What can folks tell me about this fellow? I’d be grateful for any information. He seems to be (or to once have been) a skilled double rifle gunsmith in the UK, but other than that, I know nothing. Thanks.

Chris was a trained engineer of Malaysian extraction. He was the workshop manager at Westley Richards for quite some time and in this guise a good friend of mine dealt with Chris on several occasions. Chris also commissioned the rifles made under the J&L Wilkins name, although if I remember correctly he didn't own the rights to the name. In addition to be involved with gunmaking at Westley Richards, Chris also traded extensively in used British guns and rifles and he sold a lot of those in South Africa and Australia over the years. He was a very keen big-game hunter as well and shot a VERY big elephant some years ago on a property bordering Kruger in South Africa.

Chris fell ill on a British Airways flight from Joburg to London and the plane had to divert to Luanda, Angola. He was eventually casevaced to Windhoek in Namibia but I understand he was all but gone when they arrived there.

Michael,
Please PM me with your contact info and I will give you a full rundown on Chris. A great friend for over 30 years.
He was born to parents in Malaysia who own large palm oil plantations and processing plant, his mother is still living, as it his wife and 2 kids. He shot his first elephant at age 10 with his father!!
Education in engineering in UK and professional career in the high end auto industry. Guns and dangerous game hunting were his passion and avocation. He knew the British gun trade well and acquired hundreds of British double rifles from estates all over the world and restored and upgraded for customers in the British trade.
Chris and his US partner, Dick Corrente were the purveyors of the makers name J&L WILKINS double rifles, box locks and sidelocks, 22LR to 700NE...only 22 lucky owners in the world!!
He was Chief Engineer and Production Manager for Westley Richards for 8 years. Of course the underpinnings of Westley Richards is also in the Automotive business. You will see a photo of Chris in the great 100 year Anniversary book from Westley Richards.
Sadly Chris passed away while returning from South Africa from complications of a serious infection after surgery for prostate cancer a couple of years ago.
I really miss him.... and his excellent work in the British gun business. He left great marks!!
Of course there is alot more to the story!!

CheerZ,

Thanks for the info, gents. Seems like he was a good and knowledgeable double rifle man.

470EDDY - PM answered.

Here is a bit more insight into the roots of the J&L Wilkins double rifle series name:

Quote from Chris's US Partner-

"J&L Wilkins is a made- up name. Chris was a friend of a Chicago policeman who was a gun nut that wanted to go into the gun business. He wanted to expand the business to include English guns, and that's where Chris came in. The J&L was for John and Leonard, and they made up the Wilkins name because it sounded "English'. Neither of them had enough money to pull it off, and that's where I came in."

Here is a fine example of the great work Chris Soyza did in the British trade with the J&L WILKINS doubles. This one is presently listed on Guns International-
https://www.gunsinternational....cfm?gun_id=101702055

It is interesting that I got to know Chris and his partner Dick Corrente at SCI in the early 90's when I was in pursuit of a 470 for an upcoming Elephant hunt with John Sharp. The above gun was test fired in 1991 and was about the time I was looking.... and at that time, they were hawking BLE's at $10-14,000, and their Sidelock doubles at $18,000 and up depending on finish and engraving!! Those were SPECTACULAR prices.... even back then!!
I ended up purchasing a beautiful old Manton in Australia for around $7500 and had sent back a great old Rigby BLE that I felt the barrels were just to LONGGGGG.... over 28"... priced at $9500.
Apparently, the double listed above was purchased at auction by a guy that "just had to have it!!".... hence the present pricing... in a declining market>>>
I would really love to own this rifle, but at a human price ... that I could also resell as I get older.... I am too old to wait for another market cycle!!...if that ever happens again??!!
Another beautiful 700NE BLE J&L Wilkins sold at a recent Rock Island auction... I don't know what the hammer was on that one.... it was estimated at $50-80,000....

CheerZ,

The J&L WILKINS 700 NE from the Malcolm King collection realized $69,000 from the September auction...plus Buyers premium, etc....
Interestingly, that is about what one of the two BLE's cost the buyer when it was ordered new....not bad in a declining market. A confident following...