The same old tired crutch thats says that double guns have to be "London Pattern" sidelocks (stocked to the fences, bar-action, no thru-lumps, etc...) to be "best quality" is applied as equally to double rifles as it is to shotguns. Here are a few Holland Royals.

http://www.schwandtclassicarms.com/

Click on double rifles, then the Holland .577. Stocked to the fences with a thru-lump.

Here's another .577 NE Royal Hammerless Ejector:

http://www.sitemason.com/files/d2Y5q0/Holland%20Royal%20.577%2030336%20f.JPG

It also has a thru-lump, and note that it isn't stocked to the fences:

http://www.sitemason.com/gallery/kEV1mg?id=23551

CptCurl has a lovely .375 Flanged Magnum Royal Hammerless Ejector, stocked to the fences with thru-lump:

http://www.rbsiii.com/collection/rifles/H&H_375flanged/H&H_375flanged.htm

Like other original Nitro-Proof Holland sidelock double rifles, these are back-locks, as Holland has never built them on bar-actions. Of course, Holland Royal shotguns are bar-locks. There are plenty of other Holland Royal double rifles that were built without thru-lumps. These weren't, and one of them is a flat-back. Does that mean they're not "bests"? Like I said, I think that suggestion pretty much defines absurd. "Best quality" is about quality, not form, and there are plenty of best quality double guns and rifles that don't fit the simplistic crutch definition.


Last edited by 400 Nitro Express; 05/17/09 07:04 PM.
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."