I've been asked some questions about the above; to clarify, here are the points I'm trying to make with these posts:
1) Reilly had an intimate knowledge of the gun making business and extensive contacts in Europe, London and Birmingham.
2) He was not confined to trying to "eek out" an existence by selling bespoke guns. He had numerous and extensive lines of revenue coming into the company; in other words he was not just a gun retailer and repairer; He was an entrepreneur and a force in the gun making world at the time running a large company.
3) He put his name on a lot of guns sold under license, made for him under license, sold as retail, sold as wholesale. He did not claim he made these guns. Reilly's name and engravingcan be found on the following guns he retailed, which have no Reilly SN:
Adams . . . . . . . . . Winchester . . . . . . Lee Speed
Trantor . . . . . . . . . Sharps . . . . . . . . . Snider Enfield
Colt . . . . . . . . . . . Martini-Henry. . . . Westley Richards
Walker Bulldog . . . . Enfield . . . . . .
And various muzzle and breech loaders with no make name other than Reilly and no SN, proofed in Birmingham plus all the rook-rifles he sold.

4) But - the important surmise: He only serial numbered guns he made in his workshops in London: (and this included some Enfields, Green Bros Breech loaders, Snider Infields, and one Martini Henry)
5) These guns will have London proofs.

To try to explain the Reilly numbering system otherwise does not make sense. I've addressed this several times in this line and put it in the "New Short History," but it doesn't hurt to restate the hypothesis, where we are, and what the objective of continued research is.

The history of the company has been reestablished; the serial number chronology seems pretty solid at the moment, pending appearance of additional guns; the item still being nailed down is the in-house manufacturing of Reilly Serial Numbered guns - what was made, what was bought, what was farmed-out and who were the shop foremen and workers.

And, I'd like to restate - when you look at Reilly guns as a whole - and there are a lot posted above and still active links to dozens more, there seems to be a unity to them in looks, balance, artistic design, engraving, lines - which made me conclude that he designed the guns and put them together in London - whether he bought actions or barrel blanks in the white or not,.

Last edited by Argo44; 02/09/19 11:19 AM.
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