CptCurl,
I too don't think anyone was out to ruin your day. The evidence was there in plain sight for all to see. No one connected the dots, except 400NE.

I'd look at as a joyous revelation. You now know a great deal more about your beautiful rifle. At least you know who your rifle was made for. In the case of my A. Hollis and Son 450/400 3 inch, I have no such satisfaction.

I only know that the barrel action was supplied by Leonard as they did for Jeffery and others in the trades. I would be be on cloud nine if I had all the information that you have on your rifle.

When I bought my Hollis I found a year or so later that the reason my rear sight was so low, was that the barrels were bent. I didn't know it. JJ at Champlin told me about it, after he straighten them. Try that phone call on for size!
I saved for my double, looked long and hard. The rifle I bought was even mentioned in the DGJ in an article.

At first I was mad at being dooped and not knowing. That quickly turned to joy at fact I now had a beautiful rifle that shoots a whole lot better than I do.

Most important of all, My Hollis is stll "My Double Rifle", and that makes it the best double rifle in the world!

We all came here to share our love and interests in Double Rifles. We can here among our peers to exchange information and improve our knowledge of double rifles. That is exactly what has occured here in this thread.

I once told a man that if he needed me all he had to do was call me and tell me where he was. I told him that I did not need to know if he was right or wrong. The only thing I needed to know was the direction he was facing, because when I got there I would be standing beside him, facing the same way.

CptCurl, you are still surrounded by a "Band of Brothers", facing the same way your are!

Best regards,