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

Rainy-day boredom? Withdrawal? Or curiosity to see if squeezing in another post will take the thread over the 50,000-views mark?

I was taking a break and casually looking at the pinfires arranged on the wall, was reminded of a recent comment on another board concerning the Henry Jones under-lever. It is the most classic action design for pinfire game guns and later hammerguns, and it is ergonomically sleek or clumsy depending on one's point of view. Then I noticed that all Jones under-levers are not alike... Some have the projecting knurl aligned with the forward trigger, some with the rear trigger, some clearly in-between, and one was even behind the rear trigger. Maybe it has no real effect, as a shooter would get used to their gun regardless. But I found it interesting that I had never noticed the variation in the alignment of the knurl, and perhaps others hadn't either. So purely for interest's sake and an appreciation of the endless variability in British gunmaking, here are 30 Jones under-levers side-by-side for comparison.

If you look at numbers 2, 4 and 6, all are Boss & Co. guns, made roughly around the same time, and possibly by the same hands -- yet there are subtle differences. Purely cosmetic? Artistic licence? Perhaps. But it does make me wonder why there was no "standard" with respect to the design. Would a longer or shorter lever make a difference, or not? Or does the length, and shape, fall into the "just cause" category of design?







PS. Yes, there appears to be variability in trigger shapes, too. Possibly the same as for the levers, i.e. no reason, just is.