IGC - Forum

Nigel Brown, who researched and wrote the magnificent three volume opus 'British Gunmakers', has died. Those of us who appreciate and enthuse over fine British sporting guns have much to be grateful to him for the work he carried out. He recorded in detail the efforts of not only the better known na...

I’ve not heard of duckbill in connection with dipped locks, similar to those used often at that time by Lancaster and Rigby as well as Holland and Holland on their Dominion models. As to grade, this gun appears to be a Rogers action. It also has the barrel lump visible through the underside of the a...

With a serial number that large I’d guess the gun to be a trade gun sold by the fellow Anson.

Chances are it would be one of the large Birmingham firms that made it.

Tim

Mmmmm. Don't like the look of that at all!

That appears to have been badly scribed in after the event. Why? Who knows, but it looks wrong to me.

Tim

To me that looks like the barrel makers mark.

Most Birmingham barrel makers did not bother to mark their barrels, or tubes. Some did. I do not know who this might be though, sorry.

Tim

Paul, It would be helpful to know the serial number, from which we may be able to give an approximate date of manufacture. Of course, another give away is in the name on your rifle. 'I Hollis & Sons' being a part of the large Hollis, Bentley & Playfair gunmaking Loveday Street, Birmingham ba...

Hi Rick, Afraid this is likely to be an impossible question to answer, in the absence of any relevant paperwork, which is highly unlikely. Since the firm were smack in the middle of the Birmingham Gun Quarter, mostly Whittall Street and Steelhouse Lane, they would have used the army of outworkers sc...

Hi Rick, It will, I fear, be almost an impossibility to pin this down to a particular engraver or gunmaker. The gun would appear to be a typical between the wars Birmingham boxlock with minimal bead engraving. This style was popular in the late 1920s when the economic situation was not good and show...

Do you have a photo you can post, Rick?

Sounds intriguing. I've always had an interest in self or assisted opening boxlocks, for which there are very few patents. Gough Thomas had an interesting one but sadly very few examples were made, all I believe by Westley Richards.

Tim

No more auctions or viewing in London for Holt's. Henceforth all Holt's auctions will take place at their Norfolk premises on the Sandringham estate. Diggory has written a good piece on it here: https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/holt-s-abandon-london On a personal level I view this as a shame. ...