LONDON.- Gavin Gardiner Ltds sale on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 just in time for the Boxing Day Shoot - will include a good selection of fine English and European sporting guns by makers such as London makers Purdey, Holland & Holland and Boss & Co. Among the notable items is a fine pair of 12-bore sidelock ejector shotguns by the gunmakers gunmaker Boss & Co. Built in 1912, they remain in excellent condition and carry an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
A pair of 12-bore sidelock ejector guns by Holland & Holland is estimated at £10,000-to £15,000.
The sale also includes a collection of sporting and military rifles, including a scare .303 Lee Enfield N0.4 (T) Sniper rifle by BSA, dated 1944, and finished and regulated by Holland & Holland, retaining much of it's military finish overall, with it's transit chest etc. It is estimated to fetch £1,800 to £2,400.
During World War Two, Britain urgently need a new Sniper's rifle, and the newly introduced Lee Enfield No.4 was adapted by one of London's most famous gun and rifle makers, Holland & Holland, to suit this role.Holland & Holland converted virtually all of the rifles issued to British Sniper's during this time, fitting the telescopic sights and carefully regulating the rifles to deliver the best possible accuracy. The work was so successful that some of these legendary rifles were still in service as late as the 1980s.