If the fine-gun trade ever needed a guiding light for creating “sets” of guns, Holland & Holland could provide the loadstar. Through the years the London gunmaker has created numerous sets of multiple guns, beginning with “The 1968 Set of Five.” Fast-forward 55 years, and H&H has proffered another quintet called “The Quail Five.”
The guns are built on the firm’s Royal over/under action in 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge as well as .410 with consecutive serial numbers, and they feature single triggers and Prince of Wales grips. The brushed-bright actions have pinless locks without the familiar hand-detachable levers—all the better to give free range to Allan Portsmouth’s scenes of quail hunting. Portsmouth was apprenticed to Holland & Holland in the 1980s and now freelances for the likes of Ray Ward, Westley Richards and William Evans. His skill with fine bulino is the crosspin on which his success hinges.
The Quail Five’s 12-bore features scenes of a Georgia bobwhite shoot, while the 16 shows a Gambel’s quail hunt in Arizona. The 20-bore has mountain quail with a backdrop of the Mount Shasta area of Northern California. The 28-bore is engraved with scaled quail in a Texas landscape, and the .410 features Mearns (Montezuma) quail in New Mexico. Additional engraving is credited to Sam Faraway.
The chopper-lump barrels have 2¾" chambers and feature solid game ribs. The 12, 16 and 20 have 30" barrels, while the sub-gauges are 29". All are choked Half (Modified) in the upper barrel and Three-Quarter (Improved Modified) in the lower.
At press time the guns were available, with the “vacant” gold ovals awaiting the new owner’s initials. For more information, email Holland & Holland at retail@holland&holland.com.
