Paradox gun
 |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Gun manufacturer |
| Founded | London, England 1835 |
| Founder | Harris Holland |
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
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Number of locations
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4 stores |
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Area served
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London, New York City, Middlesex, Moscow |
| Products | Rifles, Clothing, Accessories, operator of shooting estates |
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Number of employees
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101–250 |
| Website | www |
Holland & Holland is a British gun-maker based in London, England which offers handmade sporting rifles and shotguns. The company holds two Royal Warrants.
Holland & Holland was founded by Harris Holland (1806–1896) in 1835.
At first, the guns bore the inscription H.Holland, without an address, and it is probable that these were built in the trade to his design. It is not known when Harris Holland started his own manufacturing, but it is estimated to be in the 1850s. This start makes him very unusual among the London Best makers, as others such as Purdey, Boss, Lang and Lancaster had apprenticed with Joseph Manton, while others such as Beesley, Grant and Atkin apprenticed with Purdey or Boss.
In 1883, Holland & Holland entered the trials organized by the magazine The Field and won all of the rifle categories. This set a new standard of excellence for the competition among English gunmakers. In 1885, patents were granted to Holland & Holland for their Paradox gun, a shotgun with rifling in the front two inches of the barrel.
In 1908, they patented the detachable lock feature with small lever, for sidelock shotguns. The last major development in the evolution of the sidelock side-by-side gun occurred in 1922, when the H&H assisted-opening mechanism was patented. This gun, the self-opening Royal side-by-side, has been hugely influential in gun-making throughout the world.
In the period after World War II under the leadership of new owner and Managing Director Malcolm Lyell, the company made sorties to India, where guns from the famous collections of the princes and maharajahs were bought back, developing an important market for second-hand pieces. In 1989, all remaining shares in H&H were bought by the French cosmetics group Chanel. Since then, the factory building, in use since 1898, has been extensively renovated and equipped with modern technology. Guns such as the Royal Over & Under or side-by-side double-barreled shotguns were improved and reintroduced, and they are available from 4 bore to .360 inch. A hand-built gun from H&H can cost around £60,000 for a shotgun and close to £100,000 for some rifles, with prices roughly doubling with luxury engraving, and there is a waiting period of 2–3 years between ordering and delivery.
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Wikipedia