doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com I. Hollis SLNE

So, I've had this Hollis for some 15 years, bought out of a gunshop in Australia for $550. I've shot doves with it, and it handles like a dream for me. 30" damascus barrels, nice English walnut, perfect checkering, case colored heel and toe plates. Somewhere along the way, someone cold blued everything...................barrels, locks, action, etc. Hosford checked the MWT for me a few years ago, and they were fine.

I've shot limits of doves with it using Polywad 2 1/2" loads, 7/8 oz. This is going to be a keeper, I think. I am going to have the barrels refinished to the proper brown, but that leaves a question. What should be done to the action and lock plates? (1) Recase them, (2) polish the bluing off them carefully, leaving it in the engraving, or (3) leave it as is?

Any informed opinions welcome (hint.........acetylene is not an option, you know who).

Thanks, SRH

Let it be.


Best,
Ted

Not worth the time or effort....it's the English equivalent of a Belgium JABC.

JAEC....(Just another English clunker).


JAEC Did I just coin another term ?

I have often wondered why a very nice double made by other than a reputable well known English or American gun maker is open to the most careful scrutiny of the gun experts. My Stevens Fox has taken as much upland game as my DH parker the only difference being the Parker draws more attention in the field than the Stevens. That said I am in the field for the joy of the hunt not for the approval of my SxS. Stan your double is just fine the way it is enjoy your' hunt.

let hit be...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6T5C-jzSH0

For good reasons, you like the gun, Stan. If it were mine and had delivered similar results, I'd leave it as it is.

Give a guy a break whatever old American classic he would dish out $550 for would be inferior gun.
I would not spend extra money on it, but that is not a bad ole' shotty. Being a side lock you can think of it as evolution of American Lefever Arms. If my last name was Hillis I would probably buy that for $550. I mean in the old days Hillis and Hollis families probably came from same county if not the same town or village. Kinda kool if you ask me.

I wouldn't do anything to it. The more you restore it the more plain it is going to look IMHO. The beauty is in the lines of the gun and in the way it shoots for you...Geo

Stan;
I am in agreement with the majority opinion to leave the action as is. I would agree with your assessment to properly re-brown the barrels.

Without actually looking at the gun I could not truly assess its quality, but I know you're quite capable of that. One of my best shooting guns, for me, is a Birmingham J P Clabrough SLNE, 12ga with 28" Damascus barrels. This one is bored � choke in both barrels. It actually looks very much like this I Hollis, both in engraving style & shape of the lock plates. The locks on the Clabrough, in spite of their external appearance are in reality back action.

While neither are "London Bests" my Clabrough is certainly well above the JABC level & I would highly suspect this Hollis is as well. The Clabrough is the one I spoke of in a recent thread I did so well on woodcock with. It was also a great quail gun back when we still had shootable numbers of them as well as a fantastic rabbit gun. My Dad had ended up a Beagle man I hunted with him quite a bit.

Looks great. Leave it as is and enjoy.