For decades, I have dreamt of owning a Holland & Holland. This dream came true in 2021 when an acquaintance put up his vintage 12-gauge Holland & Holland for sale, and I jumped at the opportunity.
THE DOMINION: IT’S ALL IN A NAME
The gun under discussion is a hammerless, sidelock, non-ejector 12-gauge built on Holland’s famous “back-action” lock work, often referred to as the “Dominion”. Not all models using this action were technically Dominions, as the design’s official name prior to 1894 was the “No. 2 Hammerless Back Action”, and then the “No. 3 or C-Grade Back Action” up to the 1930s, when this model was renamed the “Dominion”. (In true H&H style, and in continuation of their long-standing marketing strategy, catchy names of the era were assigned to different models to add a certain level of prestige to the product line; think of the “Royal” model – a “leave no doubt in the mind” reference to the plethora of royal warrants the firm held, and a very clever marketing move.)
The Dominion, of course, derives its name from the self-governing nations (dominions) of the British Empire, including India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The Dominion model was thus aimed directly at the hunter or British officer in pursuit of sporting activities in these countries. It was an utterly reliable gun at an affordable price – in my books, pure genius by H&H.
The back-action design refers to the positioning of the lock work – in a back-action design, the mainspring sits behind the tumblers and not in front of them, resulting in a much stronger bar as no metal needs to be
