The design of Best London guns has undergone a metamorphosis over the years. Changes have taken place that may make a traditionalist pause for thought. Records from the 19th Century show that there were those who doubted that the first hammerless designs would ever win popularity, and there may have been a few raised eyebrows when the first of a series of over-and-under shotguns left the Holland & Holland workshops in the early years of the 20th Century. Although only a small number of these guns were made, they attracted considerable attention and laid the foundations for the introduction of the modern 'Royal' over-and-under which included many innovative features.

At Holland & Holland the requirements of the skilled shooter are always the principal design guide; Harris Holland, the founder of the company, would surely have endorsed the creation of those first over-and-under shotguns. The new millennium sees an increasing number of the world's finest shots preferring the balance, handling qualities and single sighting plane of the over-and-under - qualities that have been married with the classic styling of a Holland & Holland sidelock to become the perfect synthesis of function and elegance.   More