Isaac Hollis Single Shot Rifle

A Martini Henry action and a top grade British gun maker, makes this quite a combination for a sporting grade rifle.  It sports beautiful wood front and back with a horn forehand cap, as with most British sporting grade rifles it has sling swivels and is checkered.  The bore is mint and is chambered in 577-450, mechanically it works perfectly and should make a great classic shooter.  Overall condition is extremely good.

​$ $2350 Can.

This is a very rare rifle in a sought after configuration. The wood is in amazing condition with some small holes that have been repaired/filled at a much earlier time. Caliber is 451 and it sports a mint bore, sights are period correct although I believe modern manufacture. It has a very long barrel, the previous owner was a long range shooter and reports that this rifle was a tack driver. Let the pictures do the story telling, if you have any questions please contact me directly. This is an antique in Canada and does not require a license to own or buy.

$7800 Can. SOLD

This is an interesting piece from approximately 1880, described as a folding trigger pocket pistol.  This revolver fits in the palm of your hand and would have been used as self defence at close quarters.  It is chambered in 8 mm pinfire.  Mechanically it appears to function as intended, I say appears because it has a strange mechanism that you need to push the trigger forward in order for it to engage the cylinder for proper timing each time you pull the trigger.  I do not know enough about these old pinfires to be absolutely sure of its intended function. The finish on the outside has seen better days but it is complete as are the grips.  It is british proofed but likely Belgian made.  This is a prescribed antique in Canada.

 $385 Can.

The 1803 Pattern British Infantry Officer’s Sword was a response to a needed design change in swords. The official 1796 sword was a thin-bladed straight sword, regarded as wholly inadequate for light infantry and riflemen officers who, separated from the dense masses of line infantry and their bayonets, were vulnerable to the fast sabres of light cavalry. Many officers would replace the 1796 with a blade that they purchased, usually a sabre with enough heft to parry those wielded by their cavalry foes, and in particular Napoleon's elite skirmishers, among them the Voltiguers. The 1803 Pattern was a final standardization of this trend, finally providing the light infantry officers the sword they needed.​  The makers name "Osbourne & Gundy" along with Sword Cutler to HIs Majesty Warranted, is on the gilded blade.  The blade has some corrosion but is still in very acceptable condition, the handle has lost all the shark/ray skin as well as the wire, it has also been touched up with some gold and black paint.  In the right light the blue of the blade is still visible.  Overall very nice example of a very scarce sword.

$1600 Can.

This is a very nice example of a first pattern British made P-1837 Brunswick bayonet, with the classic ribbed brass handle and swept forward cross guard. It has an impressive 22 inch long double edged blade, which swells slightly towards the end, and has a small fuller on each side. Overall length is about 26 inches on this very nice example. Many of these bayonets were imported to the United States during the civil war, along with obsolete Brunswick rifles.

The only real difference from the Second pattern bayonet is the attachment system. The first pattern extended button on the post was very prone to catching on things, and sometimes breaking off. Most seen on the market have the button top either broken or cut off like this one. 

The bayonet is regimentally marked and bears a proof mark on the ricasso. The other side is marked CROWN / GR indicating King George which is very unusual given that King George was not reigning Monarch when the Brunswick rifle was put in production.  Condition of this bayonet is extremely nice, with a lovely patina on the hilt. The blade has very little staining, one of the nicest 1st model pattern 1837 I have come across.

$425

Another beautiful rifle made by a well known Canadian maker, it is in approximately 45 caliber and sports a large Octagon barrel.  Mechanically it works as it should.  The lock is marked with another makers name as was common back in those days to use parts manufactured by other makers.  Barrel is marked P. Soper London, C.W., the C.W. defining Canada West, which was essentially Upper Canada before 1840.  A great piece of Canadian history. 

$1595 reduced $1200 SOLD

As a fighting weapon the 1822 Pattern was rather unsatisfactory, the blade being far too weak and the hilt bars affording little protection. When the 1845 Pattern blade was introduced, officers were not required to immediately change to the new pattern.  They were allowed to carry the old pipe back sword blade until it became unserviceable.  As with many new items of equipment introduced into a regular army, it was unlikely to have been a seamless and rapid introduction.  Some years would pass before all officers carried the new official regulation sword.  The idea that in 1845, all British infantry officers suddenly discarded the 1822 Pattern pipe back blade in favour of the 1845, would be a little fanciful and completely impracticable, and not to say, uneconomic.  The purchase of an officer’s sword was a major financial strain on many officers and they were not likely to discard an expensive sword because the authorities deemed it necessary.  This sword is marked M. C. to C.G.C.,  Maynard and Harris 126 Leadenhalls London, this is a beautiful piece, in extremely nice condition, the blade is etched and marked to the Maker.  

