David Lloyd (riflemaker and sportsman)
Encyclopedia
David Llewellyn Lloyd was an English deer-stalker, metallurgist, ballistician and sporting rifle maker, of Northamptonshire, England and Glencassley in Sutherland, Scotland. After service in the Royal Air Force
in the Second World War, extensive deer stalking, and frequent rifle shooting visits to Bisley
ranges, Lloyd established the David Lloyd & Co. riflemakers company (registered company 05202134) at Pipewell Hall in 1936, and in the early 1950s developed the .244 H&H Magnum
rifle cartridge, later adopted by Holland and Holland of London.
Lloyd developed the distinctive Lloyd rifle
concept, and from the 1960s to the mid 1990s he built high-quality, magazine-fed sporting rifles with distinctively integral scope sights, capable of dependably high accuracy at long ranges, and of handling modern high-intensity, flat shooting cartridges such as the .244 H&H, the .264 Winchester Magnum
and the .25-06 Remington
.
The UK shooting sports weekly Shooting Times
voted the Lloyd rifle number 8 in its list of the top 12 Rifles of All Time (the Kalashnikov AK-47 was number 7), and Country Life
magazine described Lloyd himself as “a National Living Treasure”. Lloyd rifles are admired, owned and used by eminent international small-arms experts, including riflemakers Bill Ruger
and Roy Weatherby
, and by several owners of Scottish deer forest
s.
In an active deer-stalking career extending to well over 60 years, David Lloyd accounted for more than 5,000 Scottish highland red deer
stags, the vast majority of them with rifles he had built himself.
Lloyd's wife Evadne (“Bobby” - the longest-serving governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company
in its history) keenly supported him in his business, and helped him to source fine walnut blanks for his rifle stocks from various European sources. On Lloyd's death in 1996 she took on the business, which by then was doing little trading, and ran it until her own death in 2003, when the company was sold to John Shirley, formerly Technical Manager with James Purdey and Sons
of London. He subsequently offered the business name, goodwill and records of the David Lloyd company for sale at auction in London in December, 2006.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in the Second World War, extensive deer stalking, and frequent rifle shooting visits to Bisley
Bisley
-Places:* Two villages in the United Kingdom:**Bisley, Surrey**Bisley, Gloucestershire*Bisley Ranges is near the Surrey village and is the headquarters of the National Rifle Association, UK -Others:...
ranges, Lloyd established the David Lloyd & Co. riflemakers company (registered company 05202134) at Pipewell Hall in 1936, and in the early 1950s developed the .244 H&H Magnum
.244 H&H Magnum
The .244 Holland & Holland Magnum cartridge was created in 1955 in Great Britain by deerstalker and rifle-maker David Lloyd of Pipewell Hall, Northamptonshire and Glencassley in Sutherland, Scotland, and is not to be confused with the smaller-cased and much milder 6 mm Remington...
rifle cartridge, later adopted by Holland and Holland of London.
Lloyd developed the distinctive Lloyd rifle
Lloyd rifle
The Lloyd Rifle was the 1950s brainchild of English deer-stalker, rifleman, metallurgist and engineer David Llewellyn Lloyd. His objective was to create a high-quality, scope-sighted, magazine-fed sporting rifle capable of dependably high accuracy at long ranges, of retaining its zero despite...
concept, and from the 1960s to the mid 1990s he built high-quality, magazine-fed sporting rifles with distinctively integral scope sights, capable of dependably high accuracy at long ranges, and of handling modern high-intensity, flat shooting cartridges such as the .244 H&H, the .264 Winchester Magnum
.264 Winchester Magnum
The .264 Winchester Magnum is a belted, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. Apart from the .257 Weatherby Magnum, it is the smallest caliber factory cartridge which uses the standard length Holland & Holland belted magnum case...
and the .25-06 Remington
.25-06 Remington
The .25-06 Remington had been a wildcat cartridge for half a century before being standardized by Remington in 1969. It is based on the .30-06 Springfield cartridge necked-down to .257 inch caliber with no other changes...
.
The UK shooting sports weekly Shooting Times
Shooting Times
Shooting Times and Country Magazine, more commonly known as the Shooting Times, is a British shooting and firearms magazine, published by IPC Media. The magazine also features articles on hunting, fishing, deer stalking, gamekeeping, gundogs and wildlife...
voted the Lloyd rifle number 8 in its list of the top 12 Rifles of All Time (the Kalashnikov AK-47 was number 7), and Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
magazine described Lloyd himself as “a National Living Treasure”. Lloyd rifles are admired, owned and used by eminent international small-arms experts, including riflemakers Bill Ruger
William B. Ruger
William Batterman Ruger partnered with Alexander McCormick Sturm in 1949 to establish Sturm, Ruger & Company. Their first product was the Ruger Standard, the most popular .22 caliber target pistol ever made in the US...
and Roy Weatherby
Roy Weatherby
Roy E. Weatherby was the founder and owner of Weatherby, Inc., an American rifle, shotgun and cartridge manufacturing company set up in 1945. Weatherby created an entire line of custom cartridges, and was one of the people responsible for the industry interest in high-speed cartridges...
, and by several owners of Scottish deer forest
Deer forest
The deer forest is an institution and phenomenon peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland. It denotes a sporting estate which is kept and managed largely or solely for the purposes of maintaining a resident population of red deer for sporting purposes.Typically, deer forests are in hilly and...
s.
In an active deer-stalking career extending to well over 60 years, David Lloyd accounted for more than 5,000 Scottish highland red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
stags, the vast majority of them with rifles he had built himself.
Lloyd's wife Evadne (“Bobby” - the longest-serving governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
in its history) keenly supported him in his business, and helped him to source fine walnut blanks for his rifle stocks from various European sources. On Lloyd's death in 1996 she took on the business, which by then was doing little trading, and ran it until her own death in 2003, when the company was sold to John Shirley, formerly Technical Manager with James Purdey and Sons
James Purdey and Sons
James Purdey & Sons - or simply "Purdey" - is a famous British gunmaker of London, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal...
of London. He subsequently offered the business name, goodwill and records of the David Lloyd company for sale at auction in London in December, 2006.