Most of my posts appear on the "S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961" forum. I started a thread over there to document my S&W New Century .44 H.E. (Ref.: S&W .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model #15), and in the discussion I made mention of my passion for double rifles.

It's a dangerous thing to ask me about double rifles, and several people on that thread did just that. The most recent reads like this:


I didn't want to take the thread about #15 off topic, so now I'm over here in the Lounge putting together a post about double rifles.

Here are a few photos. Basically they relate to the photo of five rifles I posted on the #15 thread.

This is a mature subject, and viewer discretion is strongly advised:



These are absolute treasures from a bygone era.

Top to bottom:

Alexander Henry .577 2.75" BPE

Alexander Henry .450 3.25" BPE

James Purdey & Sons .500 3" BPE

Alexander Henry .450 3.25" BPE

James Woodward & Sons .450/.400 3.25" BPE

Enjoy!

Curl,
While i know exactly "Zilch" about double-rifles i know beautiful
weapons when i see them and those are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing
and BTW what kind of wood is used on those 5's stocks? Stunning !!
And my wife thinks my passion for S&W is expensive....
I'll be sure to show her this round-up of Doubles. haha

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

Thanks for posting this. Great collection you have!

I grew-up reading Capstick, Hemingway, Raurk
and dreaming of hunting in Africa. I bow hunted plains game there '01.

On the top if my bucket list would be returning to bowhunt a "Duga Boy" I keep a pic of Fred Bear with his Buff in my Arrow Case. Realistically I might not be able to effectively hunt with my 85# recurve by time I can afford the hunt.

I would be happy to hunt with a double in the true spirit of the White Hunters that walked under the Southern Cross.

I've always wanted a classic double, or even a fine drilling. Beautiful examples of firearms from a fascinating time!

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Even older, even crankier....

Hello Capt Curl, good to see you here.

I to am a big fan of Double Rifles and I have hunted with them quite a bit.

They are my favorite rifles to hunt with, along with Drillings.

Curl, have seen your beautiful double rifles over at the NitroExpress site.
New a dentist once who had about 6 or 7. Had them in a rack at the local range. Quite shocking to a lot of shooters when he said there was close to $150K worth of rifles in that rack. Post all you want, always a place for the gunmaker's art. Frank

Alexander Henry .577 2 3/4" BPE double rifle:

The big .577 and the little hammer .450 directly compared. These are just hasty shots - hand held and a little dark, but a lot of fun.





























Life ain't so bad!

Beautiful all! I never had interest in such til I was poking through a friends gun cabinet and fondled what was a 50-90/16ga side by side.

Man I need more money.

James Purdey and Sons .500 BPE Double Rifle

Some photography of the absolutely beautiful hammerless Henry .450:









































Now a few shots of the hammerless Henry .450 compared to the hammer Henry .450:

Absolutely beautiful examples of the gunmakers art.

I've always lusted after a double rifle, drilling, or cape gun. At one point I was considering trying to make my own from a double barrel shotgun. There is a book available that details the process. Building Double Rifles On Shotgun Actions by W. Ellis Brown. I believe it is out of print currently.

Can you give us some of the history on the pieces in your collection?

Thank you for sharing.

David

James Woodward & Sons .450/.400 3.25" Express Double Rifle "The Automatic"






No, this is not a case label. It is a scan of an original James Woodward business card. The card belongs to David Trevallion, who so kindly provided me with the scan.

This card would seem to come from the period between 1851 and 1872. In his work, British Gunmakers, Nigel Brown speculates that Charles Moore left the partnership of Moore & Woodward in 1851. The card must date prior to 1872, because in that year James Woodward joined with his two sons, James and Charles, to form the partnership "James Woodward & Sons."



Above is a reproduction of an advertisement from "Modern Sportsman's Gun & Rifle" by J.H. Walshe ("Stonehenge") published in 1882, that describes the attributes of the action.










The rifle is a best quality SxS by James Woodward & Son of London, SN 4457, delivered to Hon. E.S. Douglas-Pennant in September, 1891.

Born June 10, 1864 in Penrhyn, Caernarvonshire, Wales, Edward Sholto Douglas-Pennant was a scion of the Penrhyn slate dynasty. His father was the Hon. George Sholto Gordon Douglas-Pennant, 2nd Baron Penrhyn of Llandygai, who was to be made famous across the United Kingdom by the great strike of 1900-1903 at Penrhyn Quarry. His mother was Pamela Blanche Rushout. Penrhyn Castle lies near Bangor and Bethesda in north Wales.





