September 20th 2015 Premier Firearms Sale
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/19/2015
.405 WCF caliber with 24" barrel. Manufactured 1921. After Teddy Roosevelt returned from Africa and wrote his treatise on big game hunting, in particular while using the Winchester Model 1895 in the .405 Winchester caliber, this rifle became the "IT" gun, especially amongst the British big game hunters. This rifle became all the rage in India as well, as British hunters rode in their howdah in search of the elusive tiger. This particular example bears the dealer's address of "Walter Locke & Co. Ltd., Calcutta. Delhi Lohore." stamped on the barrel. In addition to this rare India stamped dealer mark, this rifle has the scarce four-leaf express sight with one standing and three folding and numbered "2,3,4". The front bridge is matted, has the standard ramp and post front sight with checkered steel shotgun buttplate, blued finish, and varnished walnut stocks. The gun remains in amazing all original condition. The barrel retains virtually all of the original factory blue finish, with the exception of a 2-1/2" rub on top of barrel where raw metal is exposed. This is a result of its resting in its original canvas and felt English case. The frame, magazine, lever and tang retains approximately 93% of the original high polish factory blue. There are a couple of minor spots of finish loss and some light finish flaking on lever sides and some minor light high edge wear. The walnut stocks are excellent, retain nearly all of their original finish with some light flaking at butt and back of forearm. Metal buttplate has traces of original blue. Bore is as new, as is the action. It is housed in its original carry case that has both the dealer label inside, as well as a shipping label on the outside. The dealer label on the inside is that of the famous W.W. Greener Firm of Pall Mall, London. The green felt lining shows wear and fading but is all original. It is readily evident that this rifle has been in its case since inception as the only rub on the barrel matches exactly where it touched a case divider and has rubbed over the last century. Within this case is a wood cleaning rod with a brass handle, a paper label tin oiler, an old box of Hoppes gun cleaning patches, an old lead top Hoppes oil can, an old Winchester box of rust remover and a full blue and white box of Winchester .405 soft point ammunition. A leather pouch contains a pull-through cleaner and a leather belt holds the rifle at the wrist. Every single screw head on this rifle is perfect and retains nearly all of the original fire blue finish, with the case colors still on the hammer. An amazing condition .405, express sights, Calcutta dealer stamped on barrel, in the original W.W. Greener canvas and leathering carrying case with "V.W.E" stenciled on top, brass corners, leather straps, and there is a Greener Ltd., London shipping label on top. There could be no finer such rifle extant. From the glory days when England ruled the world and British big game hunters sought their dangerous prey.