de Boulle Magazine 2017/2018

AIMING FOR PERFECTION

When handling a Holland & Holland sporting shotgun or rifle, you immediately understand that it is perfectly suited to its purpose. Such an achievement does not come by evolution alone, even though Holland & Holland guns trace their lineage to 1835. Its other parent is curiosity, the desire of the craftsman and the gunmaker to challenge themselves to improve on time-honored methods. The Holland & Holland factory, in Kensal Green, west of central London and not far from London

is the creation of our 60 craftsmen, each making their equal contribution to the finished piece. The machinist, the barrel maker, the actioner, the engraver: Theirs is the responsibility for turning bare metal into a magnificent gun that will still be shooting straight and true when your great-grand- son is an old man. Depending on the model — currently seven are offered — anywhere from 650 to 1,250-plus man hours go into making it. No part of a Holland & Holland gun is interchangeable: Everything is made specifically for one gun, down to the smallest pin. That is why, at most, just 70 guns are made each year, by the finest, most dedicated and enthu- siastic craftsmen in the world — blending the past and present into every sporting shotgun and rifle. There are two Holland & Holland Gun Rooms in the world: London, in the heart of Mayfair, and Dallas, on the second floor of de Boulle Diamond & Jewelry. There, experience a unique melding of art and craft via a range of new and pre-owned Holland & Holland sporting shotguns and rifles and other best guns, and the Holland & Holland accessories that go with them — perfectly. 6821 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas, 75205; 214-520-6640; hollandandholland.com

Behind closed doors, the unique blend of then and now at the world’s finest gunmaker’s To understand why London gunmaker Holland & Holland is celebrated around the world as a beacon of artistry mixed with craftsmanship, just pick up one of its creations. Balance it in your hands. Allow your eyes to take in every detail of its lines. It dis- plays a purity of design and a functional simplicity that is found more frequently in nature than in the work of man.

Paddington station, is where the best guns are built in the traditional way — as they have been, in the same building, since 1898. Almost 120 years later, the factory, although new paint adorns its exterior and new equipment fills its interior, is still ideally suited to its task. It is a tall, slender building with large windows for maximum light. On one side, the actioners take advantage of the early morning light while, on the other side, the engravers prefer the afternoon light for their craft. The making of a Holland & Holland gun or rifle is not a process to be hurried. The building of a gun

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