Holland & Holland, 98 New Bond Street, London
12 bore 'Royal’ Bar Action, Sidelock Ejector
No. 14145
Date of manufacture: 1891
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Click on these images for more detail.
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Heritage Guns' Comment
Holland & Holland records show that this gun was finished in
1891 for ‘Munday’ and is a very lovely example of Holland &
Holland's 'flag ship' gun. The origin of the replacement
barrels is unknown but we know from the proof marks that they
were made circa 1960. Records of rebarrelling of these early
Royals is notoriously patchy and all we can say is that the
work is of top quality and may have been done in house by the
Makers. The restocking is thought to be more recent but we
have no indication of just when it was done. However it is the
work of a professional and very experienced stocker and this
might lead one to assume that the work was done by a stocker
with considerable experience of H&H stocks, maybe even an
ex-H&H worker. The gun balances almost exactly on the hinge
pin. 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.
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:
Rounded, bar
action;
'Dip Edge', 9 pin bar 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.
There is some light pitting and
staining to the forend iron and under-bar.
Gun weight 6lb
12oz.
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’.
Beaded fences.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½ lbs Rear
trigger 4lbs.
The replacement 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 concave game type.
Bores are clean and
bright.
Birmingham reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges
2017.
Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:
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Nominal Proof Size
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Bore Diameter 9"
from Breech |
Minimum Wall Thickness
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Choke Constriction
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18.5mm (0.728")
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0.730"
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0.024"
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0.005"
(Skeet)
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Left Barrel |
18.5mm (0.728")
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0.730"
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0.023"
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0.018"
(Mod)
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Replacement Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend
are crafted from well figured walnut.
The stock is lightly
cast-off for a right-handed shot, features a gold oval engraved ‘MB’,
well defined drop points and is finished chequered butt.
The forend is fitted with a finely engraved steel
forend tip, diamond and Anson pushrod tip.
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Well Figured Walnut
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The 26 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:
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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
3/16"
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15
1/8"
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15
3/8"
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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
5/8"
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2 1/8"
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Cast-off at Comb
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Cast-off at Heel
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Negligible
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3/16" (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,
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.