Specialist gun auctioneers Holt’s is gearing up for its summer London sale and some of the lots have nice connections. The Holland and Holland .410 double-barrelled toplever hammergun pictured here was converted by the makers from a .295 double rook rifle in 1883 for ‘Sir Payne Gallwey’, presumed to be Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey the prolific sporting sporting writer and passionate shot.

The sale includes hundreds of lots from taxidemy to militaria along side the sporting guns and canpreviewed in their on-line catalogue.