British gunmaker Westley Richards have a long history of designing and making double-rifles that are both practical hunting arms and works of high art. The most famous Westley Richards action is their Droplock which features locks that can be easily removed by opening the hinged bottom floorplate of the action.
Fast Facts
- British gunmaker Westley Richards are one of the top makers of top shelf double-rifles.
- Westley Richards double-rifles are characterized by their hand detachable “droplock” action.
- The locks in a Westley Richards Droplock action can be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance by removing the fore-end and barrels, and then opening the hinged floorplate that covers and retains the locks.
- Westley Richards have made double-rifles in many calibers ranging from small-bores such as the 6.5 and 7mm, up to such dangerous game cartridges such as the 500 NE, 577 NE, and 600 NE
- A new Westley Richards Droplock double rifle chambered for the 500 Nitro Express and regulated for the 570 grain bullet is coming up for sale by Rock Island Auction on December 7, 2024.
Westley Richards stand out among the British makers of double-rifles, being a company with a long history of making best guns that are created to be efficient working arms, yet also extraordinary works of art, both in their design and engineering, and in the tasteful engraving that adorns them.
The premier British double-rifle makers such as Holland & Holland and Rigby offer hand detachable locks for their best guns, these typically being sidelocks. But Westley Richards have taken a different approach and their hand detachable locks, which are known as “droplocks”, are completely different from the offerings of their competitors.
For someone unfamiliar with the Westley Richards hand detachable locks system the double-rifle will initially look rather like a common boxlock. But the action conceals an ingenious secret.
When the rifle is taken down by removing the fore-end and then the barrels the Westley Richards secret is revealed. The bottom floorplate of the action can be hinged rearwards revealing the two locks slotted perfectly into the action. These locks can be lifted out if the rifle is upside down, or dropped out if it is the right way up, hence the nickname “droplock”.
Hand detachable locks are a desirable feature on a double-rifle, which is likely to be used in tropical environments, frigid environments, and places where the mud or dust can cause all sorts of nastiness in a rifle’s action. So just as with a bolt-action we can easily strip and clean the internals of the bolt, so with the Westley Richards hand detachable locks these can be easily removed and cleaned with a brush, or compressed air spray or similar.
So, horrid though the thought might be, if, for example, you are on a hippo or crocodile hunt and your rifle happens to get submerged in muddy river water it is readily able to be field stripped and cleaned out, which will hopefully occur before you need to embark on doing battle with whatever quarry you are after.
Although in the past double-rifles were preferred by many who could afford them, and thus they were made in many common smaller calibers such as 6.5mm and 7mm, nowadays the vast majority of double-rifles are made in calibers suitable for large and dangerous game.
Looking at the Westley Richards website I found an article about Westley Richards double rifles in 7×57 R, 9.3×62, and 470 NE which you can find if you click here.
But in modern times the main province of the double-rifle is for African safari and dangerous game such as Cape Buffalo, hippo, and of course elephant. So it is more common for double-rifles to be chambered in such calibers as the 470 Nitro Express or the 500 Nitro Express, both of which have proven themselves as being effective stoppers of creatures that might just have an inclination to gore, stomp or bite anyone who might have the temerity to annoy them.
Of the various dangerous game cartridges the 500 Nitro Express is one that stands out as a dangerous quarry stopper. Professional ivory hunter John Taylor in his book “African Rifles and Cartridges” describes the 500 NE as “A real killer on practically anything”. A statement from a man of great practical African hunting experience that should inspire a healthy degree of confidence in someone carrying a good double-rifle in 500 NE to go up against a quarry that has the potential to cut one’s time on the earth short.
A Westley Richards “droplock” Double-rifle in 500 Nitro Express for Sale
At the time of writing there is a new Westley Richards “droplock” double-rifle chambered for the 500 Nitro Express coming up for sale by Rock Island Auction at their Premier Auction to be held over December 6-8, 2024.
This rifle was ordered and paid for by a client who, sadly, passed away before being able to take delivery, or take the rifle out hunting.
So it is a new rifle: available for immediate purchase at the Rock Island Auction on December 7, 2024.
You can find the Rock Island Auction sale page for this rifle if you click here.
This rifle is fitted with blued steel chopperlump 25 inch barrels, and has a length of pull of 15 9/16 inches.
The Birmingham proof marks on the barrels indicate it was proofed in 2016, and regulated for the 570 grain bullet.
Rifle weight is 12lb 10oz., which is a sensible weight for a 500 NE and which will help ensure that its considerable recoil can be managed comfortably.
Similarly the safety catch presents nicely rounded edges to ensure against drawing blood in recoil: British makers of heavy caliber rifles think of all the seemingly minor details.
The rear sight is set on an express rib and comprises a gold centerline two-leaf (one standing, one folding) rear sight on the rear quarter rib.
The front sight is a a beaded blade with flip-up hood.
The rifle features engraving by German master engraver Anja Dammenhayn and presents as an extraordinary work of rifle-making high art.
The rifle is fitted with automatic ejectors and bushed firing pins. For a rifle that might be used against dangerous game automatic ejectors provide a great advantage. No-one wants to find themselves snapping their fingernails trying to quickly extract a fired cartridge case when the need to reload is urgent.
Rock Island Auction describe the condition of this rifle as follows:-
“Rating Definition:
New, as shipped directly from Westley’s U.S. agency to Rock Island Auction Company. This is a fantastic chance to own a gun by one of the finest gunmakers in the world without the years long wait!”
Were I sat down and asked to write the specifications for a dangerous game rifle for my own “dream rifle” I think that this Westley Richards fits that set of specifications exactly, right down to the caliber.
I hope it goes to an appreciative home, and that it gets taken on some memorable adventures.
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.
