop points and is finished with a 2” well matched walnut extension. There is one larger and one small inlet repair to the forend edge.
The forend is fitted with a finely engraved, steel forend tip, diamond and Anson pushrod tip.
 |
Highly Figured Walnut
|
 |
The 24 lines per inch chequering is refreshed
to a normal sidelock pattern.
The stock is finished with a traditional linseed oil based
preparation as used on best guns by one of the top English makers.
This finish uses no grain fillers to achieve its deep, smooth lustre,
only many hours of alternate build and flatting off of the surface.
Approximate stock measurements at date of publication:
|
Pull to Heel
|
Pull to Bump
|
Pull to Centre
|
Pull to Toe
|
|
14 7/8"
|
15"
|
15"
|
15 3/8"
|
|
Drop at Comb
|
Drop at Face
|
Drop at Heel
|
|
1 7/16"
|
1 5/8"
|
2 1/8"
|
|
Cast-off at Comb
|
Cast-off at Heel
|
|
1/4" (approximate)
|
5/16" (approximate)
|
For the purposes of these measurements,
'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular
to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8"
from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).
Patents Exhibited include:
Scott's
gas check patent no. 617 of 1882,
Needham & Hinton interceptor
sears patent no. 706 of 1879,
Holland & Robertson's ejector patent
no. 11623 of 1887,
'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863,
'Scott Spindle' patent no. 2752 of 1865,
Scott's top extension
patent no. 1902 of 1875,
Anson’s forend fastener patent no. 3791
of 1872.