English Sporting Rifles

When the subject of English rifles comes up, many think of names like Lee-Enfield, Holland & Holland, and Martini Henry. English sporting rifles are designed for hunting and slow-fire target competitions. Often, the caliber depends on the role the rifle will serve. Most competition shooting is done with small-bore rifles and hunting of large and dangerous game with large-bore magnum rounds. English sporting rifles have a long tradition of being overbuilt and well-designed functional firearms

Companies including Holland & Holland have greatly added to the mystique and class that surrounds the English sporting rifle. These rifles are often built to a standard rarely seen in other areas of manufacturing.

English sporting rifles are not highly functional, but often aesthetically pleasing. Rifle shooters in England face a wall of red tape to acquire a firearm, so when they purchase a one, it’s intended to last decades. English sporting rifles are sometimes status pieces and other times, the only rifle that can get the job done.

Quick Facts

• John Patterson, the famed hunter of the Tsavo lions, used numerous English sporting rifles during his lion hunts
• Theodore Roosevelt once said about Holland & Holland rifles, “I do not believe there exists a better weapon for heavy game”
• English sporting rifle maker Westley Richards received eight royal warrants from multiple royal families