In 1903 the Hon. E.S. Douglas-Pennant appears on the roster of the Imperial Yeomanry, Buckinghamshire (Royal Bucks Hussars), headquartered at 23 Carlton House Terrace, London S.W. He was Second in Command, with the rank of Major.

In 1906 he was living in Whittlebury, at Sholebroke Lodge.

On March 10, 1907 the Hon. George Sholto Gordon Douglas-Pennant, 2nd Baron Penrhyn of Llandygai died. Thereupon, the Hon. Edward Sholto Douglas-Pennant succeeded to the estate and title, becoming 3rd Baron Penrhyn of Llandygai.

Life in Wales and good fortune for the Penrhyn Dynasty could never be the same. Accounts of the great quarry strike of 1900-1903 depict it as an epic struggle between the traditional owners of capital and the emerging trade unions. Lord Penrhyn (the 2nd Baron Penrhyn) stubbornly refused to deal with the workers’ committees. Bethesda and its environs suffered, as did the Welsh slate industry as a whole. Sickness and hunger plagued the idle workers. The standoff took its measure of Lord Penrhyn’s wealth, too; the quarry being closed three years. Compounding negative events followed: the Great War, the Great Depression, and the Second World War. The overall result was a precipitous decline in production of Welsh slate. Records show that Wales produced 364,000 tons of slate in 1912. By 1958 output was only one-seventh that amount, and it further declined to 22,000 tons by 1970.

The Hon E.S. Douglas-Pennant died on August 27, 1927 at age 63. His first son, Alan, preceded him in death, tragically killed in action in the Great War. The Penrhyn estate and title descended to his second son, the Hon. Hugh Napier Douglas-Pennant, 4th Baron Penrhyn of Llandygai.

The 4th Baron Penrhyn died June 26, 1949. Perhaps what then occurred is a reflection of the hardships of strikes, wars, and depression. Following his death, in 1952, Penrhyn Castle and a substantial portion of the Penrhyn Estate were ceded to the Treasury in lieu of death taxes, vesting in the National Trust. This history of misfortune may explain why this rifle now has an owner in the United States.











"The Automatic" is a hammerless snap action bar sidelock which operates and cocks by a forward swinging underlever.















Lockup is accomplished by two Purdey underbolts, a doll's head rib extension, and side clips. Operation of the action is butter smooth, in part because of the roller bearing situated on the front of the Purdey type locking bar. I know of no other double action that incorporates this feature. The roller bearing reduces friction between the Purdey locking bar and the rear surface of the front barrel lump.








The exterior metal surfaces are adorned with extremely fine English scroll engraving, perfectly executed.









The rifle is wooded with very nicely figured English walnut. Length of pull is 14 11/16". The oval cheekpiece has double shadow lines. The forend and grip are finished with point pattern checkering. The pistol grip is finished with a horn cap; the butt with a checkered horn plate.







No cocking levers penetrate the action bars. This allows a petite, rounded design, without compromise of strength.








The firing pins, individually fitted, are gold plated. There is an auxiliary set of firing pins and an extra front sight with the accessories in the case. The front sight has a white ivory bead inlaid into a slot (not visible in this photo).







Originally a .450/.400 3.25" BPE, at some time after 1925 the rifle received new nitro proofs. Although no "re-proof" stamp is present, David Maynard of Purdey's, upon inspection, confirmed these to be the original barrels. Woodward had the practice of assigning a new serial number to replacement barrels, and the Woodward records show no indication of replacement barrels for this rifle.


The 27” barrels are fluid steel. The rifle weighs 8 lbs., 7 oz.








The two photos above and the three below show how the action is cocked and also demonstrate its safety features.

There is a cylindrical lug on the side of each tumbler. As the underlever is articulated forward, its head pushes upward against these lugs in the forward cut-through in the head of the stock. This motion causes the tumblers to pivot in an arc until the sears engage and the action is cocked.










At the same time the action is cocked, the automatic safety engages. As stated in the advertisement, this movement causes a safety bolt to block the ends of the triggers. Meanwhile, separate safety bolts hinge down from the top of the receiver to positively block the nose of each tumbler. In the three photos above you first see the position of this tumbler safety bar with the safety button on "Fire." The second photo shows how the safety bar swings down in front of the tumbler when the safety button is moved to the "Safe" position. In the third photo it is easy to see the notch just below the nose of the tumbler which catches on this safety bar in the event of an accidental disengagement of the sear.

