In honor of Queen Elizabeth II
 

My Royal from the year 1900.
Though it doesn't get as much field time as my Parkers, this gun gets it done.
12 gauge, 30" barrels, weight: 6lbs 5 oz. Carries like a feather, points like a custom made cue stick.

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Some more pics:
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A hunt in the UP:
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Taking a rest, and talking about the day, with my friend Larry. (note the Parker)

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Beautiful gun, how is it choked?

It has Briley chokes. I think series 1.5, which looking back may have been a mistake.
I bought the gun from Chuck Webb from Brileys, when I was back at the NSCA Nationals in San Antonio, and when I took delivery, the chokes were way more open than I wanted.
Chuck thought they were tighter, so he took it back, and choke tubed it for me.
I'm a tight choke guy, and the Holland had a true cylinder right, and 8k left, which I thought was way too open.

A funny little mishap up in the UP with a tree, to show just how deadly this gun is.
A woodcock happened to pass right behind this aspen at the shot.
Killed a woodcock and severely wounded a tree with the same shot.
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Todd, that's a great gun to celebrate the Queen. Here's my little H&H that started life as a 28 bore in the late 1870s and had a set of .410 barrels added more recently. (BTW, those original chokes on your gun would have suited me just fine...and I've killed a tree or three in my time, but I can't recall ever doing so AND killing a bird.:bowdown:)

OOOOps, forgot the photo!

I used to run into your friend Larry(Brown) in the UP back in the late 1980's and 90's, often at Fob's restaurant. Always enjoyed his books and writing. Hey, maybe you were with him then and we may have met.
I still haunt the covers of the UP for a few weeks each fall.

I've known Larry for some time. Only hunted with him that one time, as I recall.
He's a good hand in the field, and one of the most meticulous hunters I know.
Records every detail, every bird, every shot.
Oh, and has owned almost every known gun in the world at least once ;-)

That Holland is a true work of art. What a beauty!

I thought I remembered seeing pictures of the Queen holding a gun on a pheasant shoot. When I looked on google anything under that subject had a lock symbol next to it. I know that a segment of the English population is not fond of hunters, same as here. Have I had too many birthdays or was she a hunter?

Queen Elizabeth did shoot a stag at age 19. I’m not sure if she went pheasant hunting but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Definitely one of a kind, a remarkable woman.

She loved her Labrador Retrievers. I had a picture of her handing the winner's ribbon of the 1994 National Retriever Trial to the man who bred my first Lab. Jim's winning dog became the grandmother of my dog

Queen Elizabeth’s Labradors are at Sandringham and that’s her kennel name as well. Sandringham General is pictured in Ken Roebuck’s book.

Nothing wrong with labs! I have one at my feet.

I've had a couple of labs. One, Mabel, was one of the most honest loyal and hardworking dogs I've ever owned. She was so good, that I was beginning to think I was a pro dog trainer.
My GSPs have taught me otherwise.

I think all the royal family hunted (or hunts). I recall soon after she married into the family Kate Middleton's photo was taken while she held a shotgun on a peg during a driven bird shoot. My God, by the tabloid and public reaction you'd have thought it was a pic of her torturing babies and puppies. I still think they all hunt, they just don't let photos get out.

Queen Elizabeth II
 

Losing Queen Elizabeth II was a blow to all of the Commonwealth countries. I grew up singing God Save the Queen and reciting the Lord's Prayer every morning before classes started. Every classroom or government office had/has a portrait or picture of her on the wall. Saw her face on all the currency in Canada. She will be missed.
In the spirit of the start of this thread I'll post a picture of this one. Bear with me, it may have a tenuous connection to QE II, or at least her family. It is a 16 bore James Purdey bar in wood hammer gun, #2 of a pair, with an unusual push forward underlever completed in 1877 for the Baron A. Rothschild. It was later returned for cleaning by F.R. Knollys. I reached out to the Rothschild Archive in London to see if they could help fill in the blanks. I was surprised the archivist, Justin Cavernelis-Frost, took the time to do a bit of research and came back with this.
"If the shotgun was purchased in England, it may possibly have been Sir Anthony Nathan de Rothschild Bt. (1810-1876). Anthony’s country estate was Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, where he was a noted ‘countryman’ and owner of race-horses. The ‘F.E Knolly’ may have been Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys, (1837 -1924), a British courtier who in 1862, he became Secretary to the Treasurer to the Prince of Wales. In 1870, he was appointed Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales, an office he held until the Prince, Edward, became King in 1901, afterwards serving as Private Secretary to the Sovereign until 1913. The Knollys and the Rothschilds may have known each other through the management of Royal finances. However if the date is 1877, Anthony died in 1876. It is possible that the gun was ordered before his death and delivered afterwards; and thus given to Knollys as gift."

King Edward VII was Queen Elizabeth II's great grandfather. After his death in 1910 Knollys stayed on as principal secretary to the new king, King George V, until 1913. So, a mystery. Was it as the archivist thought above? Or did Knollys use his name when he returned the gun for cleaning for his King in 1905? I don't suppose they would use the Kings name if it was a gift from a banker:whistle:. I guess I'll never know. I do know it is one damn fine and well balanced grouse gun that fits me well! So, thanks to them for that.

I can’t prove one way or another Queen Elizabeth shot pheasant or not, but she certainly shot a stag at age 19. She had no objection to pheasant shoots, however:

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Internati...d=82100&page=1

If you ever get a chance, do visit Sandringham. Very impressive! At the time I went there, there were pheasants outside the main gate, and this was in June. I got a behind the scenes tour from the kennel man, Bill Meldrum, at the time.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandringham_House

And this article suggests she did actively participate in shoots:

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/bi...-badass-hunter