$650 Can.

• I built this rifle a number of years ago, it started life as a Ruger No. 1 in 7mm magnum, I will attempt to list all the work that was done to this rifle as much my old brain will allow.  I wanted this rifle to reflect a Celtic theme.

• Green Mountain Barrel shaped round to rapid taper Octagon
• Chambered for 7x57 with high polish crowned muzzle
• Barrel was rust blued to a satin finish
• Shaved receiver
• Hand fitted quarter rib will accept Ruger scope mounts
• Custom built shell holder in butt stock
• Trap door butt plate
• Presentation grade XXX Walnut
• ebony forend tip
• Stag themed wrap around checkering
• Screws Nitre Blued 
• Sling swivels mounts inset
• Engraving by Brian Frank
• Stock work Chris Dawe
• Colour Case Oskar Kob

$9,600 Can.

Anyone into long range shooting, a history buff or have had sniper training should have heard of the Whitworth rifle. The Whitworth Rifle was a single-shot muzzle-loaded rifle used in the latter half of the 19th century. Possessing excellent long range accuracy for its time, the Whitworth, when used with a scope, was the world’s first sniper rifle, and saw use with Confederate sharpshooters in the American Civil War. This rifle was invented by Sir Joseph Whitworth, a famed British engineer and inventor.

Trials were held in 1857 to compare Whitworth’s design against the Enfield. The Whitworth rifle outperformed the Enfield at a rate of about three to one in the trials, which tested the accuracy and range of both weapons. Notably, the Whitworth rifle was able to hit the target at a range of 2,000 yards, where the Enfield was only able to hit the same target at a range of 1,400 yards.

At just over a mile, the Whitworth rifle’s group was almost twelve feet, this may not seem extremely accurate. However, we must consider the fact that the shooter would probably be firing on a group of officers or artillery men. In which case, being able to consistently hit a twelve foot target would at least cause great disorder, if it did not prove deadly.
While the trials were generally a success for the Whitworth rifle, the British government ultimately rejected the design because the Whitworth’s barrel was much more prone to fouling than the Enfield, and the Whitworth rifle also cost approximately four times as much to manufacture. The Whitworth Rifle Company was able to sell the weapon to the French army, and also to the Confederacy during the American Civil War. While the barrel design of the Whitworth rifle was innovative, the rest of the rifle was similar to other rifles and rifle-muskets used at the time. The rifle was muzzle loaded, and used a percussion lock firing mechanism. The lock mechanism was very similar to that used on the Enfield rifle-musket.  Whitworth chose to use a longer and more slender bullet than was common at the time, which resulted in a bore diameter of .451 caliber, significantly smaller than the Enfield’s .577 caliber bore. Whitworth’s bullets were more stable at longer ranges than the shorter and larger diameter bullets found in other rifles of the time. Whitworth also engineered the barrel with a 1-in-20″ twist, quite a bit tighter than the 1-in-78″ of the 1853 Enfield, or the later 1856/1858 variants with 5 groove barrels and a 1-in-48″ twist. The extra spin the faster twist imparted to the projectile further stabilized the bullet in flight.
The Whitworth rifle weighed 9 pounds. Other long range rifles of the period tended to have much larger and heavier barrels, which made them too heavy for standard infantry use.  Whitworth rifles, being used by sharpshooters, were usually rested against a tree or log while fired to increase their accuracy. 

This example is in very good condition, the metal fit is excellent with the finish taking on a nice pewter colour, mechanically it functions as expected with the barrel sporting a very good shootable bore.  The wood has the usual expected bumps and bruises with the checkering mostly still sharp and defined, the fore-end has been replaced from the first barrel band forward, leaving the wood a slightly different tone.  The steel fore-end cap has been replaced with a brass cap.  A very good representable piece with fantastic interesting history.

$4,795 Can. SOLD