A Chapter All To Itself

Lot 1102

Lot 1102 in the March sale offers a Holland & Holland bolt action .375 Magnum rifle no. 3348. Of all the rifles introduced and developed by Holland & Holland, by far the most acclaimed and legendary is the .375 Magnum. John Taylor, a noted professional hunter wrote in his book Big Game And Big Game Rifles published in 1948 “I am giving this rifle a chapter all to itself.”

The .375 Magnum had a high striking velocity and used three different weights of bullets to cover an exceptionally wide range of quarry. The cartridge was available in all types, double, single and bolt action rifles.

The beginning of the .375 Magnum dates to 1904 when Henry Holland took out his belted rimless case patent. He followed this with the .275 Magnum of 1910 available in flanged or belted rimless. Having created this successful rifle, Holland & Holland constructed a series of experiments in 1910 to create the .375 Magnum upon the same principles. The new round appeared in 1912 with three types of bullet weight, 235 grs, 270grs. and 300grs. The massive case gave a muzzle velocity of between 2749fps and 2370fps depending on bullet weight. And as for the striking energy…

The success of the .375 Magnum was such that virtually every manufacturer of rifles in the world has made rifles in this calibre.

Lot 1102 has an estimate of £3500 – £4000

Donald Dallas