Intercepting safety sears are unnecessary in this system.

When reading the advertisement, it is easy to sense the concern of the shooting public. Shooters of the day were accustomed to external hammers which are only drawn to full-cock when the shooter is ready to take aim and fire. The new "hammerless" action always remains at full cock. Thus the advertisement eases the concern of the shooter by explaining the unique safety features of this design.




The locks are signed, "TL". Presumably they were made by Thomas Law, the younger, of Wolverhampton.








The rifle has a "bolted" safety, which operates by the small lever on the rear of the left lock. With the lever down it is in the unbolted position. When turned up, it is in the bolted position. This composite photograph shows the articulation of the safety bolt, both from the outside and from the inside of the lock.













Finish all around is original, both wood and metal. The bores are nearly perfect condition. The rifle has seen very little use and remains in exemplary condition. It's a beautiful time capsule to the Edwardian era.

Oh, my!

The bolting system on the Purdey looks different than the typical double underbolt I've seen on the shotguns.

Was a different system used on the big rifles? Given the black powder warning I would guess that it was made around the turn of the century, unless the stamping was added later--is that correct?

Just a stunning bunch of rifles you have there, and very good pictures. Post more if you got 'em!

Edit to say, that Woodward is amazing. The roller bearing in the action and the safety system is over the top.

Thank you very much for posting the photos of those fabulous rifles, they're truly outstanding!

I've never rated a thread before, but you just earned 5 stars!

__________________
"I also cook."

Here's one of mine, built on an Ithaca 12ga. blackpowder/Damascus double barrel shotgun. It has been sleeved and regulated and has extractors. Chambered in .357 Maximum, it will fire that cartridge and .357 Mag/.38 Special. It is the only one I own that was built on a shotgun action, but I have seen several others that were built on Ruger Red Label actions, in several different rifle chamberings. I fondly refer to this extremely accurate rifle as a "poor mans" example.




By the way, this thread is positively extraordinary, my thanks to the OP for posting some spectacular photos and superb historical data.

Cheers;
Lefty

To heck with shoes.

I think I found a new obsession.

Lovely, lovely, lovely!

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Soli Deo Gloria

The four rotary underlever rifles featured above incorporate the Jones Patent lever. That system was highly favored for rifles of the second half of the 19th century and well into the 20th century. Here is a quote from Michael McIntosh,

Henry Jones, a Birmingham maker, improved matters considerably with the double screw-grip fastener, patented in 1859. It, too, uses a side-pivoting underlever. The fastener itself works on the principle of the inclined plane, and by engaging the barrel lump with two bearing surfaces, it's immensely strong.

McIntosh, Michael, Best Guns, page 154.



You of course should take note that the Woodward uses an entirely different system, which I have detailed in the post.



It was completed in 1894, after the .500 Nitro Express was introduced. The .500NE uses the exact same case as the .500 BPE, hence the warning. I added a copy of the maker's letter to my post above.

Absolutely stunning! I have been enthralled by fine heavy rifles like these every since I found they existed. With my modest, hourly wages, I know I will never have the privilige of ever owning anything like them. I think if I were to ever hold the Woodward "Automatic" I would tear up. Thanks Curl. Anybody have any Farquaharson single shots?

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

A five-star thread. This should be added to the "notable thread" sticky.

Absolutely beautiful guns.

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David Wilson

Absolutely incredible!

Another 5 stars from me.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Hmmm...no Picatinny rail, no extra shell holder on the stock, no breacher, I don't know guys.

Seriously, absolutely gorgeous! The wood itself, the checkering, the engraving, the true grace of pieces created by craftsmen. Thank you so much for sharing.

Care to trade for an Iver Johnson Champion?

Thanks, Curl. I didn't notice the letter from Purdey in the post.

I loaned my copy of "Best Guns" to buddy--this thread reminds me I need to get it back. I miss MM and his writing.

Outstanding thread.

WOW! What else is there to say? Well,maybe that I used the "like" button more than in any other thread.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

CptCurl, one letter from Purdey says that they cannot give you a copy of the record as the books are too heavy and too fragile to photocopy. Can they not send you a digital photograph?

Now that I've got kids, I find myself taking a lot of photographs (and the amount of video I shoot gets larger and larger). I have determined that taking pictures of the handouts/bulletins/signs at major events is perhaps the best way to preserve a record of something. For example, this past week my middle son "graduated" from preschool. (If you're rolling your eyes, so was I. For 45 minutes.) I took photos and video, but I took photos of the program as well. You feel funny taking pictures of something printed (and that you're probably holding) but long after you've discarded the printed material, you still have the photograph.

