The Holland & Holland Royal Double Rifle: A Love Letter To A Lost World

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Thanks gentlemen, it was well lubricated by Scotch. To paraphrase a writer in modern fiction, "It's either complete crap or decent, and I can't tell. That's usually a good sign."
 
Neat rifle. Nice article. As you feel about these rifles, I feel about British motorcycles from the halcyon days.
 
"What you own never matters, it is what you do that means something."

Having had a recent reminder of that, to see it put in words this morning was just what I needed.
 
Thanks guys, enjoyed writing it, and the kind words are appreciated best reward is if others enjoy it.
 
I've owned a few British doubles (not rifles) and know the craftsmanship that goes into one. I lusted after a H & H Dominion for many years but was never able afford one.

I'm in the process of selling all of my game guns. The British gun will be the hardest to part with. Lots of memories there.

Great article, enjoyed it.

Thanks.
 
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Plumb poetical.

But I don't think I would go bear hunting with ammo that I knew for sure was prone to misfire.

Trivia: The Royal was not the top of the H&H line. The Modele Deluxe, now listed as Royal Deluxe, was substantially more expensive.
 
Indeed on all counts, except this model (Single Trigger, Double Rifle) retailed higher than the De Luxe. The De Luxe was a slightly curious arrangement of features as many feature the same engraving as this one, and I believe in certain years in the period H&H offered only the De Luxe. Indeed the 1910 catalog only shows the De Luxe, and the Single Trigger. The 1910 catalog prices the Single Trigger shotgun and De Luxe double rifle both at 100 Guineas, the Single Trigger Double Rofle was more. Of course, they would make anything you ordered. By the time this one was optioned out, it was at the top of H&H's price scale. Not that it matters much, every double they made was extraordinary.

As for the bears, I hunt them as half my living (we have an outfitting territory just south of the Alaska border on the North Coast), not too concerned. Would be one of the last great game animals taken with a batch of the stuff. Fresh handloads would be in the other pocket.
 
Sitting here, by an open window in the dark minutes between moon set and sun rise, reading that essay was a true pleasure.
If your writing was "lubricated by scotch" it must have been very good scotch... :)
 
Thank you gentlemen, and Shanghai, sadly not on the Scotch! I was out of everything decent except a dribble of blue label which I'm saving (a gift, I buy single malts myself), finished the Japanese whiskey (Nikka), and had to settle for Glenfiddich 12. All said still a good evening and I can't complain!
 
Nice article. It captured the appeal of these wonderful rifles beautifully.

However one part disturbed me:

Well, two out of three times… one round failed to fire despite three strikes. The Old World really is gone after all it seems. Two rounds have survived, and if I can deem it ethical, one may find its way into a coastal Grizzly / Brown Bear this fall,
Click to expand...

I can understand the appeal of using original ammo on a hunt, really I can. However, I absolutely wouldn't hunt a Grizzly using a double rifle using antique ammo that has already displayed a 33% failure rate. Period.

Time to develop a suitable load using new cases, fresh powder, fresh primers and best of all, modern bullets. The H&H double was designed to be the epitome of reliability and to work no matter what. It deserves to be fed ammo that meets the same standard.
 
That article brought back a fond memory for me. I was at Champlin Firearms in Enid, Oklahoma to pick up a custom rifle. The gunsmith asked me if I was interested in looking in their firearms vault. I walked inside with him and he handed me a large double rifle. It was the rifle used by Robert Redford in the movie Out of Africa. I held it and aimed through the sights with awe. I just felt lucky to hold that rifle even though I would never see it again.
 
The rifle used by Robert Redford in the movie Out of Africa was a Holand & Holand 500/450 Nitro. I held this same rifle and looked down the sights just like Robert Redford. I don't care much for Robert Redford but I sure liked the rifle.
 

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I love the these old rifles. The feeling of history and the aura of a bygone era that they put off calls to me. I own several modern doubles. A classic British double from the peak period of the 1920's to the 1930's is on my list of wants.

While an H&H or a Rigby or Purdey would be wonderful I would be more interested in a working mans double such as a Lang, Army Navy or possibly a Webly & Scott. You get much the same quality at a fraction of the price.

Something like this Watson perhaps....

http://www.champlinarms.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30&ctl=GunsDetails&mid=409&StyleID=3&GunID=2742
 
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Very nice.
Wonder why my distant kin sold up?
Lots of mergers and buyouts in those small companies.

A friend has a P. Webley .450 BPE. Surprisingly for its age, it has steel barrels... with Alex Henry rifling and Henry numbers.
He has not found an equivalent of the load it is regulated for, I would not count on the second shot if much farther than 60 yards.
 
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