Holland & Holland, 98 New Bond Street, London
12 bore 'Royal' Bar Action, Sidelock Ejector
No. 12320 No 2 of Pair
Date of manufacture: 1889

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Heritage Guns' Comment

Holland & Holland records show that this gun was finished as No 2 of a pair in 1889 for 'Lambton' but later sold to 'Crisp' and is a very lovely example of Holland & Holland's 'flag ship' gun. On the back of the action is stamped 'JR' which tells us that this gun was at least actioned in the famous workshops of John Robertson, later proprietor of Boss & Co. It is very likely that Robertson actually completed this gun in its entirety for Hollands as he was well known for also screwing and stocking a huge number of guns for the London trade.
This gun came to us with its pair, gun no 12319, but as the barrels had been soft solder sleeved by Westley Richards in 1979 we took our time having them TIG welded to remove the clearly visible joint. In the meantime, work on 12319 moved on and it was completed, with single Leather & Brass case, in time for the September '17 Vintage Gunner Cup. Fortunately, it did not sell and can now be offered as a true pair of very Best guns in a double Oak & Leather case. There is an antique repair to the right lockplate that shows a very high level of workmanship, being almost invisible from the outside. With its excellent weight, interceptor sears, beautiful stock and great barrel dimensions, this gun would make a fine target or game gun for the discerning shooter.

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;
Gold washed tumblers and 'Patent Block Safety' interceptor sears;
Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide;
Breech face 'Patent Gas Checks';
Top lever operating a 'Purdey Bolt' by way of a 'Scott Spindle';
Top rib extension providing a 3rd bite;
Holland & Robertson's patent ejector
and Anson's push rod forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 5oz
Engraving style Best Fine Bouquet & Scroll. '"THE ROYAL" PATENT SAFETY HAMMERLESS EJECTOR' on underside of action; Top lever engraved 'HOLLAND & HOLLAND PATENT No 23'. Gold inlaid 'SAFE' at safety slide. Triggerguard, forend iron engraved and top rib gold inlaid '2'.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ¼ lbs Rear trigger 4 ¼ lbs
The TIG sleeved damascus/steel barrels are 28" in length, chambered for 2 3/4" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail' construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the sunken, concave game type. Bores are clean and bright.
Birmingham reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2018.

Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

 
Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction
Right Barrel
18.5mm (0.728")
0.729"
0.035"
0.007" (IC)
Left Barrel
18.5mm (0.728")
0.730"
0.032"
0.023" (IM)

Original Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is cast off for a right-handed shot, features a vacant white metal oval, well defined drop points and is finished with a 1" leather covered recoil pad. The forend features a finely engraved diamond and steel tip and has a single inlet repair to its edge.
Highly Figured Stock

The 22-24 lines per inch chequering has been freshened to 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 5/8"
14 3/4"
14 3/4"
15 1/8"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 9/16"
1 3/4"
2 1/4"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel
1/8" approx.
3/8" approx.

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;
Holland & Robertson cocking lever patent no 23 of 1883;
'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.