doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com H&H 16 bore Royal

A friend of mine dropped this gun off at my office the other day. It is a 16 bore H&H Royal (1892) 2 1/2" ejector 30" 6lbs 5oz in very scruffy shape. HOWEVER, the barrels measure to .025 min and the stock is a respectable 14 1/2". The triggers and ejectors work but are heavily gunked. Immediately, I can imagine it would need:

1. Strip/relay/brown
2. action strip/clean
3. refinish/rechequer stock
4. rejoint as it is a bit off-face
5. lap out pits in barrels (mostly in chamber area) as advised by barrel smith

In a small gauge with sound barrels and wood, I think this might be a doable project with a desirable result. Of course I would consult a barrel expert and gunsmith before doing anything in case there is something not readily apparent. I'd appreciate anyone's comments on the following questions:

1. Restore...or let it go!
2. Fair price to pay my friend given the worn condition







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Looks like it is begging to be saved!

Were they making their own guns yet in 1892? I thought Scott made their early guns but could be mistaken. Very nice either way.

If the barrels are good, restore. It's a great project. I can't help with the price.

What a shame. Those barrels are going to get even thinner once the external pitting is struck off during a restore. In that top photo it sure looks like that is deep external pitting above the forend. How do they look inside?

I'd vote to restore if the barrels are decent still. I have no idea what a fair price would be as it is, but I'll throw out a number based on auction ESTIMATES (not actual selling prices) - $1000-1200 and everyone can take shots at that.

Man o man...the wood on that thing has severely shrunk, and once refinished it will still be that way. That would be a big turn off if your intention is to see any kind of return if selling. So then you�re talking a restock to get rid of that issue. $4000-$6000+, plus wood for a craftsman capable of achieving the work mimicking best standards. Sure there are others cheaper, but that comes with its own issues and a crappy restock is worthless.

If you�re just wanting a shooter gun, refinish.


Would be a cool project for someone capable of the work and knowing you won�t profit if ever sold.

That�s a labor of love gun. You better love it a lot. It comes down to the following points. Are the barrels solid with no major pits or loose ribs? Does it fit you well? Can you live with the metal finish being a bit pitted? Can you do the stock work yourself? That would save a bunch of money for you.

Stock needs a strip, soak, fix the cracked fore end, checker in flat checkering and oil finish. Action needs a strip, clean and proper relube. Action needs to be gently cleaned up. Figure out how far off face it is. .002-4 perhaps a shim for now. Or if you are not too far upside down build up the hook and smoke it in.

Is it worth it? Only you know. In the guns defense of the 16 they are not very common. Perhaps 30 or more 12s were made for every 16. So your chance to find another is not going to ge that great. If it were a Sterlingworth 16 I tell you to keep looking but I don�t know where the next one like this is. But do you have a specific need that this gun will fill? If so that improves you need for this gun. Will this gun allow you to sell another gun, to raise money for this repair? Then I consider this an upgrade.

As to value in its current condition it is worth only hundreds of dollars. Properly restored or original several thousands. Do a quick search of British gun sale sites and see what similar guns go for.

I'm in agreement on a few others about the current value. In the hundreds, not thousands of dollars. And I like projects more than the next guy but this one makes me nervous. One would need to confirm how much needs to be honed off to deal with the pits and consider the refinish and then figure out what the barrel wall thicknesses will be and not just the minimum. I wouldn't spend a dime before I did that.

Then, as Mr Little from Texas has mentioned, I'd take a long hard look at that wood.

As I said, I gravitate to projects. But I try to avoid serious barrel problems AND serious wood problems. And the end result needs to be worth it. Only you can know that.

The Lindner Daly that CJO is restoring for me had serious barrels issues that needed to be corrected. And the barrels had the dimensions to withstand the work. But the wood was, comparatively, very good. For the most part a simple strip and refinish (rarely that simple but you know what I mean).

I would restore it if I could buy it cheap enough. Holland Royal guns are worth redoing if barrels are sound imho. Interested to see what Rocketman says value is. It�s a first tier gun.