doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Harry Leonard Gunmaker

Anyone have solid info on this 19th and 20th century British gunmaker? I understand that one of his main claims to fame is that he made at least the barrels for many of the famous Jeffery double rifles.

There was a Daniel Leonard, gunmaker. I believe he made guns for Jeffery.
A relative maybe ?

Nigel Brown lists a Henry Leonard, Barrelmaker, at 13 St Mary's Row, Birmingham c.1890-c.1897 and the same Henry Leonard as Gunmaker at 35 Whittal Street, B'Ham from 1913 to 1918.

Harry Leonard built my Jeffery 12 bore double. An extraordinarily dependable weapon, it's my main choice when going after birds in any and all forms of terra firma. It's been thrown to the side, out front, wherever whenever I knew I was heading for the ground with my boot caught in a root or whatever. It always survived, sometimes a lot better than I have.

And yes, he and I believe his son Daniel built some Jeffery double rifles as well. Cal Pappas' book THE BRITISH BORE RIFLE has 3 or 4 nice examples to admire.

Oh yes, Bob - I forgot to mention that he built more than just the barrels. Also include the "innards" and of course the famous "bowed back" of the action that is the hallmark of a Leonard double.

Bob,
There is an excellent write up on Daniel Leonard in Douglas Tates book ,"The Birmingham Gun Makers,"pages 84-87,pictures included.
Best Wishes to all for 2013.
Roy

my 1906 W J Jeffery sle with "Best scroll & dog engraving" according to the ledger was produced by Leonard, Rooke and Hodgetts. This gun looks like a bar action sidelock but is actually a back action. A friend let a scroll back Jeffery/Leonard boxlock get away, it was a beauty

Leonard also built the A. Hollis double rifles as well as many if not most of Jeffery's. The hallmark of a Leonard firearm is a 3 or 4 digit number on underside of barrel just under the fore-arm. I am working on an article about Hollis double rifles and Leonard as builder for DGJ. As far as we can tell, Leonard built complete rifles and guns for Hollis and Jeffery. Not sure if engraving was done by the retailer of by Leonard, but the Leonard and Jeffery rifles we've studied are identical.
Bob

My rifle has the four digit number and also a very small "HL" stamped near the numbers. I had read somewhere that that, of course, is the gold standard in being able to firmly designate a gun as a Leonard build.

Here's a link with another mention . It's on the anonymous post about halfway down.
Incidentally, I wonder if Samuel A Leonard was a relative too ?
If you search w.j.Jeffrey history on the same site there are some more snippets and dates concerning H.Leonard&co
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