Original British 20 Bore Single Barrel Percussion Fowling Piece by Richard Hollis of London – circa 1840 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Here is a very nice British single barrel 20 bore percussion fowling piece, signed on the lock Rich’d Hollis, for well-known London gunmaker RICHARD W. HOLLIS, who worked from 1790 until 1850. We have had several other percussion fowling pieces from this maker, and they all have been very nice. This example is half stocked, with a 40 inch long barrel that is octagonal at the breech and round at the muzzle. From the looks of the barrel, it is “spiral forged”, which was a common way for shotgun barrels to be made before commercial steel was widely available.

The walnut stock is checkered at the grip, featuring an iron butt plate and trigger guard, while the nose cap, escutcheons, and other embellishments are nickel silver. It also has a small compartment on the bottom of the butt stock for a clearing worm, which has an iron door set into a nickel silver fitting. There are some small repairs, but we do not see any major structural damage.

Pulling out the barrel wedges allowed us to remove the barrel, and the bottom is marked RH / 100, probably for Richard Hollis. It also is marked with the CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTERS / BPC proof and CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTERS / V viewed marks from the English city of Birmingham. These are the correct markings for pre-1853 manufacture. There is a nice brass tipped wooden ramrod under the barrel. We checked the lock, and it is fully functional. holding at half cock and firing at full.

A very nice mid 19th century British Fowling piece, the perfect thing to hang on the wall!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1840
Caliber: about .615″ – 20 bore
Ammunition Type: Lead ball / shot and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 inches 
Overall Length: 56 inches
Action: Back Action Percussion
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

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