After John Dickson & Son, Alexander Henry may be Edinburgh’s most famous gunmaker. Mr Henry opened his business in 1853, and within a decade he was know throughout Scotland and the UK for his competition rifles, sporting rifles, and a major for the Henry rifling used in the famous Martini-Henry rifle. In 1870, he also invented snap caps.
Even though Mr Henry died in 1894, his is business lived up until about World War 1. The petite little double rifle / shotgun you see here was made at that time. The 300 Sherwood cartridge it uses was introduced by Westley Richards in 1901. Made for small game hunting, the cartridge pushes a 140 grain projectile at 1,400 feet per second and generates 610 foot pounds of energy — comparable to a .357 Magnum.
Alexander Henry & Co., Edinburgh, .300 Sherwood & .410 Sidelock Double Rifle/Shotgun: Scroll Engraved. AE, 2 Barrel Set: 19 3/4″ .300 Sherwood nitro proof. 1 standing & 4 leaf folding sights & 28″ inch Mod. & Full 3″ nitro proof. Pistol grip, Auto Safety, 14″ LOP to checkered butt. Highly figured Walnut Stock. 85% case color, 5 pound 1 ounce, & 5 pound 3 ounce. Original Oak and Leather Case with tools plus 50 rounds of Kynoch .300 Sherwood Ammunition. Price: $29,500.00
