Westley Richards are a British gun and rifle maker renowned for innovation. They created the Anson and Deeley double gun action, and improved it by making the internal locks removable via their “droplock” system.
Fast Facts
- British gunmaker Westley Richards are one of the most respected of the nation’s makers of “best guns”.
- Westley Richards are credited with the creation of the well known Anson and Deeley double gun action.
- Westley Richards are the creators of the “droplock” action, which features an opening bottom plate that allows the locks to be literally dropped out of the gun/rifle for maintenance.
- A 2008 Westley Richards “droplock” double rifle chambered for the 470 Nitro Express is coming up for sale by Rock Island Auction at their May 8th-10th, 2026 Premier sale.
Gunmaker Westley Richards has gained an enviable reputation among the prestigious makers of bespoke “best guns” in Britain. It was the intention of the founder of Westley Richards: William Westley Richards, that the company aspire “to be the maker of as good a gun as can be made“, and this became the company motto and aim.
There is no doubt that Westley Richards achieved that aim both in the quality of the guns they made, but also for the inventiveness and originality of their designs. Founded in 1812 in Birmingham the company opened their London shop in fashionable New Bond Street in 1815.
John Deeley the Elder joined the company in 1860, adding his considerable knowledge and vision into the technology base.
Westley Richards were inventive from their beginnings and their developments included a falling block single shot rifle and solid drawn cartridge case in 1868.
In 1871 John Deeley became the Managing Director in 1872 and took on the roles of commercial manager and director of affairs. Deeley understood the importance of the colonial markets of India (referred to as the “Jewel of the British Empire”) and Africa.
Westley Richards took on the development of guns and rifles suited to these markets. One of the notable creations was by John Deeley with James S. Edge who was the foreman of sporting and military rifle development. Together they created and patented the Deeley-Edge-Metford falling block rifle in 1881.
John Deeley the Elder’s son, John Deeley the Younger, also worked for Westley Richards and it was he who first developed the “box ejector” double gun, with an action that was “hammerless”.
Good though this design was it left room for improvement, the small size mainsprings became known for a propensity to occasionally break.
John Deeley the Elder set about improving on his son’s design in collaboration with the foreman of Westley Richards & Co. gun-action department, Mr. William Anson. The end result was the Anson and Deeley action which became known as a “boxlock”.
The Anson and Deeley action was a simple and highly dependable design and it would go on to become trusted and near ubiquitous, especially among middle range and less expensive guns, it was easier to make and incorporated fewer parts. It was such a good design that it has become the most copied side by side gun action in the world.
These advantages were however not a great advantage in one respect, marketing. Britain was very much a class conscious society and the affluent upper classes were rather determined to own the most prestigious guns they could find – and prestige demanded that a gun be expensive – a veritable “Rolls-Royce of guns”.
So it was that the London gunmakers were seen as being the most prestigious while the Birmingham gunmakers such as Westley Richards tended to be seen not in quite the same hallowed light.
There was of course no real substance in this: it was simply a case of “gun snobbery”. It would be Westley Richards inventiveness and determination “to be the maker of as good a gun as can be made” that enabled them to stand as a maker of “best guns”, every bit as excellent as their London competition.
One feature that a sidelock action can offer that an Anson and Deeley “boxlock” cannot is the ability to remove the locks easily for cleaning. This problem was resolved by Westley Richards by the creation of the “droplock” action.
This was invented and perfected by John Deeley and Mr. Leslie B. Taylor, Westley Richards & Co.’s works manager. For the droplock action the two internal lock mechanisms were mounted separately on metal plates which effectively retained the simplicity of the Anson and Deeley action, which reduced the number of parts in a lock from 22 to 7, and which enabled the locks to be dropped out of the action for cleaning or servicing.
In the first versions of the Westley Richards droplock the locks were retained by a floorplate that was screwed in place. Lesley Taylor wanted to improve on that and in 1908 patented and introduced a latched and hinged floorplate that retained the droplock mechanisms and enabled easy removal and replacement of the locks.
The droplock provided a number of advantages; the locks could be easily removed for cleaning, they could also be removed in order to disable the gun for transport or storage if required, and it meant that a spare set of locks could be kept with the gun to provide immediate replacement should a lock become faulty. This was of the utmost importance for an owner in India or Africa for whom the gun or rifle was an essential tool and it served to make the Westley Richards double rifle a desirable and much respected item.
Factory John Barratt Engraved Westley Richards Droplock Double Rifle in 470 Nitro Express
Westley Richards continue to make their droplock action guns and rifles and you will find more information if you visit their website.
If you are planning to order a firearm from any of the British makers of fine guns there is typically a wait time of a few years, typically about two or three, as the guns are made by hand in the traditional way and that takes an investment of time.
This wait time makes a used British “best gun” an attractive option, and there is a Westley Richards dangerous game double rifle chambered for the 470 Nitro Express coming up for sale by Rock Island Auction as a part of their Premier Firearms Auction of 8th-10th May 2026.
You will find the sale page for this rifle if you click here.
This rifle was completed in 2008 and is very much a traditional Westley Richards dangerous game double rifle having 25 inch solid rib barrels equipped with a brass beaded blade front sight with flip up moon sight and Westley Richards patent folding fore sight protector.
The rear sight is a simple and effective two leaf – one standing one folding with gold insert – calibrated for 50 yards and 100 yards set on a stippled quarter rib. There is a sling swivel mounted on the barrel and another under the butt stock.
The action is color case hardened and has traditional acanthus scrollwork. The black bottom plate features a photo realistic picture of a bull elephant: a quarry that this 470 Nitro Express is well equipped to handle.
The top of the barrels is marked 470 NITRO EXPRESS on the right barrel and the left REGULATED FOR 500 GRAIN BULLET.
The rifle has bushed firing pins, dual casehardened triggers, and an engraved beetle back manual safety with gold inlaid “SAFE” indicator.
The rifle is fitted with a well-figured and mullered bordered multi-point checkered splinter for-end with engraved casehardened iron and Deeley latch release along with a horn for-end tip as well as a pistol grip stock with teardrop carved drop points, a casehardened and engraved trapdoor grip cap, a traditional shadowline cheekpiece. The underside of the butt stock has a gold oval with the initials “DFS”. If the next owner’s initials happen not to be “DFS” he or she could perhaps decide that it stands for “Does Fantastic Shooting” or something else to their liking. Or of course the stock oval could be replaced with a new one.
The rifle is presented in a maker’s oak and leather flat case with canvas cover marked with the initials “DFS”, caliber, and serial number and green baize lined interior containing a Mike Marsh horn handled disk key, leather pouch, spare strikers and fore sight, ebony two-piece cleaning rod, nickel oil pot, and a pair of extra locks numbered to the gun and marked “EXTRA LOCK” housed in a rigid leather carrying pouch. Length of pull 15 5/8 inches. Weight 10 lbs. 12 oz.
Rock Island Auction describe the condition of this rifle as follows:-
“Excellent overall, retaining 99% original lustrous black and vibrant casehardened finishes with minimal handling evidence, a few tiny scratches/pressure marks on the wood, and sharp checkering on the stock and forend. Mechanically excellent. The case is very fine with minor transit/storage wear. This is a fantastic opportunity to take home an outstanding English double rifle capable of taking any game on the planet, and looking good while doing it!“
I think that this rifle is an example of the finest in traditional British double rifle making; in quality, excellence of design, practicality, and sheer beauty.
Picture Credits: All pictures of the sale rifle courtesy Rock Island Auction.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
