Holland and Holland Bolt Rifles- Were any drilled and tapped by the factory?

[Frederik Badenhorst]

Hi guys

Just want to tap the collective knowledge of the group...yet again.

I was just wondering , did Holland and Holland ever drill and tap their bolt action receivers of was it solely a thing done after the fact by the customer?
Most of the pictures I can find online shows Hollands with their proprietary side mounting system.

I am in the process of negotiating a price on a gun that had its receiver drilled and tapped.

Any info would be appreciated ?

Cheers

 

[Red Leg]

Hi guys

Just want to tap the collective knowledge of the group...yet again.

I was just wondering , did Holland and Holland ever drill and tap their bolt action receivers of was it solely a thing done after the fact by the customer?
Most of the pictures I can find online shows Hollands with their proprietary side mounting system.

I am in the process of negotiating a price on a gun that had its receiver drilled and tapped.

Any info would be appreciated ?

Cheers

H&H would do anything the customer requested within reason. So I am confident, sometime or the other, they have drilled and tapped a receiver in lieu of providing their traditional mounts. The serial number and thus date of manufacture will tell you a lot. If a pre-war rifle, I would think the likelihood of an original bench-made, drilled and tapped rifle leaving London would be infinitesimal. Post war, the likelihood would go up considerably, but still be very remote. Their QD mounts are as classic as their rifles. I would certainly use it as a negotiating point.

 

[Major Khan]

Yes . They have done it on some of the bolt rifles which they had built on pattern 14 Enfield actions . Especially for their " Super Thirty " calibre ( .300 Holland & Holland magnum ) and their .275 Holland & Holland magnum calibre bolt rifles .
I have personally never seen any of their Mauser 98 action rifles which were drilled and tapped , during my career or my life ( till now ) . However , that certainly does not mean that they are not out there .

 

[Frederik Badenhorst]

The NRA serialization chart suggests that the gun was produced between 1951-1958

 

[grand veneur]

I cannot imagine a rifle that came from the house Holland & Holland in advance drilled and taped so that the customer can choose what he wants afterwards and screw something on it. That doesn't match with the concept of a house like this.

I only know plain rifles with drilled and tapped receivers that were made after the WWII from various lesser know makers. It is therefore not impossible that H&H , like other well-known houses , made plain rifle that were then sold by different dealers , but I don't think that these rifles had a clear signature of H&H. Houses like H&H or similar were always about prestige and that their name clearly remains connected to high quality.

 

[Frederik Badenhorst]

This is the best picture I have of the action currently

 

[grand veneur]

Sure , no doubt , this receiver is drilled and tapped for an H&H scope mount.

 

[Red Leg]

Sure , no doubt , this receiver is drilled and tapped for an H&H scope mount.

Looks like a standard drill and tap to me. The front base of a H&H base is mounted on the side.

 

[grand veneur]

Looks like a standard drill and tap to me. The front base of a H&H base is mounted on the side.

Could be , not sure , the screws don't seem to be in the middle , but that's may be the pic. However , to be absolutely sure one would have to hold the rifle in hand.

 

[pjaln]

looks like it may have came that way ,,look at the side were its tapped for a Lyman side mount and the wood isn't relieved for it yet , this being a 50,s gun I would say it was tapped before the gun was put together , in the 50,s some holland rifles were scoped by David Lloyd all of them had top mount bases none had H&H pattern side mounts

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I have seen a .240 Apex built by Holland & Holland, which was tapped and drilled for a telescopic sight.