Geoffrey Laycock visits renowned gunmakers Holland & Holland of London, and discovers a world not so far removed from that of the cabinetmaker.
So what does gunmaking have to do with furniture making you might ask? Well, for a start it requires the utmost attention to detail and the excrutiatingly accurate mating of components made from different materials. If this sounds in any way familiar then what follows needs little explanation. If on the other hand, you’re not convinced then just enjoy the nature of bespoke work and fine craftsmanship and be inspired.
Although some shotguns and rifles now use alternative materials for stock and forearm, the vast majority still use wood, giving the best appearance and tactile qualities we all know and love. For mass-produced guns these days, almost every part is formed by an inanimate machine capable of supreme repetitive accuracy making them super reliable and very reasonably priced. As a shooter myself I recognise the high value of these qualities.
But for the very best guns, just like furniture, the skills of making by hand are still very much valued and Holland & Holland are one of the best known of English makers. The London-based firm does produce sporting shotguns for which some components are CNC-machined, but even here the quality of materials, the design and the finishing means you are looking at a £60,000 price tag. Some models may cost £100,000 and should you desire the most intricate of engraving and inlay, it could easily double. These high-end guns are often made in pairs and to a precise fit for each client; the pinnacles of gunmaking craft that are truly works of art.
Meeting the makers
Depending on the model of gun, from 650 to well over 1250 man hours will be involved in making it. No part of a Holland & Holland gun is interchangeable; each part is made specifically for a single gun, down to the smallest pin. The gun is made of four basic components: the lock, stock, barrel and action – the main body and its component parts. The processes through which these components pass are partly sequential and pass from one craftsman to another. In this article we are going to look into the making of just one component – the stock.
Holland & Holland moved to west London in 1893 then relocated to a new modest-looking factory built in 1898 where 40 employees still work, making every component in-house, apart from barrel forgings. The company was acquired by the Chanel Group in 1989 and the factory was completely renovated and re-equipped in 1991. It is a tall slender building with large windows, one side for the actioners – those who make the metal action – who like to work early in the morning, and the other side for the engravers, who like to use afternoon light for their craft. Our visit was to meet just four of the company’s employees – the stockers – being the guys who make the wooden stocks and forearms. All have years of experience and it’s obvious they also have a genuine passion for their work, an essential ingredient when working to the high standard demanded here.
The process
If you want a new gun, the process starts at the company shooting grounds where the gun is ‘fitted’ to the client. The exact measurements are determined using a ‘try gun’. Some of those details, down to 1/32in, are the starting point for the stockers to begin work after the client has agreed the wood and the stock style. These are more complicated than you think and can be made with various styles of grip including half or full pistol-grip, game or the Prince of Wales design. With Turkish walnut blank, barrels, action, trigger plate and the necessary fitting details to hand, the assembly work can begin.
Finishing the gun
With the stock finished to 320 grit the assembled but still unfinished gun moves to the finishing room. Here all the final touches, including metal engraving and further decoration take place, including checking to the stock and finishing of the wooden parts. The wood is treated to numerous coats of linseed oil, tinted purple-brown by the Indian root dye called askant, which highlights the colour and figuring magnificently whilst providing a totally practical and repairable protection.
Tools used
Tools in use at every stage are interesting, ranging from highly specialised through to those familiar to us all. As with cabinetmaking, older tools are considered better quality and wooden spokeshaves are given preference over metal. Yet they also embrace modern tooling if an advantage is found, using new French rasps and Microplane blades fitted to old Surform bodies and hacksaw frames. Being able to hold and admire guns of this stature was a real pleasure, and meeting some of the craftsmen involved in their creation was a great honour.
Traditional methods
As gun author Michael McIntosh has written, “If Michelangelo had a jackhammer, he would have used it to great advantage, and his finished sculptures would still be and look the same beautiful works of art.” This is equally true for traditional gun manufacturing. While machines are always used when possible, e.g for rifling the barrels, today Holland & Holland use the most modern CNC equipment and CAD design features. Yet, this is combined with all the traditional gun-making methods: actions filed to great precision using the ‘oil black’ method, hand-struck barrels, handshaped stocks and checkering, etc.
At Holland & Holland the barrels, and significantly the barrel tubes, are made in their own machine shops where they exercise full control over the entire process. This control monitors every stage of production, from solid forgings to the finely ground and honed tubes used to create the gun barrels and to ensure the synthesis of form and function.
Locations
Holland & Holland have gun rooms around the world – in London and New York – where you can view their guns and rifles and further locations for their clothing and accessories. The shooting grounds are also located close to London and are available for tuition and corporate events. The London Gun Room is based just off Bond Street, in their flagship store. In this section you will find a selection of new and second-hand guns. The New York Gun Room is in the heart of the city, within walking distance of the New York Public Library.
The power of walnut
Walnut’s status as the gun-making material was established long ago, and is based on its exceptional strength and figuring. It is strong enough to receive heavy recoil, yet it is sufficiently lightweight to impart a pleasing balance to the gun. Although frequently seen on furniture, more often than not, this is a veneer requiring little mechanical strength. In contrast, a gun’s stock is a critical component of a gun, and most combine figure and strength.
Truly fine stock blanks are much sought-after. The traditional mellow and subtle figuring of the classic French walnut has now been joined by the bolder contrasts of mature trees from Turkey. The picturesque countryside of the Dordogne region in France and northern California impart their benevolent character to the walnut. The northeast of Turkey cannot compete with their temperate landscape, but it is precisely this harsh environment that is reflected in the magnificent figuring of centuries’ old trees, which survive baking hot summers and freezing winters on the ragged mountain sides. The trunk and root bowl of the trees are grubbed out of the ground, not felled and the heartwood is sawn into planks, stacked in open-air barns to season, then profiled into stock blanks.