doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The pinfire game gun

The rotary underlever is a strong action, no error, but imagine if gunmakers/inventors hadn't had the urge to come up with something better... Thankfully that was far from the case. Snap-actions allowed the gun to be closed and bolted in one motion, with that satisfying "clunk." Not surprisingly, many shooters of the day opposed this development quite vociferously, fearful that springs would fail at inopportune moments, or that such designs would not be strong enough to withstand the jolt of firing, or be unnecessary complications -- simpler was better, and the interrupted-screw underlever was certainly simple. There is a certain truth to this, and some of the early snap-actions were hardly robust or all that easy to use. We know the Purdey sliding underbolt with the Scott spindle eventually "won" in the end and became the standard form, but there were quite a few inventions along the way, including some that could be argued were better or easier to use than the Purdey-Scott arrangement.

The advantage of a snap-action is speed, and in the 1850s and early 1860s speed was something no one needed, beyond the tremendous advantage conveyed by the breech-loader over the muzzle-loader. Two shots at a covey was the most anyone expected, hence the double gun. To be able to un-load with a pull of the cartridge pin and re-load with ready-made cartridges was what the breech-loader offered, and to do so safely and neatly was wondrous enough. The fact of having to use one's hand to open or close the underlever was not overly awkward, and for walked-up shooting, the opportunities on game were few, as they are today. (To this day I don't see the need for an ejector gun outside of driven-bird shoots and maybe clay sports, but that might just be me.)

As with almost all important gun inventions, the French were there first. François Eugène Schneider came up with the first snap underlever, patented in October 1860, and acquired by G. H. Daw in 1861 and immediately improved, for the Daw centre-fire breech-loader that first appeared in late 1861. Thomas Horsley was next with a spring-tensioned trigger-guard lever in February 1862. Joseph Needham patented his snap sidelever in May 1862, and the first toplever snap action was Westley Richards' pull-lever of September 1862. Then came J.W.P. Field's snap underlever patented in December 1862, followed by James Purdey who patented his famous double-bite snap action in May 1863, with a sliding underbolt linked to a peculiar thumb-operated lever in the trigger guard. Inventions still flourished, with Thomas Horsley coming up with his sliding toplever patented in October 1863, Edward Harrison (of Cogswell & Harrison) with a forward underlever snap action in February 1864, William Powell patented his toplever snap action in May 1864, and Stephen & Joseph Law patented their side-lever snap action in May 1865. Then, Purdey married his double-bite action with W. M. Scott's toplever (which Scott patented in October 1865), narrowly edging out John Croft's snap toplever patented in April 1866. While the best of these actions stayed in use into modern times (the Powell and Westley Richards in particular), most disappeared over time and the strong and efficient Purdey sliding underbolt and Scott toplever spindle became the standard.

Sadly I don't have a Daw action to show, and I've never seen a Horsley trigger-guard lever action. But I'll be posting the other actions, in roughly chronological order, starting with the Joseph Needham Patent No 1544 of May 1862, on a Blissett gun.

John Blissett was a London gunmaker and retailer on London's High Holborn street. He started his business in 1833, and he obtained a few patents for minor inventions. His son William was recorded as a gunmaker in the 1861 census, and I presume he apprenticed under his father. In 1866 the name of the firm was changed to John Blissett and Son. John Blissett died in 1872, and the business ceased altogether in 1883. Blissett built guns, but the firm was also a repository -- selling second-hand guns of other makers. Not everyone had the money for a bespoke gun.

The gun is a 12-bore, number 4097, and the action is a Joseph Needham patent rotating bolt single-bite snap action, with self-half-cocking. The elegant side-lever releases the barrels and raises the hammers to half-cock. With the typical Jones underlever the hammers have to be pulled back manually before the lever can be swung and the gun opened. With the Needham action the same can be done in one natural motion, and the gun can be snapped shut. With the new and growing sport of driven bird shoots, a fast-acting gun was a decided advantage. The Needham action was very popular, and appeared on the guns of many makers. The barrels are 29 3/4", and have been re-browned.

The Blissett gun is a bar-in-wood design, to my eyes the most elegant pattern for a breech-loading gun. Wood predominates which makes for a beautiful gun, but the lack of metal is a nightmare for strength and lasting wear, successful bar-in-wood guns are engineering feats that demand admiration. The Needham action is further peculiar in that the hinge pin is part of the mechanism for disassembling the gun. The hinge pin is pushed out with a fingertip, and it remains captive. The barrels and still-attached fore-end can be then removed. While it seems counter-intuitive to have a slender hinge pin, the action must have been strong, judging from its popularity. The downward-turning lever is on the right side, and on the left can be seen a small cam which lifts the hammers when the lever is depressed. The gun, now well worn, is beautifully engraved with foliate scroll, and retrievers on the lock plates and trigger guard bow. The bar locks are signed "John Blissett London" and the top rib signed "John Blissett, 322 High Holborn, London."

Blissett stressed price in his advertising, and Blissett guns I've seen are well-made and of moderate quality -- not high-end, but not lowest-quality either. His clientele must have been varied, because the Needham gun would likely have been one of his most expensive offerings. The action bears a Needham silver poinçon and patent use number 171, which indicates it is the 171st action Needham built or authorized. Considering its popularity, this helps date the gun to around 1863, fairly early in terms of Needham actions. The gun weighs a svelte 6 lb 11 oz, and the barrels still have mirror bores.