It is displayed at the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Ky.

It was the first Holland and Holland double rifle I’ve seen in person and I was immediately struck by how petite and almost dainty it looked.

I have pictures of it under glass if anybody wants to see them pm an email address.

quote:

petite and almost dainty it looked.

Colin,
A similar impression of my Beretta double compared to my Simson Suhl double.
And the Beretta is a.458 and the Simson a.41.

Fortunately, they both shoot well.

For those not familiar is it a Dominion action? I’ve never been a fan of bulky/heavy guns. I’ll take a little more felt recoil with the svelte feel and great handling.

It is a Royal. If I remember right it has 28 inch barrels and being 45 caliber (500/450NE) adds to the svelteness of the rifle.

Y’uns won’t believe me but when the NRA show came to Louisville the Frazier museum brought their firearms then on display to the NRA annual show. They had a lot more collections on display then than now.

The modern sporting rifle crazy was at its height. No one was coming by. I ran to it. I knew all the models and sub modles on display. They had a handful of all three generations of LaMat percussion revolvers and a French LaMat cartridge revolver. A lot of Colts including one Walker, and a lot of American Long Rifles of various styles. This rifle was also on display. I got reciting African Game Trails to the older lady who was watching over the exhibit. She asked if I wanted to hold the TR Rifle since I knew older arms and this rifle in particular. You bet I did.

It was like a Catholic getting to try on the Pope Ring. She would not let me take any pictures though. I think that was 2014 or 2015.

In African Game Trails is a list of all those who commissioned the Rifle for President Roosevelt. Kermit’s Rifle was a box lock Rigby in 3 1/4 450 NE. I have never seen that rifle in color.

Yes, I've been to Louisville a number of times and we always visited the Frazier Museum, along with the Louisville Slugger museum and factory. I am pretty sure that I have pics of the double and had posted them here on AR many years ago. Beautiful double rifle!

Some years ago that rifle was on display at a shot show in Dallas Texas. The man in the booth let me handle the rifle. As Aaron said it is a delight to swing, being very light for it's chambering. The Booth man said he was thinking about offering chances to actually shoot the rifle a few rounds at a local firing range. the tickets were going to be $25 per to be drawn at the end of the show. I told him when he got ready I wanted two tickets. Sorry to say there were very few takers, and the 100 tickets was never made, so it was dropped.

I told him I would give him $100 to let me shoot four rounds through that piece of history on film. He declined! Man I would love to have pulled that set of triggers on four shots, but alas...…………………………………..

The rifle is a non-Ejector and must have been one of the last non-quick detachable sidelocks. Plus made in 500/450 when the 500/465 was being released. I remember reading he required a complete new forend after his big Safari, I am assuming that includes the forend iron.

I have one very similar made two years earlier and they are indeed svelte.

Below are some pictures of the Numbers Book and Day Book entries of the rifle.

It has 26" barrels which seem to have been the most common length in early large bore Holland Nitro chamberings.

Number Book




Day Book

470Evans fascinating. I don't have day book entries for mine, just a copy of the numbered book details and whatever else H&H mentioned in the response letters.

About GBP73 for the rifle and 5 for the case!

Can't read the bottom of the Day Book entry but did H&H supply and fit the Presidential medallion?

Cheers, Chris

Incredible.