Well, this thread makes my S&W obsession look a little anemic! I can imagine what the little woman would say if these started following me home! Fantastic thread Cap, and as others have said, thank you for sharing these extraordinary firearms!

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Even older, even crankier....

Absolutely stunning!
Thank you Sir, very very much.
teesur.

I am always amazed with the beautiful workmanship that goes into the components of these rifles.

Last December a good friend was making the purchase of an Alexander Henry .450 BPE hammer double rifle very similar to the one I have featured above, except that it was made much plainer. It has almost no engraving, the wood is much plainer, but otherwise it's the same gun as my hammer .450. My friend asked me to accept delivery of the rifle and inspect it for him during the inspection period. I was glad to do that.

One essential inspection is to remove the locks to inspect for damage, corrosion, vandalism, etc. to the locks. It also gives a good opportunity to inspect the head of the stock for cracks. I popped off the locks of this relatively plain Henry and photographed what I saw. Here is one of my shots:





Notice the metal of the forend. It is plain as can be - only a little border engraving. But look at the beauty of the locks. Nothing was compromised in the mechanicals. The locks were perfectly inletted into the stock and remain like new some 130 years later. Likewise, the head of the stock was sound and free of oil intrusion or other damage.

You have to love these things. My friend is delighted with his very nice Henry .450 BPE. And boy, does it shoot well!

I really appreciate the interest that has been shown here for these fantastic rifles. I was very hesitant about posting this thread. I started to do it several times and backed off. Then yesterday evening I let it fly, but got in trouble right away. I went the easy route with an external link. All this stuff is posted elsewhere.

I was asked to edit out the link and post the photos here. That takes right much work, but I was committed at that point. So this morning I spent a couple hours here working in earnest. All the while I was thinking I'm stupid to put this on the S&W forum. Oh well, gun nuts are versatile!

It all started on the "#15" thread (cross-referenced in my first post above) and arose from a discussion of English proofing. My .44 Triple Lock bears Birmingham commercial proofs, so I went into some detail about what the proof marks imply. The question arose as to how I have some familiarity with English proofing, and the answer was, "English double rifles!" With that answer I slipped in the first photo above (the five antique rifles on my hassock). As they say, "One thing leads to another." So here we are.

There's one more secret I'll tell. Since the day I first posted the five rifles on the "#15" thread, the five have become six.



On sight I will buy a cold beer for the first person on this forum who can correctly identify the newcomer. That should not be difficult.

Beautiful, just beautiful. I've only held a Lang? double rifle that had been reblued. Even that was a lovely thing. Yours are works of art! Thanks for sharing them with us.

Methinks you added a Purdey to the family...

As the kids say, I am diggin' this thread!!!

Look at those case colors!!!

True firearms art is what it is. A lost art at that.
What a fantastic collection you have there Sir. Thank you for sharing.
I have always been amazed at those fine rifles but obviously must admire them from a distance.

Which rifle in the photo of six? You have to identify a specific rifle.

Incredible anecdotes, pictures, and descriptions. I would think there is a trove of information here for anyone who likes high-end double rifles.

It must have required great care to ship them to Africa or Asia back in the day and maintain them in pristine condition. They didn't have "wonder-lubes" and such back then.

Thanks for the terrific thread.

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Have guns...will shoot'em.

Dear Mr. Curl reading your posts about those fantastic rifles and particulary "The Automatic" in cal. 450/400, it came to my mind that Jim Corbett mentioned he used a rifle in that caliber to bring down several man eatin tigers in India around 1930 or so.Do you have any information regarding which rifle he used?
And congratulations on your great collection of double rifles, regards, Ray.

Second from the top...

Cooter, I owe you a cold beer!

Yes, it's another Purdey .500 3" BPE, a few years older than the one I already had. It's a best quality rifle in excellent condition. I have done no photography on this rifle, but I have shot it. It is a great shooter and a beauty to behold. Here's one of the photos supplied by the seller:



And the result of the first four times I pulled its triggers. Two rights and two lefts.

wbraswell,

You are the one who got me into this fine mess, and there you go again!

Have a look:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/...#post136535036

Nothin' to it.

It's gotta be a lot of fun to shoot those old boomers--if you ever video a range session, please let us know if you post it on Youtube.

