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The dust-up between Reilly and William Greener over the 1858 Field trial results reminded me that one of the peculiar aspects of the Field trials of 1858 and 1859 is the absence of any French pinfire guns in the competitions, considering that the pinfire breech-loader was a French invention. However, all six of the British pinfire guns in the 1858 trial used French cartridges, a reflection on the source and availability of commercial pinfire ammunition at the time. The only foreign-made pinfire guns to compete in the trials were of Belgian manufacture, a 14-bore by Adolphe Jansen of Brussels in the 1858 trial, and a 14-bore Bastin action by Auguste Francotte of Liège in the 1859 trial.

Belgium has had a very long history of arms making. The Liège region in particular was renowned for its metal work since the 5th century; cannons were made there from the mid 14th century, and wheel-lock guns from the mid 16th century. Liège gunmakers had a very high reputation in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, building beautifully made and decorated sporting guns, also turning out large quantities of military weapons and lower-quality trade guns. Having two Belgian-made pinfire guns competing in the Field trials suggests that foreign-made guns were available on the market, or that sportsmen brought them back from their travels on the Continent. An illustration of an actual gun used in the trials is in John Henry Walsh's 1859 book The Shot-Gun and Sporting Rifle, of a single-bite, forward underlever pinfire of classic Lefaucheux type by E. M. Reilly & Co., so we cannot know if the two Belgian guns were highly ornamented or more conservative in their build and decoration.

Today's gun is another lever-over-guard gun displaying the wrap-around lever style, built by the Masu Brothers, bringers of Belgian influences to the London gun trade and builders of the Bastin-action gun covered previously.

The Belgian gunmaker Gustave Masu (also known as Gustav Masu) is recorded as a gunmaker in Liège, Belgium in 1845, and in 1864 he established his business in London at 3a Wigmore Street, just when the demand for pinfire guns was increasing. The firm became Masu Brothers in 1865, and in 1869 the firm was renamed Gustavus Masu, moving to 10 Wigmore Street. It appears from examples seen that Masu guns were built in Liège (by the other brother?) and retailed in London by Gustave.

This gun is a 12-bore double-bite screw grip rotary-underlever sporting gun by the Masu Brothers of London, number 2030, made 1865-69. The 28" damascus barrels have Liège proofs, and the top rib is simply signed "Masu Brothers London." This would have been from the 3a Wigmore Street address, and while this gun lacks the street information, guns are known with the rib inscription "Masu Frères à Liège & 3a Wigmore Street London," a detail which might have come along later than when this example was made. The Belgian proofs and lack of English marks is what caused Gustave Masu to run afoul of the Gun Barrel Proof Act of 1855 (see AaronN's post on page 3 of this thread), which suggests the gun was closer in date to 1865, before he ran into trouble (and assuming he changed his ways after his £5 fine).

The gun has an elegant elongated top strap, unsigned back-action locks, pleasant open scroll engraving, a very attractive damascus pattern, and a lightly rounded, not flat, action table that fits the contours of the barrels. The barrels have mirror bores with minimal pitting, and the gun weighs 6 lb 14 oz.

However, what is most noticeable about this Belgian game gun built for an English market, is the non-removable fore-end, articulated with the action. This fore-end design gives no particular advantage that I can see, other than you can't drop it or lose it! I'm guessing that repairs to the fore-end wood were the result of someone trying to pry off the fore-end, without realizing it was permanently attached to the action.

The decoration of the gun has a faintly Continental look about it, while trying to fit in with the English styling of the period. Wigmore Street is in London's fashionable West-End Marylebone district, and a stone's throw from Cavendish Square. Gustave Masu was aiming for a well-to-do crowd, and appears to have been successful at it (despite his run-in with the Proof Act), with the business closing in 1892.

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Last edited by Steve Nash; 02/04/21 05:46 PM.
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That is a real beauty!


http://www.bertramandco.com/
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Steve, my Masu centerfire likewise has the articulated fore-end, as does my George Daw gun. Seems it was a blind alley in breechloader evolution. Those are some nice fences on yours! My Masu has Stanton locks so I would not assume all were made completely in Belgium.

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That's a great looking gun.
I have a very nice, very ornate Mahillon cased two barrel set.
Pinfire 16b rifle and 12b shotgun.
It features the same captive, hinged forend design.

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A lot of firms early on used that captive hinged fore-arm, which seems to have been a direct carry-over from Lefaucheux's design.

Here is the sketch of one of the Reilly's at the 1859 trial:


And here is Reilly SN 14469, dated per the chart to very early 1867. So the design continued to be ordered by some customers.

