Westley Richards Droplock

About the Westley Richards Droplock

The Westley Richards Droplock is a best-quality British side-by-side double-barrel shotgun built around Leslie B. Taylor's hand-detachable-lock action, patented in 1897 and perfected by 1909. An evolution of the Anson & Deeley boxlock, its mainspring, sear, tumbler and cocking dog are mounted on a steel plate that can be withdrawn through the floorplate without tools, allowing the locks to be inspected or swapped in the field in three movements. Combined with the Deeley ejector and doll's-head top extension, it remains one of the most coveted bespoke sporting guns in the world.

Company lore holds that Leslie Taylor conceived the detachable lock after asking a foreman whether the unsightly lock pins piercing the sides of the action could be hidden; the resulting pinless, tool-free design became the pre-eminent British sporting gun, favoured by royalty and aristocracy for over a century.

Westley Richards Droplock specifications

Each droplock is hand-built to order in Birmingham with frames scaled to the gauge, so dimensions vary per commission. Quoted specifications reflect a typical 12-bore game gun configuration. Available from .410 up to 12-bore.