A very rare Holland-Woodward patent .256 falling-block rifle by Holland & Holland, no. 21873 Built for F.C. Selous
The action using H.W. Holland & T. Woodward patent no. 17,578 of 15 September 1894, the sides of the action-body with the makers name engraved in an oval surrounded by best bold foliate-scrollwork, the underside engraved with the patent number, virtually full hardening-colour, the bright cocking-lever engraved en suite, the top-tang with shotgun-style safety and flip-up peep-sight, figured stock (minor crack at base of pistolgrip near cap) with pistolgrip, engraved pistolgrip-cap with trap containing three additional bead-foresights, cheek-piece and horn butt-plate, horn-capped forend, sling-eyes, the circular barrel with matt sight-rib, engraved Holland & Holland, 98 New Bond Street, London Winner Of All The "Field" Rifle Trials, London, 100 yard fixed-sight and leaf-sights sighted for 200, 300, 400 & 500 yards, and ramp-mounted ivory bead-foresight
Weight 7lb. 9oz., 14žin. pull (14 3/8in. stock), 28in. barrel, London nitro proof

Estimate: Ł5,000 - 7,000, EUR 5,700 - 8,000

Footnote:
The makers have kindly confirmed that the rifle was completed in 1899 for Frederick Selous. It was originally shot and regulated 'with Austrian Mannlicher Cartridges with drilled bullets', and was resighted in 1901 by Selous at the Holland & Holland range 'for own shooting'.

Literature:
Walter G. Winfer, British Single Shot Rifles, Volume 5, Rochester, 2004, pp.84-88

Thomas Woodward was born in Birmingham in 1855. Little is known of his early life, but he is probably the same man recorded as a gunmaker from 1868 through to about 1890. He was recruited by Henry Holland in 1892, moving to London to set up Holland's first factory at 527-33 Harrow Road and later supervising the move to its current address in 1898. This involved not only equipping it, but also recruiting gunmakers to staff it, and he is seen as having a large role in the company's transition after 1893 from being a primarily retail business to manufacturing its own firearms. He was also an innovative man, listed as co-patentee with Henry Holland on nineteen patents including this falling-block action, along with designs for the single-trigger (eleven in total), hand-detachable lockplates and both the Paradox and Velopex bullets. By 1904 he had been made a director of the company, a position which he was to hold until ill health forced him to resign in 1914.

Although Holland & Holland had been selling falling-block rifles since 1890, the Holland-Woodward action was the first design by the makers, and the first example was completed as a .303 in 1895 (no. 19557). Total production is believed to have been in the order of only 140 rifles, the bulk being sold between 1899 and 1901 and the last in 1926. Winfer's book separates the actions into three types, of which this rifle exhibits the "action plate base for the...internal safety arm" characteristic of the No. 2 action.

Winfer states that Selous ordered three Holland-Woodward actions from Holland & Holland, the first being this example, closely followed by a .303 (no. 17428) in the same year (rebarrelled to .375 in 1902) and a .375 (no. 24479) in 1904. At the time of publication none of these rifles were recorded as surviving. It is interesting to note that, of those rifles for which records survive, only four appear to have been built in .256.