Doubles are fun but out of my league. I have only one. I bought it 35 years ago for $1700 (a lot of money for used rifle in 1977). I can snipe soft drink cans at 25 yards with ease. A recent group shot while doing load development ran 1.5" at 50 yards with 2 left and 2 right.

This rifle was sold new in 1910. Retail price was $75 (recall that a new Triple Lock was $19 a few years later). The original owner was a prince from the royal family of Afghanistan. In 1920 it was returned for consignment sale. It was sold to the man who would become Ian Flemming's father in law. Flemming wrote the 007 James Bond books, if you didn't know. Rather tenuous celebrity connections, but there you go. The factory said they lost track of the rifle from that point until I contacted them in the 1990s.

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No life story has happy end.

Mr. Saxon (I will not insult a man with a fine double rifle),

Nice double! Do you shoot it often? Do you load for it? Which .375 round is it chambered for? Maybe you should photograph it and post a new thread.

Thanks for posting,

Shoot it when I can. I think you pretty much have to load for this one as ammo is long out of print as far as I know. As the caption in the photo indicates the caliber 375 Nitro Express (375x2.5"). Bertram makes these cases but the price is ghastly and the quality even worse. I currently use reformed and trimmed 405 Winchester brass by Hornaday. I just do casual shooting with it so I load mostly lead bullets or some 270 grain FMJs that I got cheap from dealer clearance a few years back.

I have read this caliber was popular in India for tiger hunting back in the day. Here's a photo of a loaded round.

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No life story has happy end.

Ray-

If you read all of his books, you'll find that Jim Corbett used several double rifles. One of his favorites was indeed a .450/.400, but it was a newer rifle than those seen here, a normal boxlock design, by, I think W.J. Jeffery & Co. Not sure of the maker. It is now in the Elmer Keith gun collection somewhere in Idaho. I have seen photos. Keith said that he bought the rifle after Corbett's death in 1955. Jim died in Kenya, having had to leave India after Independence in 1947, due to racial and political friction there.

The gun is a typical hammerless ejector rifle like that associated with white hunters, and was in a caliber popular for hunting tigers and other large Indian game. It is not a more expensive sidelock action (if the pictures I saw were clear enough to tell) but was a high grade gun from a famous maker, and a very good value for money. It was pretty costly for a rifle even then.

Corbett also used at least two .275 rifles, a Rigby and a Westley Richards. These, of course, were built on Mauser actions. He often carried these even for tigers, because they were lighter, and he walked many miles on foot in quest of those man-eaters! (He carried his own rifle, not using a gunbearer.) One of the .275's (7mm) rifles was a gift from the Government on his killing of an especially nasty tiger that had consumed many humans.

BTW, I haven't forgotten your question about buying .22 ammo in the USA if you visit. I just haven't found the right answer yet. I'll PM when I find some official who knows the facts.

T-Star

That's the round I thought it was. A great cartridge and better than the old .38-55.

Kynoch loads that round now, if you can stomach close to $10.00 per round.

Nice rifle. You have a good one for sure.

Here is a video of me firing an Alexander Henry 8 bore double rifle. The rifle weighs over 16 pounds, but it's a handful when you pull the trigger.

https://youtu.be/7dubLXF8xzc

Now watch the same video in slow motion:

https://youtu.be/TYuNQk7fiX0

It hurts to watch! Notice the cartridges in the foreground, between the camera and my right elbow.

Remember, an 8 bore rifle is not your normal double rifle.

Curl

A stunning collection sir. I wonder what most of these sold for new?

Glad I swung by and saw this. Thanks for posting it!

Cpt., you couldn't pay me to shoot that gun off a bench and you'd have to pay up front for me to shoot it offhand.

Using my handy sliderule I calculate that an 8 bore ball of pure lead weighs two ounces.

What in the world was the projectile weight on those artillery shells you were launching out of that rifle?

Great thread, just stumbled across it today. Not to hijack this thread, but I need parts for a Colt Double rifle. 45-70 cal. I have the action only., sans firing pins. The Colt Double barrel shotguns ( same era ) use many of the same parts, if you have a junker shotgun. Appreciate any leads. Thanks, Ed.

I feel like I've just been to a museum!

Thank you for posting! The double rifle is one of the most interesting firearms, and I know next to nothing about them. True works of art that are capable of taking down the biggest animals.

My wife asks me why I'm on this forum so much. I always tell her that besides the entertainment, I learn new stuff every day!