Originally Posted by Dan S. W.
I forgot to mention, one of the most interesting guns I saw wasn't at Purdey, it was in the Wallace collection. It was a nominally circa 1815 flintlock double, but it appeared to be a shotgun with very thin barrels unlike all of the others, which were clearly rifles, many with the octagonal standard barrels I am accustomed to seeing. I have never seen something resembling a bird gun that was manufactured so early in the 1800s. This is the gun:

https://wallacelive.wallacecollecti...p;objectId=61631&viewType=detailView

Here are photos of that gun and other nice flintlocks:

https://imgur.com/a/wallace-flintlocks-3L3g3cw

You can see the bird gun style barrels in the 4th picture.

“Tir a vol” or, shooting flying, was a French pastime, in particular of an exiled English king. The English, at the time, typically netted or shot at sitting birds, and the French weapons intended for the sport were far better developed than what was used in England.

Charles II brought the sport back from France after the monarchy was restored, in May of 1660. He also brought back an exceptional pair of French fowling pieces well suited for the sport, which, were copied and further perfected by the English.

The rest, is history.

Best,
Ted