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LOT 3431
Excellent Cased Holland & Holland Royal Model Side
Lock Double Rifle in .577 Nitro Express with Scope
- Serial no. 35242, 577 cal., 23 inch solid rib bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, walnut stock. Introduced to the market
around 1898, the .577 Nitro Express was a smokeless upgrade of the .577 Black Powder Express capable
of delivering a 750 grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of over 2,000 feet per second. The combination of
the .577 N.E. with a stout and reliable English double rifle gave hunters a weapon that could be counted
on to bring down dangerous game with lower powered rounds; becoming popular with Indian tiger hunters
and the full-load 3 inch cartridge adopted by African elephant hunters both as a primary weapon and a
close-range emergency gun for dealing with charging elephants. Fitted with a ramped bead front sight with a sliding hood and a drift
adjustable “U” notch rear sight marked “50”, with a platinum accent wire and a pair of claw bases holding a Hensoldt-Wetzlar Diasta 4x32
scope, which is number to match the rifle, on the checkered quarter rib. The rifle features light engraving at the breech, marked “HOLLAND &
HOLLAND.” on the right barrel, “98. NEW BOND STREET, LONDON.” on the left, “MADE IN ENGLAND” on the underside of the rib and a series of London
Proof House stamps on the water table, including a 3 inch chamber marking, nitro proofs, and “1000-750 MAX”. The underside of the frame is marked
“ROYAL/*/MODEL” with elegant border engraving on the frame and locks, floral designs and “MADE IN ENGLAND” on the barrel hinge, “HOLLAND & HOLLAND”
on each lock plate with a gold-highlighted cocking indicator and a mounting thumbscrew, a lightly engraved break lever and a manual safety switch with gold inlaid
“SAFE” marking. A set of extra-long tangs are fitted, with the lower tang running to the grip cap and the upper tang extending over an inch onto the comb. It is fitted
with a fancy checkered walnut pistol grip stock with engraved hardware on the splinter forearm, a casehardened and engraved grip cap, patch box, a numbered gold
inscription panel on the underside, raised shadow line cheekpiece, sling swivels and an unmarked solid recoil pad. Includes copies of the factory ledgers confirming the
caliber, cheekpiece, chambering, manual safety, barrel length, and grade when it was completed on March 9th, 1954, as well as other information on the regulation and sighting of the
rifle. Also included is a brown leather and wood case fitted with a canvas protective cover, brass corner reinforcement, and a gold embossed black leather makers label inside the lid and
containing a brown leather sling, two nickel finished snap caps, a bottle of H&H Rangoon Jelly, a small box of bore patches, two-piece cleaning rod, two cleaning brushes, a spare screw, and a
leather pocket pouch of .577 cleaning tools. Stock measurements: 1 5/8 inch drop at comb; 3 1/8 inch drop at heel; 14 3/16 inch length of pull; weight 12 lbs. 5 oz.
CONDITION: Extremely fine with 98% re-blackened finish, showing some light handling marks and edge wear. 70% original case colors are present on the lock plates with a brown and gray patina
showing on the frame and the underside of the forearm mounting iron with some light spotting. The stock is very fine, with a few light dings and handling marks. Scope optics are clear. The case
shows some mild wear. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 45,000 - 75,000
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