http://www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk 49.303 British, it fired a much bigger
bullet at a greater speed. The Fauneta
bullet was a solid lead projectile with a
brass front section, waisted, almost in
the manner of an air rifle pellet and
weighed a hefty 410-435gr, while the
.303 typically fired a 215gr bullet. It
was expected to group at a range of
100 yards within 4", firing left then
right barrel in sequence for 10 shots.
The Fauneta weighed a relatively
slight 6½lb. The cartridge was a
high-brass, paper-cased shell, which
was pressed into the banded waist of
the bullet to hold it in place.
In 1919, the Westley Richards
published an extract from a letter
referring to the effectiveness of the
Fauneta by the private secretary to the
Maharajah of Dhar: “It will interest you
to know that her Royal Highness The
Maharani Sahiba of Dhar has recently
shot a Tiger measuring 10'4" with your
20-bore ‘Fauneta’ Ball and Shot Gun,W
estley Richards publish a
blog on their website, full
of interesting information
about their products and
the process of creating them. It is
called ‘The Explora’. Indeed, so
successful has it become that they
have used the title for another project,
a beautifully created journal
dedicated to all things
shooting and gunmaking,
with Westley Richards’
trademark quality
apparent in every facet
of its production.
The name of the blog
and book is interesting as it
was originally used for a 12-bore
sporting arm, designed to fire both
shot and ball (actually a conical bullet,
designed by Leslie Taylor, the
managing director). It was partrifled in
a manner similar to the Holland &
Holland ‘Paradox’, patented by Col.
Fosberry. The Explora fired a 730gr
bullet at 1,500 fps and proved
effective on soft-skinned dangerous
game, such as tigers, as well as
working as a shotgun when called upon
to bag birds for the pot or sport.
The little brother of the Explora,
basically the same concept in 20-bore,
was called the Fauneta and I took
delivery of one recently, when
an American customer
bought one blind in an
auction, via the internet.
We tend to think of
‘shot and ball’ guns
nowadays as rather
unsatisfactory compromises. A
Jack of all trades is rarely the
master of any. However, the Fauneta,
in its day, was considered a serious
rifle in its own right.
When compared to more
conventional sporting rifles of the era,
such as the Mannlicher .256 or theTHE FORTUNES
OF A FAUNETA
Diggory Hadoke takes delivery of a fascinating ‘shot and ball’ dual-purpose ‘double’
by Westley Richards
READING
MATERIAL
The Explora Journal
is on sale 1 July as a
limited edition.PICTURES:
DIGGORY HADOKE
DIGGORY HADOKE
»
BELOW: The plain
Anson & Deeley
action is secured
with the Westley
Richards doll’s head
and Purdey bolt