The Gun Counter

Fascinating video of Holland & Holland guns being made, regulated, and so forth. Found via the Firearms Blog:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... UXoNUzAyvk

Nice , very nice.

Very nice. I could never afford such a thing, but it's nice to know that there are still places where such things are important.

It shows part of the reason why a H&H costs as much as a house - they'res a serious amount of handwork involved in making them, and certain base materials used in construction are pricey to begin with - really nice walnut can quickly get into the "nice used car" level of prices..

You can get a nice shotgun for far less money - The Spanish have been making English style sporting guns, with similar methods, if not taken to such extremes, for far less money(notably, if you don't need to go crazy with engraving). AyA and Arrietta spring to mind. I personally would like to buy a AyA #4, IIRC, the price is around 5 grand for a new one.

Stephen Bodio, over at the Querencia blog, has a thing for fine shotguns. Search for past posts if you like, but here's his latest:

http://stephenbodio.blogspot.com/2014/11/arrived.html

I enjoyed the H&H video because I design and fabricate things as part of my work. I try to make my stuff look good, but I can only wish I was as good as the artists in that vid.

I know such a craftsman, and am honored to call him my friend.

Interesting, I suppose you have to fly over to England to have the stock fitted to you before they start making a shotgun or double rifle for you?
The way they fit the wood requires a really hard wood. I wonder if their are some plain figure woods that would work. American Walnut or Maple??
As I looked at the machining process I kept thinking things like, "would EDM,ECM, or CNC grinding help cut down on the hand finish work needed." I'm a Philistine at heart I guess.
"Where is my Dremel and epoxy."

there's a tv show called "how it's made" that has done several good episodes for gunnies.
holland and holland, trumbull restoration, pietta revolvers, stun guns.
plus lots of other episodes of other things being made. my kids call the show "workers" and love it.

toad wrote:As I looked at the machining process I kept thinking things like, "would EDM,ECM, or CNC grinding help cut down on the hand finish work needed." I'm a Philistine at heart I guess.
"Where is my Dremel and epoxy."

Dremel's are tools of teh debil. If you had said "Foredom", I might have been able to forgive you, but "Dremel"? Off to the stake with you! Now where did I put my lighter ?

Epoxy, as in Devcon, is useful for bedding.

They already do CNC machining. It's all the final fitting that drives the price up in terms of man hours. All the polishing and filing, and honing in order to get the thing to snap shut like a vault door. Then there's the wood, which is all hand carved, which probably cost 5 grand just for the chunk of walnut before they take a chisel to it. then there's there's the engravers, and checkerers, which then reall eats up the man hours. Then there's the fact that this is being made in England, where everything costs a friggin fortune, because the government want's it's cheese too.

toad wrote:Interesting, I suppose you have to fly over to England to have the stock fitted to you before they start making a shotgun or double rifle for you?

I believe H & H has a shop in NYFC, where they can fit you.