FIVE ICONIC SCOTTISH GUNS & RIFLES

We asked Nicholas Holt, Europe’s leading auctioneer of fine modern and antique guns, for the five best Scottish shotguns and rifles he has sold

Scotland has given us some of the most stunning rifles and shotguns ever made. Donald Dallas, the author of books on John Dickson & Son, David McKay Brown and great collector Charles Gordon, came up with a list long enough for a new book. ‘What separates Scottish gunmakers is the amount of thought that went into the designs,’ he says. ‘They are attractive and sumptuous, right down to the gun cases.’ The number of developments to come from Scotland in the world of firearms is extraordinary – Alexander Henry gave us snap caps and the rifling and barrel used in the renowned Martini-Henry rifle; Sir James Dewar developed cordite (and invented the vacuum flask); in the 1770s Major Patrick Ferguson invented the first breechloading rifle put into service by the British military (used during the American War of Independence). Presbyterian clergyman Rev. Alexander John Forsyth patented percussion caps in 1807, thus replacing the unreliable flint system. Oh, and let’s not forget Lord Lovat’s ghillie suit. Henry .450 Rifle Edinburgh-based Alexander Henry (1818-1894), gun and rifle manufacturer to His Highness the Prince of Wales, made this Martini-Henry rifle – first issued to the army in 1874, its seven-groove rifling gave it incredible accuracy. This Henry .450 has black powder-only round 28in barrels with the Henry patent rifling. It sports bone-inlaid open sights and a folding sight for 200 yards. Weighing 7lb 10oz, it sold in 2011 for £6,500. Dickson & Son Round Action Triggerplate The most famous Dickson & Son shotgun is the Round Action, which bridged the gap between boxlock and sidelock. Strong, reliable and elegant, Dicksons still use the same design. This one is a 12-bore 1887 Patent Round Action Triggerplate Ejector, with 27in barrels. Made in 1978, it embodies the elegance of 19th century shotguns, with beautifully engraved game scenes. Weighing 6lb 4oz, it sold in 2013 for £18,500. .303 Fraser Rifle Daniel Fraser, originally from Inverness, opened his own premises in 1878. Known for the luxurious finishes, down to gold-washed internals and velvet-lined cases, Fraser rifles don’t come up often. This .303 Nitro express boxlock ejector double rifle has 25¾in barrels, reinforced breeches and inlaid sight lines marked for 200/300 yards, plus fine acanthus scroll engraving with ropework bordering. Sold in 2016 for £9,000. McKay Brown Round Action David McKay Brown is one of few contemporary gunmakers who deserve the term ‘iconic’. Born in 1941 in Glasgow, his father instilled in him an appreciation for guns and shooting. This pristine pair of 20-bore double trigger over-and-under round action ejectors with 28in nitro-proofed barrels have automatic safeties, hold-open toplevers, bold acanthus designs on a matt background and gold inlay designs of a pheasant and a woodcock respectively. They sold in 2016 for £40-60,000. James MacNaughton ‘Edinburgh’ Bar-in-Wood MacNaughton (estd. Edinburgh 1864) invented the triggerplate lock used by Dickson, a slimmer and lighter action which is the main reason for the elegance of Scottish-designed firearms. His Edinburgh Bar-in-Wood shotgun is rightly the best-known. This pair of attractive 12-bore ejectors, made in 1901, have 28in nitro proofed Damascus barrels, come in a lightweight brass-cornered leather case, and sold for £28,000 in 2016.