Holland
& Holland, 98 New Bond Street, London
12 bore 'Royal' Bar Action,
Sidelock Ejector
no. 14897
Date of
manufacture: 1892
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Click on these images for more detail.
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Heritage
Guns' Comment
This is a very fine example of Holland & Holland's 'flag ship' gun
from the last few years of the 19th Century and it is in unusually
good condition for its age. Hollands opened their new gun
manufacturing complex in north London in 1893 and this superb gun
was one of the first of the new, ‘2nd Type’ Royals to
be completely built in house as they transitioned to their new
factory and away from having their guns built by outworkers.
A fantastic gun, superb value at only £11995 |
The action
is of Holland own design and features:
Double triggers bolted by an
automatic top tang safety slide;
Bar action, 9 pin locks; Gold lined
cocking indicators; Interceptor Sears;
Top lever operating a 'Purdey
Bolt' by way of a 'Scott Spindle';
Holland’s ‘AB’ ejector and
Anson's push rod forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 12oz
Engraving style Best ‘Royal’ Bold Foliate Scroll.
Floral details and scallop shell motif on beaded fences.
Ropework borders.
Gold
inlaid ‘SAFE’. Toplever engraved ‘PATENT EJECTOR’.
Under-bar
engraved ‘ROYAL HAMMERLESS EJECTOR’.
A few forging marks to the
under-bar.
Triggerguard, barrels, forend iron and action flats
marked ‘14897’.
Barrels engraved with Maker’s details and
‘MADE
OF SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH’S FLUID PRESSED STEEL’.
Barrels stamped with
the Whitworth trade mark.
Locks signed in scrolling cartouche.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½ lbs
Rear trigger 4 ¼ lbs
The Original Whitworth Steel barrels are
29" in length, chambered for 2 ¾ " (70mm) cartridges
and are of
brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib
is of the smooth, concave game type.
Bores exhibit a few small
vestigial pits.
Birmingham reproof for 70mm nitro powder
cartridges and interchangeable chokes in 2025.
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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18.7mm (0.736") |
0.736"
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0.027"
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Teague thin-wall
choke tubes in nominal sizes |
Left Barrel |
18.7mm (0.736") |
0.736"
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0.027"
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0.005”(SK),
0.010”(IC) 0.020”(M), 0.030”(IM) |
Replacement Straight Hand Stock and Original Splinter Forend are crafted from well figured walnut. The stock is cast-off for a right handed Shot and features a vacant gold oval, well defined drop points and is finished with a hand chequered butt end.
The forend has a finely engraved diamond and steel tip.
The gun balances ¼” in front of the knuckle.
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Well Figured Walnut
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The 22 lines per inch chequering
has been
freshened to their original 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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14 3/4"
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14 7/8"
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14 7/8"
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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 1/2"
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1 3/4"
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2 3/8"
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Cast at Comb
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Cast at Heel
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3/16"
(approximate)
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1/2" (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:
'Purdey
Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
'Scott Spindle' patent no. 2752 of
1865;
Southgate ejector patent
no. 12314 of 1889;
Beasley ejector trip patent no. 20979 of 1889;
Anson's
forend fastener patent no. 3791 of 1872.