The Jones CollectionHistoric Sporting Rifles
Birmingham, Alabama · A Private Archive
Rifles carried by the legendary men who wrote the history of African big game hunting.
The Purpose
For decades, Bill Jones has gathered sporting rifles with extraordinary histories, and carried many of them back into the landscapes for which they were made. This archive preserves the maker’s craft, the documented chain of ownership, and the part no catalog can supply: Bill’s own account.
Materials, markings, craftsmanship and condition.
Owners, journeys, auctions and supporting evidence.
Acquisition, field memories and the story in his voice.
The Object
A Westley Richards .577 Nitro Express double rifle, associated with Hemingway’s 1953 Kenya safari under Philip Percival, the man he wrote as “Pop.”
The existing research records fifty years in a Florida guest house before its March 2011 auction in Maine, where it made $339,250 against a $150,000 estimate.
“And then he did the thing almost nobody does with a rifle like this. He took it back to Africa and hunted with it.”
The Collection
Record 01Ernest Hemingway
Carried in Kenya in 1953 under Philip Percival. Fifty years in a Florida guest house, then auctioned in Maine, and later taken back to Africa.
Record 02Frederick C. Selous
Delivered in 1898 and later re-sighted at Holland’s for Selous’s own use; a rifle with maker, field, and auction chapters.
Record 03Frederick C. Selous
Farquharson action, frame no. 125. Recorded as passing from Selous to Johannes Colenbrander and through his family.
Record 04Matched Pair
A matched sporting pair presented through its shared specifications, case, markings, and documented chain of ownership.
Record 05Historic British Sporting Rifle
A large-bore double rifle record designed to bring craftsmanship, measurements, documents, and oral history together.
Record 06Historic British Sporting Rifle
Maker’s details and engraving become the visual doorway into a fuller object biography and field history.
Record 07Historic British Sporting Rifle
A museum-style record for the rifle, its case and components, documentary evidence, and Bill’s own account.
Record 08Historic British Sporting Rifle
A richly photographed record built to preserve both precise technical history and the human story of collecting it.
Object Record 01 · Ernest Hemingway
The Object
The Chain
The documented history connects the rifle to Hemingway’s 1953 Kenya safari, a long period in a Florida guest house, and its March 2011 Maine auction.
Bill’s Chapter
Carried in Kenya in 1953 under Philip Percival. Fifty years in a Florida guest house, then auctioned in Maine, and later taken back to Africa.
Object Record 02 · Frederick C. Selous
The Object
The Chain
Holland & Holland ledger evidence sits beside auction history, markings, dimensions, condition photography, and Bill’s account of acquiring the rifle.
Bill’s Chapter
Delivered in 1898 and later re-sighted at Holland’s for Selous’s own use; a rifle with maker, field, and auction chapters.
Object Record 03 · Frederick C. Selous
The Object
The Chain
The dated chain of custody distinguishes documentary evidence, physical evidence, published history, and recollection.
Bill’s Chapter
Farquharson action, frame no. 125. Recorded as passing from Selous to Johannes Colenbrander and through his family.
Object Record 04 · Matched Pair
The Object
The Chain
The record presents both rifles together and separately, including matched numbers, dimensions, case components, inscriptions, condition, and differences within the pair.
Bill’s Chapter
A matched sporting pair presented through its shared specifications, case, markings, and documented chain of ownership.
Object Record 05 · Historic British Sporting Rifle
The Object
The Chain
Maker research, serial and proof marks, regulation information, studio views, macro details, case contents, and Bill’s field chapter form the complete record.
Bill’s Chapter
A large-bore double rifle record designed to bring craftsmanship, measurements, documents, and oral history together.
Object Record 06 · Historic British Sporting Rifle
The Object
The Chain
Factory records and precise object photography will form the evidentiary core, with ownership, travel, acquisition, and use presented as distinct sourced events.
Bill’s Chapter
Maker’s details and engraving become the visual doorway into a fuller object biography and field history.
Object Record 07 · Historic British Sporting Rifle
The Object
The Chain
The record includes overall views, lock and action details, engraving, proof and serial marks, case and accessories, ownership chronology, documents, and interview excerpts.
Bill’s Chapter
A museum-style record for the rifle, its case and components, documentary evidence, and Bill’s own account.
Object Record 08 · Historic British Sporting Rifle
The Object
The Chain
The object biography separates verified maker and ownership evidence from oral history, with source documents placed beside the narrative.
Bill’s Chapter
A richly photographed record built to preserve both precise technical history and the human story of collecting it.
The Man
“The collection may begin with famous names. Its lasting voice should be Bill’s.”
Bill Jones has returned to Africa for decades. His story crosses friendships, expeditions, collecting, problem-animal work, and an abiding belief that rifles of this kind were not designed merely to languish in a cabinet.
Explore the oral-history plan →
A Living Record
The Archive
Ledgers, specifications, serial data, case labels, repair and re-regulation records.
A chronological chain of custody with uncertainty labeled and every assertion sourced.
Maps, field photographs, licenses, journals, correspondence, and Bill’s recorded recollection.
Separate permissions for friends, researchers, press, advisors, and qualified future enquiries.
The website shows the story. The archive preserves the proof.
Published & Recorded
Feature
The Explora
Film
Feature
Field Story
The Explora
Private Enquiries
This site is first a legacy archive. Serious future enquiries regarding the collection, in whole or in part, may be directed in confidence to Bill’s appointed representative.
Make a confidential enquiry