doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Restocking a Holland and Holland Royal

I actually feel fortunate that I do not own an H & H Royal in need of a stock replacement.

Ding, Ding, Ding!!!!!

You, Sir, are the winner! First place trophy, in this case, is hanging on to your wallet, and continuing to hunt with your current, restock not needed, shotguns.

You are fortunate, indeed. That makes at least two of us, anyway.

Best,
Ted

A profound statement there, Ted. Thanks for such useful insight.

A sixteen gauge Holland Royal in need of a restocking..... ahhh I think I'd take that headache.

PS Pay Hodgins, be happy.

check with the acgg site lots of really good stock makers american checkering is the best so you have that going for you

I agree that a 16 gauge Royal is a rare and neat gun. One may want to consider if this particular Royal is of the first, second, or third lock design. The latter seems the most valuable and could stand the additional dollars more easily.

If you send an H&H back for repairs/restocking through their US showroom, is that a less expensive than shipping a gun back directly?

Paul Hodgins is as good as anyone working today, in my opinion. He is expensive but you get what you pay for. By way of comparison, We are re-stocking a Holland & Holland 12-bore for a client in the UK right now. The total cost, including wood, to re-stock the butt and forend is �6,500 plus VAT. Without the forend, you can reduce the cost by �1,000. Getting the gun to the UK is trickier if it is post 1898, as you need a UK individual import and export licence as well asa USA for m 6 from the ATF dept. It is not 'difficult' but it does require someone to do it and it takes time and therefore costs money.

"GrouseGunner," I most enthusiastically third the previous recommendations of Paul Hodgins (tel.: 435-753-2796) as your gunstock maker of choice. I also commend to you another correspondent's suggested method of cognitively spreading the cost of restocking over whatever period of time you intend to use the gun as a sound way of considering cost versus benefit. The initial cost of restocking may be substantial, but that cost is then spread over the many years of service gun and a finely made (and fitted to your individualized measurements, do not forget) and finished stock will subsequently provide you. It is also vitally important that the chosen professional gun-stocker make the critical final selection of the wood slab from which he will shape, finish and chequer your stock(s).

Mr. Hodgin's quality work on my antique and vintage guns has been superb and faultless in every aspect. As well, his restoration work (wood and metal, by the way), though not the subject here, is equally so. He is an articled gunmaker (as is Kirk Merrington, also previously mentioned, tel.: 830-367-2937) and can perform all work associated with building, stocking, or repairing a gun or rifle.

Correspondent "Smallbore" (whose opinion I also highly respect) has personally seen an example of the restoration work (and of course seen other examples of his work too) Mr. Hodgins performs with respect to one of my high grade W. W. Greener guns, and therefore can rightfully attest, as he earlier did here, to the first quality of Mr. Hodgin's work. Most will not know that Mr. Merrington, who solely performs all my gun barrel work, whether smooth bore or rifled tubes, began his illustrious career as a gunstocker with, if memory serves, the firm of Churchill. My point is that when Mr. Merrington recommends someone to me within the same professional trade, his opinion definitely influences my decision concerning which peer should be seriously considered to perform work he himself does not undertake. And he recommends Mr. Hodgins.

Like many of this site's correspondents presumably, I admittedly am something of a perfectionist, and thus prefer to commission other professionals, artisans or craftsmen, to whom my hard-earned custom eventually will be remitted, who evince the same perfectionism, in order for me to ultimately realize the production of best quality work that meets my personal expectations. In that respect, Mr. Hodgins will not disappoint.

Good luck with your anticipated project! I know you will enjoy the 16-bore Holland & Holland 'Royal' that you currently have under consideration for purchase, if and once restocked. Which small bore, in my opinion and from direct experience afield, I have come to know as the nonpareil upland game gun bore. With my


Best regards,

Edwardian

The above inevitably bring to mind scenes from my visit at Perazzi: an order for a stock was received, executed and couriered in less than four hours, guaranteed that it would fit when it arrived. The fitting needing no more than a hex driver.

No, I am not comparing the H&H to the Perazzi. It is the process that seems so anachronistic. The fit of the Perazzi stock "wings" and tang are no less demanding than the lock plates of the H&H, yet there is no equiavalent machine for the Holland (and others), even though the metal work at the factory went over to CNC years ago.

Whoever develops software for precision stock inletting for shotguns will make a packet. Inletting by using the metal work as reference, and not merely copying. I know it is done for other things using laser scanners in conjunction with programs like Solidworks. Once the inletting is done the stockmaker can take over the shaping and other subtleties at a lower cost and much shorter time.