doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Still Finding Sleepers

I amazes me that I still manage to turn up guns that have been sleeping for decades. Sometimes it seems like everything has been through the trade several times. But not so.....

Just came back from Scotland having picked up a pair of 1898 Joseph Harkom boxlocks in their original blue lined case, lovely gold washed internals and lots of condition. One is a bit thin in the barrels but perfectly shootable and they are lovely. External finish is mostly in tact on the metal work.

On top of that I took a punt on a H. Holland 12-bore hammer gun, turns out that the walls are thick and the pits will come out. I'll nitro proof it in London for 70mm chambers, re-finish the woodwork, brown the 30" damascus barrels and off we go. I love finding grime encrusted old guns and peeling off the crud to find the quality underneath and inside.

It was made in 1870. Dirty fingernails, happy afternoon spent stripping and cleaning the old thing.

I wonder what will turn up next?

I'm envious. Most American shops have picked over, botched up guns. It's rare to find an unmolested example.

They are still out there, hiding in closets and other places....Last year I found a mint 1929 Sterlingworth with 100% blue and 99% case colors, unmolested.......half the fun is the search.......same with old cars and other period treasures......all from better times when we still had craftsman on the job......and before plastic......

You won't find anything in 'any shop', you must go much deeper than that........

Hello Dig,

You are being very cruel!

JC

P.S.: That H. Holland would have a loving home down here. jc

Or I wouldn't mind inheriting the Thomson you got for fifty quid:


JC

The Holland was in a similar state to the Thompson when I picked it up. No wall gauge available but I had a bore gauge. It was 13-bore originally and still measures tighter than .719 so I knew it had not seen an enormous amount of lapping. Pits are quite bad but four thou should take them all out.

Lucky for me, when I got it back home and measured the walls they show minimum 30 thou' even at the bottom of the very deepest pits. Stock was filthy but wood is proud of the metal and strong. It cleaned up nicely. Forend wood needs some work. It even has the original chequer in good condition. It just seems to have been kept and not cleaned but has not been worn out with use.

The only adjustment I need to make is to the trigger sears, which have been worked on. A minor thing, but I like to get everything right, and I can feel the slight play in the hammer when pulled back to cock, where it should come to a crisp stop.

I'm hoping the Holland will be shootable by August so I can take it to Africa to shoot francolin and guineas, otherwise the Thompson will be going back for her third trip.

I get much more attached to a gun when I have rescued it myself and find a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure in shooting it.

I won't tell you what I paid for it because you would kill me.

My latest "sleeper" but didn't come cheap like those Dig ferrets out!









And fortunately, it's a rifle! Much more useful than a shotty for us mountain hicks.

Curl

You have Excellent taste as always curl.....a lovely rifle. What is the caliber?

Steve,

It's a .450BPE, a very useful cartridge. It's been the house only a week or so. Full details to come, probably on NE.com.

Curl

oh pleeese "mountain hicks" don't use stuff like this but folks with estate and winery next to it do. "mountain hick" is pretty lucky if he shoots brand new remi 700....it's usually a savage bolt gun. i don't even look at vintage english stuff as most of it in us is far too expensive or has seen plenty of local "gunsmithing" jobs which frankly put scares me half to death. in england and rest of europe with stricter gun ownership rules and fewer collectors is much more fertile hunting grounds for vintage stuff. most young shooters want berettas or browning and lucky rich ones a perazzi.