The September Vintagers event was good to me, if not good to my pocketbook. I had the good fortune to come home with a super nice Westley Richards best quality boxlock ejector in .303 British.

Completed in 1901, it remains in excellent condition inside and out. Resting in its original oak and leather case it has been shielded from bumps and harsh conditions during the 107 years of its existence. And apart from that, it appears to have been little used. The bores are absolutely perfect, and the rifle locks up square on face.

Here, let me show it to you.

It's a fitting tribute to King Edward VII, as it was completed in the very first year of his reign.
He took the throne on January 22, 1901.

It was made with the signature features of a Westley Richards. First and foremost, it's an Anson & Deeley boxlock from the firm that invented that system in 1875 (Patent No. 1756).

It's chopper lump barrels are graced with the classic Westley Richards "Type C" third fastener, invented by Westley Richards himself in 1862 (Patent No. 2506).

The forend is attached by a Deeley Latch, and it's tipped with a buffalo horn wedge, so typical of a Westley Richards gun.

And the ejectors are of Deeley's design, not Southgate's.

Another interesting feature is the bolted safety with nice gold inlay.

Oh, but I haven't mentioned the flip-up aperture sight. Did you see it earlier?

That's why all the rear sights fold down. There are six of them - all the way to 600 yards! In this photo the 100 yard sight is standing, with the rest lying down.

As you have seen, the ribs are beautifully engraved with bold scroll.

So now you have seen it. Did I ever mention that I have a serious double rifle problem?

Curl