Thomas Bland & Sons made some outstanding guns and rifles and this Farquharson action single-shot is a beautiful example, made even more desirable by having been rebuilt by Griffin & Howe of New York.
Fast Facts
- Thomas Bland & Sons were British gunmakers who had shops in King William IV Street, just off The Strand in London.
- Bland made a variety of side-by-side guns and they also made rifles both for overseas hunting and for Britain and Europe.
- There is a Farquharson action single-shot made by Bland’s on the Rock Island Auction site: with that sale ending on October 4th, 2025.
Thomas Bland & Sons gunshop, located in King William IV Street, a side street adjoining The Strand in London, is a place of fond memories for me. I used to visit there sometimes in the company of my father when I was a schoolboy. Sometimes we would just look through the shop window – just occasionally my Dad would take me inside and we would look at the guns and rifles on display, and I was allowed to hold air-rifles suitable for a boy to learn to shoot with.
I wasn’t allowed to have an air-rifle at that time: but I was allowed to buy a Bland’s catalog which was full of interesting information, and other gun books such as a history of Winchester, and a history of Colt.
It was a place that played a significant role in planting the gun-nut seed and inspired me to take up shooting once I’d graduated college and started at my first job.
Thus it was that I joined the ranks of those who appreciate the aroma of smokeless powder in the morning – and the evening come to that.
Thomas Bland & Sons primarily made side-by-side shotguns at that time. And they also made sporting rifles based on the FN Mauser action in 375 Holland & Holland and 404 Jeffery, for the African safari trade. They also made quite delightful sporting rifles based on the Lee-Enfield No.4 MkII action if I remember correctly.
So when I stumbled across this Farquharson action Thomas Bland & Sons take-down rifle it immediately grabbed my attention.
The Farquharson is a falling-block single-shot under-lever action which was originally designed by John Farquharson of Daldhu, Scotland in 1872. The action was first made by George Gibbs of Bristol who purchased the patent in 1875 and was the only maker of this action until the patent expired. Other gunmakers such as Jeffery then also began making them.
There were reputedly only around 1,000 rifles based on this action made and they were created in a range of calibers, mostly black-powder such as the 500 Express, until the advent of smokeless powders.
The Farquharson action was favored by African Professional Hunter Frederick Courtenay Selous until he was introduced to the 425 Westley Richards later in life. A bolt-action repeating rifle with five round magazine that could be speed loaded by stripper-clip was an even more ideal rifle for dangerous game in Africa where the creatures seeking to ensure one’s demise might come in mobs.
But for general hunting the single-shot still stands out as a perfect choice, and the Farquharson as one of the greatest of the falling-block single-shot actions.
I’m told the old Indian saying tells us “one shot dead deer, two shots maybe, three shots never”.
This Thomas Bland & Sons Farquharson take-down rifle was originally completed in 1918 and it comes with what is likely the original 23½” long light sporter weight barrel which is chambered for an unknown .25″ caliber cartridge. Identifying the cartridge should only be a matter of having a gunsmith take a chamber cast and making the necessary measurements.
In addition the rifle also has a newer 25″ long barrel of slightly heavier profile chambered for the 270 Winchester. This barrel is fitted with both open sights and with a Leupold M8-4x riflescope.
This 270 Winchester barrel is marked “REBUILT BY GRIFFIN & HOWE NEW YORK, N.Y.”
This rifle is adorned with a rather attractive walnut stock and has been professionally refinished.
You can find the sale page for this rifle if you click here.
Rock Island Auction describe the condition of this rifle as follows:-
“Very fine as professionally restored, with nearly all of the finish, some light spotting, minor handling evidence, and sharp checkering on the wood. Mechanically excellent. The scope optics are clear. The extra barrel is very fine and the case is excellent.“
Picture Credits: All pictures 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.
