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July 2017

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Paradox Guns & Shells (and their Pretenders), Pt 2...

With the growing demand for Holland & Holland Paradox guns following their introduction in 1886, other gun makers developed their own double-barrel big game guns with rifling at the muzzle that were intended to use Holland's Paradox cartridges. In their catalogs, Holland & Holland warned sportsmen about guns being sold 'as Paradox guns which are not of our manufacture, and have not the special advantages combined in the genuine "Paradox"'. While Holland's was issued a trademark on the Paradox name, there wasn't anything about the Paradox cartridges that could be patented at the time, as these cartridges consisted of a standard brass or paper hulled shell loaded with a solid, a hollow point or a copper-tubed lead projectile. An example of solid lead Paradox projectiles is shown here.   

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The gun maker W.J. Jeffery & Co was one of those companies that developed their own version of the Paradox gun, listing them in their catalog (see below) as being 'regulated for the new 735 grain capped bullet and 31 grains of Cordite, or for the old Paradox-pattern 750 grain bullet and proportionate chage of Cordite or Schultze powder'. As shown here they also had 'Paradox'-style cartridges made for them by one of the big ammunition makers, such as Eley or Kynoch, with their own company name on the headstamp. 

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Shown here a two of Kynoch's Paradox loads, one with the copper-tubed bullet and the other solid lead; these are loaded in Nitro Ball drawn brass cases. The British explosives and ammunition makers Eley, Kynoch, Kings Norton, Birmingham Metal & Munitions, and Nobel Explosives merged in 1918, calling themselves Explosives Trades, Ltd.; in 1920 the name was changed to Nobel Industries. The cartridge In 1926, the companies were reorganized and Nobel Industries became Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd. The headstamp shown on the left above with small 'NI' at the twelve o'clock position in the headstamp of the first cartridge shown here stands for Nobel Industries, and would have been produced in 1920 or shortly after, as the shotshells produced by Nobel Industries usually are headstamped ELEY or KYNOCH over NOBEL with the gauge at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions. The second Kynoch cartridge headstamp shown above would have probably been made prior to the 1920 name change.

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Below are pages from the 1925 Nobel Industries with illustrations of the Paradox bullets that were and a listing of the six Kynoch Paradox cartridge case length and bullet load combinations that were offered.

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Sources:

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