Something about fine craftsmanship speaks to the soul.
The golfer Ben Hogan explained that when a golf club was fitted exactly to the player, the sensation of a perfectly struck golf shot passed “from the clubhead up the shaft to the grip, into the hands, up the arms and into the heart.”
The shot, he said, was effortless. You made your swing, looked up and your ball was rising toward the target. You have no memory of the impact, only the knowledge that the shot was, again, well struck. You felt it in your being.
It’s the same with any tool, whether a Japanese backsaw for woodworking, a dependable box call that coaxes recalcitrant gobblers from the woods or the finely tuned fishing rod that effortlessly lays flies to riffles where discerning cutthroat seem to be judging an anglers’ skills more than they’re searching for food.
Might not work for everyone, but for you, it’s more than enough.
While visiting London, I visited Holland & Holland’s legendary Gun Room. Lacking time to visit their renowned shooting grounds, I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to visit their London location. Like many other sites in this often-maligned city, the visit was yet another reason to remind me why London remains one of the world’s great cities.
The Holland & Holland retail store is colocated with Beretta’s flagship London Gallery (36 St. James Street). Both are reminders that these companies know how to both make and showcase fine goods, whether it be firearms, knives, luggage or clothing.
The current Gun Room is located in a secure location two floors above. A new location is being finished a short distance away. I know it’s not completed because my navigation system took me there first. Fortunately, it’s only a short walk away.
The Gun Room, as is appropriate in a London climate that bars almost anything that could be used to commit a crime (except criminals), isn’t easy accessible. Strictly appointment only, it’s located off street level and secured behind locked doors.
Once you’re cleared for entry, you’re immediately surrounded with Holland & Holland history. Bookcases line the walls, filled with notes on every gun H & H has ever built. Gun Room manager Rupert Haynes not only regaled me with stories of the fine historic guns displayed there, he explained how all Holland & Holland guns begin with the same uncompromising standards. That means silky smooth actions, great triggers and the same sensation of fine fitting that sets custom products above and apart from mass production products.
After the gun is exactly fitted to the customer’s measurements, the personalization morphs from specific fitment to artistic expression. According to Haynes, the work can add literal years to the time between a gun being ordered, fitted and delivered.
As you can imagine, this level of work isn’t inexpensive. But the finished product is something that isn’t built for a season, it’s designed to function for generations.
For those of us who will likely never have the experience of a Holland & Holland build, seeing their products and processes make them even more impressive.
As always, we’ll keep you posted.
—Jim Shepherd