I saw this gorgeous gun at a gun show in Texas last weekend, but didn't know enough about it to buy it. The owner said the estate it came out of had sent the gun back to Holland and Holland to get completely restored. It was tight as a drum and absolutely beautiful. Should I buy it?

WOW !!
And it was in fine company.

I like the 52C Sporter

You should have seen what this guy had. He even had a single shot 4 gauge. Everything was in excellent shape, no junk.

It’s a beautiful rifle. If the asking price on the tag is right, I think it might be a bit high. Was there engraving that doesn’t show in that pic?

No engraving, just beautiful color/case, bluing and wood…

Choices like this are tough. These old rifles are unique and if you don’t get it now it’s likely gone forever. And we don’t extra points when we leave this world for the money we have left in the bank. So if it speaks to you, buy it.

The argument against buying that particular rifle is that at $12,500 you are probably paying more than you would if you were willing spend time combing auctions and talking to sellers.

I have two double rifles. Both purchased in the past 3 years for under $6K each. I look at a lot of listings before I buy. To me the hunt is as much fun as owning. And ultimately much of what I buy in turn gets sold to pay for something else I had to have. So I can afford this hobby only if I don’t lose money when letting things go. And to me, even with a letter from H&H saying they did the work, the price is ~4K high. A case, dies, brass and other accessories could reduce that. It’s also worth noting that I mostly look for guns that were on the higher end of their respective maker’s output vs pure working guns from good makers. H&H is top tier, but I am biased against plain guns when buying doubles.

So get it if it really speaks to you but only if it does and you think you’ll feel that way for a few years. Good luck.

Chris

I just wish I still had my $1200 Purdey hammer double.

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Thanks for the input. This is what I was looking for when I posted this. The owner told me that the Holland and Holland restoration was more than the asking price of the gun. A 500/450 BPE is too much gun for me to mess with considering the unknowns.

I bought a Henry Clarke double rifle in 7X57R several years ago for the same reason and I don’t shoot it much. Holland and Holland rings a bigger bell, so I didn’t want to pass on a potential gem.

It is such a beautiful piece, being Holland and Holland, I thought there may be much more meat on the bone than that. He also has a Winchester 1876 in 50 express and that is some serious material that I will continue to find out if I can get it. I am more proficient in lever action rifles than doubles.