Lot 1391

A. Brown Engraved Westley Richards .600 NE Droplock Double Rifle

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A. Brown Engraved Westley Richards .600 NE Droplock Double Rifle

Estimate: $170,000 - $300,000

Starting Bid: $150,000

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
August 22, 2026 9:00 AM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Exceptional and Exceedingly Rare Factory Alan Brown Signed and "Big Five" Game Scene Master Engraved Westley Richards .600 Nitro Express Modele De Luxe Droplock Dangerous Game Double Rifle with Case For over 200 year Westley Richards has stood amongst Britain's finest names in gunmaking, and there are many that would argue they are the finest of them all. They relentlessly pursue perfection, building guns and rifles to the exacting specifications to a discerning clientèle. This rifle, originally made for the famed William "Bill" Feldstein, exhibits all of the qualities one could possibly hope to see in a bespoke double rifle; fine engraving from one of the best in the business, Master Engraver Alan Brown, classic styling, and enough firepower to put down any animal that walks the earth. These .600 Nitro Express rifles are extremely rare to see and extremely time consuming to create, with Westley Richards reportedly only ever making 10-15 in the last 100 years. According to Cal Pappas' 2022 article on the subject, a total of just some 75-100 have been made across all of the makers. If one were to commission one today, there would be a many years long wait for delivery, making this a fantastic opportunity to skip the wait and jump straight to adding one of these behemoths to your collection! The rifle was built with blacked chopperlump steel barrels featuring a beaded blade fore sight on an island base with a flip-up moon bead and an engraved Westley Patent flip-up sight protector as well as a single standing express rear sight regulated at 50 yards on the smooth one-piece solid rib which shows extensive English scroll engraving at the base and continues onto the doll's head extension and is matched by a pair of one inch wedges, one on either side of the breech. The barrels are marked "WESTLEY RICHARDS & Co. ENGLAND" in a panel amongst the scroll on the rib, "600 NITRO EXPRESS" and "110 GRS CORDITE 900 GR BULLET" on the right and left respectively at the breech, an import mark on the underside, and Birmingham proof marks (date stamp partially obscured) which appear to be dated 1980 which correlates with Westley Richards' published serial number data. The barrels are fitted to the beautifully proportioned scaled-up action featuring Westley Richard's patent hand detachable lock known as the "Droplock" mechanism which allows the lockwork to be easily removed from the bottom of the rifle for cleaning and maintenance. The action shows a highly attractive brushed bright finish on the body and a black finish on the floorplate, classic Westley toplever, and trigger guard. The rifle is adorned in Westley's Modele De Luxe style, showing stunning oak leaf and acorn relief carving on both fences, "WESTLEY RICHARDS" banners on either side, and four game scenes displaying dangerous game from Africa's "big five" all surrounded by deluxe Arabesque scroll engraving which extends to the toplever and both tangs, tying it all together. The left side of the action is adorned with a black rhino trotting along on the savanna, the underside shows a bull elephant charging towards the observer coming out of cover, the right side has a trio of cape buffalo bulls with two of them looking at the observer, as writer Robert Ruark put it, "as if he owes them money," and a lion standing in the high grass on the trigger guard. All four scenes are framed by banners and cut in excruciating photo-realistic detail. The elephant scene on the underside bears Alan Brown's signature and date beneath reading "A. M. Brown '81". The rifle features nitre blued double triggers, a Westley's Doll's head third fastener in the standing breech, and a tang mounted bolted manual safety, both with gold inlaid indicators reading "SAFE" and "BOLTED". The rifle is fitted with a beautiful highly figured and mullered border multi-point checkered splinter forend with brushed bright iron and Deeley latch release with matching scroll engraving and an ebony forend tip. The stock also shows exceptional figure and features teardrop carved drop points, matching mullered border multi-point checkering at the wrist, a characteristic carved chinstrap behind the grip, a traditional shadowline cheekpiece, an engraved brushed bright trapdoor grip cap with spare sight blade and strikers, gold stock shield, and a thick leather covered recoil pad. Includes a maker's oak and leather flat case with brass furniture showing the Westley Richards trade label on the interior lid. The case contains an extra matching numbered pair of locks in their own small case, a pair of ivory handled turnscrews, a three-piece cleaning rod with handle, a nickel oil pot, and a pair of nickel snap caps. The case is complete with a canvas and leather outer cover. Length of pull 14 3/4 inches. Weight 16 lbs. 11 oz.

Manufacturer: Westley Richards

Model: Double

BBL: 25 inch solid rib

Stock: walnut

Gauge: 600 Nitro

Finish: black/brushed bright

Serial Number19612

Class: Modern Long Gun

  • Provenance: The William J. Feldstein Collection; The Robert M. Lee Collection
  • Condition: Excellent overall, retaining 99% original black and brushed bright finishes with minimal handling evidence, crisp engraving, some slight edge wear on the recoil pad, and sharp checkering on the stock and forend. Mechanically excellent. The case is excellent with minor storage type wear. Do not let this possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own an exceedingly rare and absolutely stunning Westley Richards .600 Nitro Express double rifle!

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000