Last edited by Argo44; 08/19/20 10:59 PM.

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It would seem quite a logical way to do it for men who had been building muzzle loaders no doubt,just hinge your one piece stock !Wonder who made the first breechloader with a removeable forend???

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Originally Posted By: Imperdix
It would seem quite a logical way to do it for men who had been building muzzle loaders no doubt,just hinge your one piece stock !Wonder who made the first breechloader with a removeable forend???


I had a Claudin (french) very high grade, with Bernard barrels, double bite screw grip, which featured a removable forend - which was steel.

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Tinker, does that Claudin with the Bernard barrels have a date with the Bernard number , possibly stamped on the under rib ?


Last edited by Daryl Hallquist; 08/20/20 09:50 AM.
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I honestly don't know who was the first British maker to offer a breech-loader with a captive fore-end. I originally thought the removable fore-end was a British development first appearing on the Lang/Hodges gun, but some much earlier French guns had them, I now realize. Yet another subject for someone to study! I've not seen enough breech-loaders with captive fore-ends to understand their source, but the origins might come from somewhere on the Continent.

The Daw snap-action breech-loader might have been the first in Britain to have a captive fore-end. I've seen JBLondon's magnificent Daw, it is a real beauty. Daw's gun was the design of François Eugène Schneider of 13 Rue Gaillon, Paris, which George Henry Daw purchased the rights to. (See? It is very hard to get away from French influences)

The early hand-made breech-loaders drip history like their later cousins exude elegance and finesse. The pinfires were the beginning of the learning curve for the makers that went on to build the guns in the purported "golden age" of shotguns. Pinfires carry their own style, but like the high collars and top hats worn for shooting, they are from a bygone age we have difficulty imagining and understanding.

Outside of fashionable London there was land to shoot over, and local gunmakers tried to get as much of the business as they could. Provincial gunmakers ran the gamut from being mere retailers of Birmingham-made guns, to bespoke makers rivalling their London brethren. They could also be both, moving trade-made guns to middle levels of society, while being able to produce Best-quality guns on special commission - it all depended on the size of the client's purse. Makers outside of London and Birmingham might have been capable of producing exquisite guns, but such commissions would be few, and surviving examples correspondingly rare.

Royals set the trends and fashions in Victorian society, and gunmakers vied for royal appointments. Having a non-London maker obtain a royal patronage is unusual enough, and one doing so would make full use of this in their advertising -- even after their patron's death. Today we can look at such an instance, from a provincial gunmaker who was the favourite of Albert, Queen Victoria's husband.

Edward Paton was born in 1819 in Dublin, Ireland, where his father was stationed at the time. In the 1840s he was an armourer with the 42 Royal Highlanders, and in 1854 he went into partnership with Charles Frederick Walsh, buying the gunmaking business of Ancell & Salmond at 44 George Street, Perth, Scotland, and together Paton and Walsh obtained several patents. Walsh left the partnership in 1858 and the firm continued trading under the name of Edward Paton. In 1861 Paton employed 7 men and 2 boys, and the business was known for their conversions of muzzle-loaders to breech-loaders. At some point Paton was appointed Gunmaker to His Royal Highness The Prince Consort (no small accomplishment), and after Albert's death in December 1861, Paton's label and rib inscriptions were changed to reflect the change. By 1870 the firm had been re-named Edward Paton & Son. Around this time Edward Paton moved to London to open a new shop at 108 Mount Street, Grosvenor Square, and the firm finished guns for Boss & Co.. In 1890 the Perth business was sold.

Here is a 14-bore rotary-underlever double-bite screw-grip pinfire sporting gun, number 2397, made in the mid 1860s. The 29 15/16" damascus barrels have London proofs and the wide top rib is signed "Edward Paton maker to His late RH the Prince Consort. Perth". The back-action locks are signed "Edward Paton." Interestingly it has a perforated trigger guard bow with a corresponding raised button on the under-lever, a feature I had not encountered before. The hammers are nicely done, and the tip of the under-lever is particularly well shaped and finished. This gun is near-identical in build quality and decoration to the Boss & Co. pinfires covered earlier, so it is not surprising Edward Paton finished guns for them! The bores are moderately pitted, and the gun weighs 6 lb 13 oz, befitting the smaller gauge.

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Last edited by Steve Nash; 02/04/21 05:47 PM.
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Nice gun! My Edward Patton & Sons .500 bpe Jones under-lever rifle is clearing Customs right now. Pictures when I get it in hand. Patton guns appear to be beautifully made.
Steve


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