Back at the Bunker!

...after a whirlwind tour of Jolly Olde England that included the Royal Armouries, the National Firearms Centre, Holland & Holland and the Wesley Richards factory, where we witnessed the rebirth of the 4-Bore as a shotgun and as a rifle.

Our goal was...to boldly go...etc., and I think we succeeded. No as much shooting as I'd have liked (especially  me shooting...LOL!) but the draconian U.K. firearms laws were in force and had to be obeyed.

I can't convey to you the treasures to be found in the National Firearms Centre, essentially the largest firearms reference collection in the world...so few places you can see an anti-garrote pistol, or trace the lineage of a firearm through the decades (indeed, centuries). Curators Trev Weston and Jonathan Ferguson and other experts were like having handy walking encyclopedia to answer any and all questions. I think you'll be amazed. And no, while we have lots of video, we have no stills...we couldn't bring in cell phones, which we'd usually use for stills, and our focus had to be on getting the video.

I could spend a month in the Royal Armouries themselves, just going through the public displays...everything from Henry VIII's armored codpiece to Bilbo Baggins' sword...and that covers a lot of ground.

Holland & Holland...bring the checkbook. The .700 NE is a hoot, as is the story behind it. At $482,000 and change, a steal! Plus, I've always been fascinated with the 4-Bores, and it was incredible to see them being built by hand at Wesley Richards.

Pretty neat stuff!

BTW, thanks to Brother Iain Harrison for introductions,helpful tips and translation services!