British Single Shot Rifles Vol. 5

by Wal Winfer

In this volume we cover the activities of Henry John Holland and how he, from humble beginnings, developed a firm that is today, second to none. He started in 1835 building shotguns for friends and associates at his shooting clubs, the Old Red House and Hornsey Wood. As Holland’s fame spread his attention turned to building guns for the top end of the London market. Holland had little interest in target rifles, devoting his efforts to building the highest quality sporting guns and rifles.

Winfer details when, in 1892, the British government adopted the small caliber .303 British cartridge and a bolt action rifle to rearm the army. This development revolutionized the British gun trade. He shows the profound interest Hollands had in this concept and how Hollands started with the .303 black powder cartridge and how it was adapted to the Field and break open riles. Then the development of a falllng block rile designed by Thomas Woodward for the .303 loaded with Cordite. Showing the evolution of the Holland and Woodward action is story that has never been told before and the three main types are shown. Also covered are the various rook riles and the cartridges and rifling style used in them.

A large section of the book is devoted to Holland’s developmental work a cartridge design. The famous Paradox cartridges and their development are covered in detail. Also covered is the development of all of Holland's nitro cartridges including, among others, the monster 577, the three .375s, through the .244 H&H developed in 1955. As with Winfer's other volumes there are recommendations and loading data for both black and smokeless loads. Learn More