Vickers Sporting Rifle Survey .242 .318 & .404

[AlanD]

I am interested in the bolt action center fire sporting rifles made by Vickers and from 1920 Vickers Armstrong, between the wars.
The three main calibers offered would appear to be .242, .318 and .404. However, there may have been other calibers offered such as .30/06.

I am building up a data base of serial numbers to try to estimate the total number of these sporting bolt action rifles that Vickers marketed. I have read that the actions were made by DWM the rest of the rifle being completed by the trade rather than Vickers.

Therefore if you have a Vickers sporting bolt action rifle, please post the details here, any photos showing proof marks especially appreciated. Many thanks.

Regards

AlanD
Sydney

 

[sierraone]

I am only aware of the Vickers .303 water cooled machine gun. I did not know Vickers had made bolt action rifles.

 

[Red Leg]

Welcome to the forum Alan. I have only seen their shotguns. They were an attempt to create an inexpensive factory production gun. Most were boxlocks, and a few sidelocks. All of which I am aware were very plain and utilitarian. They seem to have never really caught on. The British themselves could get a basic bench made A&D non-ejector game gun from a Birmingham or provincial gumaker for not much more that was far better made, and the international market never really materialized. Of course, this effort started just before the Great Depression which killed off a lot of enterprises.

I was aware that they also attempted to market rifles, but have never seen one in this country.

 

[CAustin]

I didn’t know about them making sporting rifles either.

 

[AlanD]

In the sporting field Vickers are best known for the .22 Martini action rifles they made, used mainly for target shooting but also for sport. Vickers were the main competitor to BSA with thier .22 Martini action rifles. Vickers made many thousands of these .22 Martini rifles from the early 1920's up to WW2, with a few more being assembled and sold in 1946.

On the shotgun side they sold two versions of a high quality DB sidelock, one with coil springs to the Baker Patent and almost certainly made by that firm. The second sidelock was more traditional but it is not know for sure who made them. It could have been Baker as well.

Vickers had two models of A&D Boxlock with serial number ranges of 5000 and 90000. These would seem to be made by two different Birmingham manufactures.

The biggest selling shotgun was the Vickers Vanguard single barrel made to Bakers Patent with a coil spring. This was readily made by machine whereas the double barrel guns were not. Serial numbers for the Vickers Vanguard go up to the high six thousand range, but Vickers had a habit of staring the serial number at 1001 for their .22 Martini riles, so I think they probably did the same for the Vanguard.

The bolt action center fire rifles were not big sellers. Hardly any appear on the gun auction websites or in the UK gun auction house sites. A few game parks did buy .404 rifles for their wardens. I would estimate total production in the low hundreds, but this is only an estimate. While DWM actions were used who made the barrels , stock and so on, I do not know.

The final nail in the coffin for sales was the start of the Second World War.

Any serial numbers for these center fire bolt action rifles (and shotguns) appreciated.

Regards

AlanD
Sydney

 

[AlanD]

Just a note that i am still running this Vickers and Vickers Armstrong center fire sporting rifle survey of surviving examples.

I still have very few in my data base, so if you have an example you have seen that you can post, that would be great. Thanks.

Regards

AlanD

 

[Scrumbag]

Alan, nice to see you’re still going with this!

Scrummy (also at the Stalking Directory)

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I have seen two Vickers magazine rifles in .404 Jeffery in the armory of the Tanzania game department ( This was more than 40 years ago ). They both used commercial Mauser Oberndorf Type B actions and held three rounds in the magazine ( plus one in the chamber ). One part of your information is incorrect. The barrels of these rifles were made by Vickers themselves ( who also used to supply rifle barrels to George Gibbs at the time ). These rifles were made until the late 1930s ( I’m guessing right before the beginning of world war ii ). Manton & Co. of Calcutta listed these rifles in their 1939 catalog, but not in their 1946 catalog. I have a Pakistani friend in Sialkot who owns and uses a similar Vickers rifle in .30-06 Springfield. His father bought it from Manton in 1936.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I have a 12 bore Henry Atkin SLE self opener made by Atkin in 1930. It has 'Vickers Steel' barrels.

 

[AlanD]

Thanks for the new information.

I have got the Manton Catalogue and they claim to have the Vickers sporting gun agency for India from memory.

I know its a long shot but I wonder if 40 years later there are any records of the rifles that the Tanzania Game Department purchased, which would include the Vickers rifles?


I am sure that Vickers center fire sporting rifle production came to a stop before 1940, as they did not really sell that many. There was a lot of competition from all the British rifle makers.

Thats a lovely Henry Atkin!

Regards

Alan

 

[AlanD]

If there is any chance of some more information on the .30/06 Vickers rifle I would be grateful.

Serial number and if marked Vickers Ltd or Vickers Armstrong Co.

Regards

Alan

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Thanks for the new information.

I have got the Manton Catalogue and they claim to have the Vickers sporting gun agency for India from memory.

I know its a long shot but I wonder if 40 years later there are any records of the rifles that the Tanzania Game Department purchased, which would include the Vickers rifles?


I am sure that Vickers center fire sporting rifle production came to a stop before 1940, as they did not really sell that many. There was a lot of competition from all the British rifle makers.

Thats a lovely Henry Atkin!

Regards

Alan

Retired game ranger and white hunter, Terry Irwin worked with the Tanzanian game department during the 1950s and 1960s. He used the game department issued .404 Jeffery rifles ( made by Vickers ) quite a bit, until he purchased his Westley Richards Mauser in .458 Winchester Magnum ( which he would eventually sell, in order to buy his Mannlicher Schoenauer in .458 Winchester Magnum). His memory is quite sharp and I suggest you contact him. I have his email address and you may send me a private message for it.

 

[AlanD]

PM sent.

Thanks.

Alan