NitroX
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Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Evans 400/360 Nitro Express for Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, 1926

Source: Champlins EVANS 400/360 NITRO EXPRESS - INCREDIBLE 98% CONDITION - 1926
for EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE of ETHIOPIA - BORES are NEW - 99% ORIGINAL CASE COLORS - Webley Action - 90% Engraving - 99% Original Barrel Blue - The Wood is 97% - 14 15/16" LOP - A Super Piece From a Great Era
Style: Caliber: Price: Double Rifle 400/360 2 3/4" N. E. $27,750.00
 
#14350, William Evans, 63 Pall Mall, St. James's, London: A William Evans 400/360 2 3/4" Nitro Express Deluxe Grade Made in 1926 for Emperor H.I.M. Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, the Lion of Judah; Incredible gun that is totally Original and almost Appears like the day it walked out of Evans, Webley Long Bar Action with 26" Ejector Chopper Lump Barrels with a dolls head third bite, 1/4 rib & 1 standing & 2 folding; Night sight with a fine bead forward, Proved at 40 Cordite with a 300 grain bullet, Bushed strikers, Cheekpiece, It will work for the right or left hand, Sling eyes, 14 15/16" LOP over a 3/4" Silvers pad, The proper and correct 400/360 weight of 9 lbs. 7 oz., 90% coverage of Evans scroll engraving, Very nice wood with nice color & contrast that remains as solid and stout as it was 88 years ago with a lifetime of use left in both the butt and forend. The barrels retain absolute 99% original blue, Absolute original case colors at 99%, Totally original stock finish at 97% with handling marks only, The original checkering is 99%, The bores are absolutely brand new, The striker bushings are 88 years new, The inside of the forend has 100% vivid case colors. This is great stuff from the Golden Era of English guns and it was built on the best boxlock action body that ever came out of that country. Here is a fun cartridge that shoots the very available 9.3 bullets in .366" or .367" diameter. As many of you know, I have seen my fair share of vintage British express double rifles but not many come this clean, this original and with bores like new. The Second World War and the aftermath altered the intended use of many guns and this piece remains to this day like a new rifle. It not only looks great it performs, 1 1/2" 4 shot groups with 286 grain Woodleigh's. This is about as good as it gets, golden era 1926 gun, totally original, outstanding condition, Webley action, chopper lump ejector barrels, great fun cartridge plus it was made for the Lion of Judah.
   
H.I.M. Haile Selassie was the heir to a dynasty that traced its origins by tradition from King Solomon and Queen Makeda, the Queen of Sheba. Selassie ruled Ethiopia for thirty years until his overthrow in 1974. He had at least 30 Lions (national animal of Ethiopia) roaming the palace grounds during his reign. I had the pleasure of viewing the descendants of his lions in Addis Ababa in the late 1980's and DNA evidence has it that the Addis Ababa lion in Ethiopia is genetically unique.
Mr. William Evans worked at both Purdey and Holland & Holland and started at 91a Buckingham Palace Road in 1883 and the firm was Gunmakers to H. R. H. Duke of Connaught. On February 23rd, 1944, just before 10:45pm, a wartime bomb killing 8 civilians and wounding more than 50 others hit Pall Mall. The company's premises at No 63 were badly damaged and, as a result, the company was forced to move around the corner to 67A St. James's Street where it has remained ever since and still operates to this day as one of the U K’s few remaining independent gunmakers. Check there great offerings at www.williamevans.com.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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CHAPUISARMES
.416 member
Reged: 16/01/08
Posts: 2908
Loc: DUBBO, NSW, AUSTRALIA
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Hi John,
Thanks for posting this wonderful piece of history. A rarity in this condition for it's age.
Cheers,
Jeff Gray
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tinker
.416 member
Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
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Fantastic!
Cheers Tinker
-------------------- --Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--
"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...
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Rockdoc
.400 member
Reged: 07/12/06
Posts: 1213
Loc: NSW, Australia
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Fabulous condition eh! And probably not a bad price considering.
That's a big lions head he is stroking. I wonder if they had many "incidents" with the lions around!
Maybe invite your enemies over for dinner. Just take a walk around the grounds....
Cheers,
Chris
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40685
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Interesting, the rifle does not have a "native" embellishments of the Menelik II Mauser rifle. Instead it has the simple refined style of a good English rifle. The stock is a bit plain for an Emperor though I think. Shows Haile Selassie may have been a more more ruler than his Grand-father who is claimed to have "modernised" Ethiopis.
That rifle is in great condition.
BTW the William Evans store is a good place to visit. When I visited them a few years ago the staff was very friendly and personable, and we had a long chat, even though I bought nothing. The prices of accessories, clothes etc there was also at realistic prices.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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HistoricBore
.300 member
Reged: 28/09/11
Posts: 232
Loc: United Kingdom
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And also they have a good shop on the camp at Bisley Ranges in Surrey. They were also able to look up the original details of my boxlock shotgun, made in 1902.
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CptCurl
.450 member
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5318
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...
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It looks like a standard Webley A&W-C 2nd screw grip to me. Not a "First" since it is not equipped with overhead sears.
It's a fine gun. Looks to be in great shape. Great caliber.
Curl
-------------------- RoscoeStephenson.com
YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.
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lancaster
.470 member
Reged: 06/05/08
Posts: 9534
Loc: There's a lighthouse in the mi...
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did not find hunting pics with him only the tame lions http://iethio.blogspot.de/2008/09/picture-of-selassie-meeting-with-nixon.html


here with cheetahs in the 1930s

maybe he wasn't a hunter
-------------------- Norwegian hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet
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bringing civilisation to the barbarians
Edited by lancaster (19/02/14 11:03 PM)
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40685
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Quote:
did not find hunting pics with him
I tried too.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Crusader68
.224 member
Reged: 25/11/11
Posts: 41
Loc: Baton Rouge, LA
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he was a hunter, I remember reading about him hunting Elephant and small game, but 1926 was before he came to power as Emperor in 1930. When the rifle was delivered he was the duke of Harare. He apparently was very attached to his lions, which were Barbary lions that are now extinct in the wild, but apparently some of the descendants of the royal lions are the basis for efforts to breed and reintroduce the Barbary lion on the future.
-------------------- Erik S.
"... mais épargnez le visage"
Edited by Crusader68 (14/09/14 09:30 AM)
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