When we think of Westley Richards, the “boxlock” and the “droplock” naturally spring to mind; but the famed Birmingham firearms maker has built guns on all manner of actions—some proprietary, some not. Recently the company began production of a limited line of Woodward-style over/unders, and now comes news that it has created a very special pair of Holland & Holland Royal-type side-by-sides.
The Holland & Holland Royal was a development rather than an invention. Introduced in 1885, the Royal featured simplified and refined locks and ejectors, and in 1922 was added a self-opening system that finalized the elegant design so familiar today. Westley Richards has offered London-pattern sidelocks in the past, but the current pair is unlike anything previously seen.
Detailed in a post on the company’s “Explora” blog titled “Westley Richards Finest Museum Grade 12 Bore Sidelock Shotguns,” the pair is shown to feature engraving on an equine theme by Paul Lantuch. Westley’s has long had recourse to a stable of thoroughbred engravers, but even by the firm’s own standards, this pair is extraordinary. A silver string of riderless horses runs rampant against a stippled, matte-black background, creating a chiaroscuro drama that is both subtle and bold. A single horse cavorts on the toplever of each gun, and lines of horses are carved into the barrels, galloping from the actions toward the muzzles. The fences are carved and stippled, as well, and there is sparse gold inlay on the ribs, toplevers and top and bottom tangs.
Don’t ask how much you would have to pony up for the pair. Wild horses wouldn’t drag it out of me.
For more information, visit westleyrichards.com/us/theexplora and search for “finest museum grade.”
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