10 January 2006, 23:41
Edd W.Help on a old I. Hollis And Sons Rifle
HI. I'm new here and looking for some info on this I.Hollis and Sons rifle. It loads from the breach by a door that swings to the right side of the gun.The barrel is rifled but there is no caliber/cartridge stamped on it and is over .5in. in diameter.The only thing stamped on it is I.hollis and Sons-London-It is not a percussion cap ignition but does have a firing pin ignition.Looking for any info I can find on it or where to look.I'll try to post a pic.. Thanks! Edd
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/sniper2u00/100_0735.jpg23 January 2006, 05:26
lee440I know diddley about them, but I was watching History Channel the other day and on Tales of the gun, they were on the topic of English military rifles. I believe that your rifle was a conversion of a percussion muzzleloader(brown bess?) Anyway, that looks like what was referred to as the Snider Conversion to a metallic cartridge. Sorry, I no no more, hope this helps in some way! Lee.
15 March 2006, 07:50
348srfunIt does look like some type of Snyder action. No way of telling the cartridge used from photo but many were 577. A good chamber cast and a "Copy of Cartridges of the World" would answer that Question.
16 March 2006, 00:50
MasteriflemanI have some little experience with that action in that when I was 12 years old, two "friends" of mine talked me into taking a midnight tour of the Canadian Museum at Fort Erie, Ontario, where we "liberated" three of these in military configuration. I was taken to municipal court and given one year probation and that ended my life of crime but never diminished my love of firearms. It does use a paper cartridge and a standard musket cap to ignite the charge. Other than that, I can't tell you anything else.
16 March 2006, 00:52
MasteriflemanLooking at it again, I believe I'm messed up on that one, it does use a firing pin not a musket cap like the ones I'm familiar with. Same kind of breeching system tho.