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

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.