Westley Richards Fixed Lock Double Rifle

About the Westley Richards Fixed Lock Double Rifle

The Westley Richards Fixed Lock Double Rifle is a side-by-side boxlock double rifle built in Birmingham, England for dangerous-game hunting. It uses the firm's famous Anson & Deeley 'fixed lock' (boxlock) action of 1875, with the hammers concealed inside the action body and cocked by the fall of the barrels. Reintroduced in 1995 to meet the modern safari revival, it features the Model 'C' doll's head fastener, wide pivoting snap-action lever work, a Deeley forend fastener and the distinctive 'jockey cap' safety button. Each rifle is hand-regulated so both barrels group together at short range, and it is chambered in heavy Nitro Express cartridges such as the .465 Nitro Express.

The Anson & Deeley boxlock, patented by Westley Richards employees William Anson and John Deeley in 1875, hid the hammers inside the action and let the barrels' fall cock the locks. It became one of the most copied actions in firearms history, and forms the heart of the company's 'fixed lock' double rifles to this day.

Westley Richards Fixed Lock Double Rifle specifications

The 'fixed lock' name distinguishes the boxlock model from Westley Richards' signature detachable-lock 'droplock' rifles. Reintroduced under Managing Director Simon Clode to offer a more affordable hand-built double rifle for professional hunters; the .465 Nitro Express is a period Westley Richards cartridge of 1907.