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1868 Reilly Comblain

The 1866 Snider Enfield was regarded by the British Army only as a stop-gap breech loader until a fully dedicated breech loader could be developed and adopted. Also I believe Ordinance noted that the .577 bullet went sub-sonic after about 400 yards and this effected its accuracy at longer distances; they were interested in a smaller caliber, higher velocity cartridge (I'll let the Snider guys discuss this further). In 1867 Ordinance put out the call for a breech loader design - to be covered further in the Martini Henry section below:

In 1867 the Belgian firm Comblain took out a patent on a breech loader. The patent was described in “The Engineer” of May 15, 1868 on page 347. See this site: http://www.militaryrifles.com/Comblains/ComblainCart.htm; Patent No. 5480.

Reilly went into partnership with Comblain to try to market it to the Ordinance. The bid didn’t progress very far. Apparently the Army felt it was too similar to the Snider. The Comblain breech loader was adopted by Belgium and for 30 years by the Brazilian army. However, Reilly became the “sole manufacturers” of Comblain’s in Britain and his name is on at least seven of them that are extant. Most Reilly-Comblain have only the London address-it was a British army trials after all and having a Frenchy address would not have been a pluse; however one trial's gun has “Paris” stamped on the butt plate. Most of the early guns were proofed in Belgium - some have Birmingham proofs - and none of them have a Reilly Serial Number on them. One, however has “E.M.Reilly & Co., Sole Manufacturers, New Oxford St London just ahead of the breech:

Xxxxx. .577 Reilly-Comblain rifle, serial no. 32. Blued 30in barrel, block and blade fore-sight, ladder rear-sight, the nocksform signed 'E.M. REILLY & Co. RIFLE MANUFACTURERS, NEW OXFORD STREET, LONDON', lift up lever with horizontal bolt handle mounted to the right hand side lifting and drawing out the breech-block, the block signed 'REILLY-COMBLAIN PATENT No. 32', plain colour-hardened lock signed 'E.M. REILLY & Co. LONDON’.



Xxxxx. This rifle is stamped on the barrel ahead of the breach E.M.Reilley& Co Sole Manufacturers New Oxford st London on the lock plate E.M.Reilly & Co. London. Caliber is .577.



Xxxxx. Reilly Comblain rifle; 30”, barrel with Birmingham proofs "25", sabre bayonet lug and typical period Enfield sights; 5-groove rifling like the 1860 or '61 Short Rifles. Chambered for the .577 Snider round. Receiver ring stamped "E.M.REILLY & Co / SOLE MANUFACTURERS / NEW OXFORD STREET / LONDON" . Breechblock stamped "REILLY-COMBLAIN / PATENT No 5048". Butt is marked with a large 3" ink stamp "PATENTED BY E.M. REILLY & Co LONDON & PARIS".



Xxxxx. Fusil d'infanterie à percussion centrale, modèle E. M. Reilly ; calibre 14,8 mm ; canon poli blanc, poinçonné et signé : "E. M. Reilly & C° Sole Manufacturers new Oxford Street London" ; culasse marquée : "Reilly Comblain patent n° 5298" ; platine avant polie blanc, marquée : "E M Reilly & C° London"



Xxxxx. .577 Snider, 20 1/2" barrel. The top of the action is engraved "H. HOLLAND / 98 NEW BOND ST. / LONDON", the lockplate is engraved simply "H. HOLLAND" and the breechblock is marked "REILLY-COMBLAIN / PATENT NO. / 125". A brass plaque affixed to the bottom of the stock beneath action is beautifully engraved "Reilly / Comblain / Patent / No. 25”. (Note 98 New Bond St. is the address of Holland & Holland.). (Also, since I can find no record of a Reilly-Comblain Patent 25 - Believe that this is the 25th gun produced on the Reilly Comblain patent? by H&H no less).


Last edited by Argo44; 09/27/18 10:01 AM.
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