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

Ah, it is near-impossible to follow a time or invention sequence with early British breech-loaders in the 1850s and 60s, everything gets jumbled pretty quickly. There were so many advances and patents, both good and utterly pointless, so many individual craftsmen making their mark, and to confound everything, clients could order whatever their fancy, be it the newest patent or a favoured older design, to whatever grade their purse allowed. Every maker, from high to low, sought custom, and profit margins were tight, especially as annual sales of sporting breech-loaders by any given maker were in the tens, not tens of thousands. With the class system in full effect, a craftsman might be highly regarded and sought after -- but he was still just a craftsman, someone with no social standing or influence. Through my research I've gotten the impression that the French valued their gunmakers much more as gifted artisans, inventors, and true artists, though I have nothing concrete with which to prove that theory. But there has to be a reason why almost every significant technological advance in gunmaking has come from France (the flintlock, percussion, pinfire and centre-fire systems, hinge and hammerless actions, and more -- and German Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse came up with the needlefire system while working in Paris). There are some that debate certain origins, but the French were always at the leading edge, pushing the boundaries. They still are, as Darne and Idéal owners will attest.

As my previous offering to this thread was on back-action locks, here is a continuation with a look at a set of very peculiarly marked lock plates, from a maker with a prestigious history. I've sought information on this gun and its attributes on this board before, but it never hurts to ask again.

The Smith gun making business in London started with William Smith, who was apprenticed to John Joyner in 1766 and then to William Shepherd in 1771. He was later recorded as a gun lock maker in St James's in 1792, and St Pancras in 1800. In 1805 he traded as a gun maker at 34 Tottenham Court Road, moving in 1806 to 2 New Lisle Street. In 1817 William Smith was appointed Gunmaker-in-Ordinary to the Prince Regent, and he moved to 59 Princes Street, Leicester Square. In 1820 when the Prince Regent became King George IV he was appointed Gunmaker-in-Ordinary to the king, and the following year moved to 64 Princes Street. Smith had also been appointed Gunmaker to the Tsar Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, and to Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. This says a lot about the quality of Smith guns, and the regard in which they were held.

In 1825 William was succeeded by his son Samuel (1794-1855) and the name of the firm changed to Samuel Smith. In 1834 Samuel's brother, Charles, joined him and the firm became Samuel & Charles Smith. Between 1835 and 1837 they were appointed Gun Makers to His Majesty (William IV) and to the Duke of Gloucester. By 1855 both Samuel and Charles had died, and Samuel's two sons, also named Samuel and Charles, took over the firm. In 1867 Samuel (Jnr) patented a breech-loading action (patent No. 1075), which had the curious feature whereby half-cocking the right-hand hammer withdrew the barrel locking bolt. However, it is known only from an incomplete patent drawing, and no examples have ever surfaced. In 1870 the firm moved to 18 Oxenden Street, Haymarket, until 1875 when the business closed and the Smith brothers emigrated to Australia.

The firm has tremendous history and pedigree, and Googling the name turns up exquisite examples of flint and percussion guns, and even a few pinfires. Like most makers of the pinfire period Samuel and Charles Smith appear to have offered different grades of guns, including some with patented actions from other makers. Today's gun is a standard double-bite screw grip action by Samuel and Charles Smith of London, and serial number 6583 places it about 1864 in date. The 29 3/4" damascus barrels are signed "SamL & C Smith Princes Street Leicester Square London" on the top rib, and carry the usual London proofs. The barrel maker's mark "H.S." is still a mystery to me, but earlier percussion guns by the brothers also carry the same barrel maker's mark. The gun has typical percussion-style fences, an extended top strap, and flat-sided hammers, all of no particular note -- this was the entry-level pinfire gun of the mid-1860s, not much different from the offerings of most London and provincial makers. Where this gun becomes highly unusual is with the back-action lock plates. Look closely, the name inscriptions, "SamL& C Smith Princes St. London," are inverted. This is different from other Smith pinfires I've been able to trace, which have normal inscriptions on the locks. The locks are pinned from the right, which is unusual but not unheard of. And after pouring through a mountain of books, and tapping the considerable knowledge base on British guns that resides in the far corners of the Internet (including here), I can say with confidence that no one else has seen, or heard of, the like, which leads me to be equally confident in saying this was not an engraver's mistake, but a special request from the client. In what might remain a gun-lore mystery, the question remains as to why?

Inside the lock plates are the lock maker's mark, "N.B", which I believe to be that of the lock maker Noah Butler of Darlaston Road, Wednesbury, Staffordshire (or an alternate nearby address, 4 King's Hill, Wednesbury). Butler was born in 1827 or 1828, and his trade was a common one in Wednesbury and nearby Wolverhampton, sources of the best gun locks. These are quality locks with nicely shaped bridles, befitting a Smith gun.

The gun, however, is in a very sorry state, with a broken mainspring, parts missing, worn engraving and an overall tiredness that can't be hidden. The bores are heavily pitted, and the gun, minus a few small parts, weighs 6 lb 10 oz.