Holland & Holland, 98 New Bond Street,
London
'The Royal Patent Safety Hammerless Ejector'
12 bore Bar Action, Sidelock Ejector
No. 12456
Date of manufacture: 1889
Click on these images for more detail.
Heritage
Guns' Comment
Holland & Holland records
show that this gun was finished in 1889 for 'A Jessal', it is
in unusually good condition for its age and is a very lovely example
of Holland & Holland's 'flag ship' gun.
As with so many older guns, the
damascus barrels had been soft solder sleeved and we have recently
re-sleeved the gun using the so-called 'Invisible Sleeving' TIG
welding method and re-proofed it for 2 3/4" cartridges. The
original case accompanied this gun when we purchased it and would
be available to the purchaser, relined and equipped with some
accessories, at additional cost.
With its excellent weight, interceptor
sears, long stock and 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.
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The action is of combined Holland
& Robertson design and features:
Traces of original colour hardening;
'Dip Edge' lockplates;
Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide;
Bar action locks with bolstered tumbler pivots;
Holland & Robertson 's cocking levers;
Breech face 'Gas Checks';
'Patent Safety Lock' interceptor sears;
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 split extractors
and Anson's push rod forend catch.
Gun weight 7lb 1oz
Engraving style Best Fine Foliate Scroll. 'WINNER OF ALL THE "FIELD"
RIFLE TRIALS, LONDON' on top rib;'THE "ROYAL" PATENT SAFETY
HAMMERLESS EJECTOR' on underside
of action; Top lever engraved 'HOLLAND & HOLLAND PATENT NO 23'
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 3/4 lbs
Rear trigger 4lbs
The damascus to steel TIG sleeved barrels are 30" in length,
chambered for 2 3/4" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail'
construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, concave game type.
London reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2011.
Approximate barrel measurements
at date of publication:
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Nominal Proof Size
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Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
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Minimum Wall Thickness
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Choke Constriction
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Right Barrel |
18.5mm (0.728")
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0.727"
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0.031" Minimum
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0.010" (IC)
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Left Barrel |
18.5mm (0.728")
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0.727"
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0.033" Minimum
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0.017" (Mod)
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Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend
are crafted from highly figured walnut. There are 3 small repair inlet
to the forend wood edge.
The approx 24 lines per inch chequering
has been freshened to normal sidelock pattern. The stock is cast off
for a right-handed shot, features a vacant white metal oval and well
defined drop points and is finished with a horn butt plate secured by
engraved screws. Although not the original wood, we believe it was probably
restocked by a H&H craftsman as it has both a diamond grip and swept
comb, both traditional H&H features. The inletting is of very good
quality. The gun balances about 1" in front of the hinge pin.
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
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Pull to Bump
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Pull to Centre
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Pull to Toe
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15"
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15 1/8"
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15"
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15 1/2"
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Drop at Comb
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Drop at Face
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Drop at Heel
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1 9/16"
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1 3/4"
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2 7/16"
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Cast at Comb
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Cast at Heel
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1/4" (approximate)
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7/16" (approximate)
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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,
Holland & Robertson's cocking lever patent no. 23 of 1883,
Holland & Robertson's interceptor sears patent no. 5834 of 1887,
Holland & Robertson's ejector patent no. 16691 of 1888,
'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.