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A New History of Reilly, Gun Maker, London & Paris
By: Gene Williams

Introduction:

Reilly was a 19th century London gun-maker. He made guns for 90 years from 1828 to 1912 when the firm went bankrupt. All Reilly records were lost in the first decade of the 20th century.

By the mid-late 20th century, a half-century after Reilly's bankruptcy, a generation of gun writers had decided that Reilly was a “gun-retailer” and as such was a minor figure on the London gun scene. Gun anthologies by prominent writers in the 1970's-90's mentioned cursory histories of Reilly but without dating his guns or illuminating his manufacturing and sales operations. There appeared to be no way to validate any of the claims/observations about Reilly or little interest in doing so and the inertia of gun scholarship predominated; Gun writers and advertisers simply repeated ad infinitum the mantra that Reilly was a retailer.

In November 2015 the author bought his first Reilly, a 12 bore SxS shotgun and began to research the company using the resources of the internet. It rapidly became apparent that the histories of and commentary about Reilly were confusing and contradictory. A second look at the company was clearly needed.

The data for this Reilly history began to be compiled at that time:
-- Every extant Reilly gun found on the internet was cataloged, a list that now comprises over 500 serial numbered extant guns and hundreds of non-serial numbered, engraved and marketed long guns and pistols. Serial numbers, addresses on the ribs, patent numbers, chamber and barrel borings, stocks, proof marks, etc. were noted.
-- Every periodical advertisement for Reilly or articles mentioning Reilly in the 19th century UK press was read and archived. There were thousands.
-- Address changes or renumberings, changes in proof-markings, patent filings or expirations, patent use numbers, dates for the introduction of new cartridges, etc. were noted as serial number “date markers.”

50 different topics were researched including early 19th century barrel boring techniques, engraving, gun making machinery and techniques at the time, street address systems in London, whether or not any UK gun maker used chronological patent use numbers, census data, research into Reilly employees, the beginnings of the UK center-break gun industry in the 1850’s, pigeon shooting rules and regulations, guns exhibited at worlds’ fairs, guns purchased by royals, origin of UK pin-fires, location of private shooting grounds, manufacture in London of boxlocks, etc.

A Reilly gun serial number dating graph/chart was created from this data. It’s validity was verified by numerous “sanity checks” taken from existing Reilly long-guns. This chart allowed for the dating of the case/trade labels. With the dating of the guns and trade labels came an understanding of what types of guns Reilly made and sold over the course of 90 years and the technologies available for use when the guns were numbered - a melding of extant guns with 1800's newspaper advertisements.

The history was finally written down in September 2018. It was posted on the below site for peer review and the research was continuously updated and debated as new guns and articles came to light.
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=436538#Post436538

The study was published in (edited) two parts in summer 2019 in Diggory Hadoke's on-line magazine "Vintage Gun Journal." It has since been added-to extensively - almost daily - and is now, without the constraints of trying to condense it onto one (internet) page, much more detailed and substantive.

The history includes analyses and some logical suppositions and conclusions. These are, however, supported by articles and advertisements and the history as now written is solidly sourced. It corrects or updates dozens of writings on the company most of them erroneous, including Nigel Brown's Vol III, Boothroyd, and just about every article written about Reilly in the last 50 years. Footnotes are provided for each paragraph, indeed each sentence, below. Challenges to this research should be as well documented, not just based on "urban legend."

Attached is also the latest SN date chart which should get a Reilly owner close to the date his gun was manufactured (see the methodology and caveats in the chart footnotes).

See two separate and previous charts:
--"Dating Reilly Labels"(p. 44 and 49)
-- Serial Numbered extant Reilly's (p.44 now moved to p.57) (a complete date list of all known existing serial numbered Reilly's 1828-1912).

Clarifying comments:

. .-- The origin of the "Reilly was a retailer only" myth possibly came out of 1922:
. . . . . – Charles Riggs bought the Reilly name and put 25,000 guns on the market in 30 years, none made by him, with "E.M. Reilly & Co., London" on the ribs from 1922 to 1950.
. . . . . - A generation of gun makers grew up with this in their minds, without a reference to what Reilly was before, because by 1900, 22 years and a world war before Riggs - indeed almost 50 years before noted gun writers David Baker, Ian Crudgington, Geoffrey Boothroyd, Nigel Brown, etc., even began to work on guns as teen-aged apprentices - Reilly - the classic Reilly - was essentially toast.
. . . . . - Finally, in readng the technical expertise exhibited in E.M. Reilly’s 1847 pamphlet on air-guns or his knowledgeable comments on center-break pin-fires published in the 26 December 1857 edition of “The Field,” one understands that these men, the Reilly’s, could not have been just “retailers.”

. .-- The history occasionally goes into some depth on the status of the UK gun making industry to illustrate important points about the Reilly firm, in particular the period 1851-1859 and the origins of the UK center-break breech-loader. This may seem pedantic but is important to understanding the place Reilly occupies in the UK gun-making fraternity and to refute ingrained misconceptions about Reilly. This history also addresses certain unclear points as an academic “pro-con” “debate” of sorts pending additional research.

======= A New, Short History of Reilly of London, Gun Maker =======

The Reilly firm of gun makers in London has long been viewed as enigmatic. Confusion exists on the location of the company, its products, and even whether it actually made guns or was just a retailer. Reilly's records were lost after bankruptcy (1912) and the final shutting down of the firm (1918). This new history should resolve these mysteries and re-establish Reilly as at one time perhaps one of if not the largest of gun makers in London during the mid-1800's.

Joseph Charles Reilly was born in Ireland in 1786. He hailed from a well-to-do family and his family aspired for him to become a lawyer. In the mid-1800's he went to London to study - Irish Catholics could not study law in Ireland at the time. However, he had an independent streak. Instead of law school, he struck out on his own into various technical fields. (He was obviously supported by his family money in all this - he was never a "destitute student.")

He married in 1812. In 1814 he opened a jewelry shop, later described as also dealing in silver-plate, at 12 Middle Row, Holborn, hard by Gray’s Inn of the "Inns of the Court." He registered a silver mark "JCR" in July 1818. His clientele included country gentlemen and barristers.

Note: to register a silver/gold mark required a considerable apprenticeship and noted expertise. John Campbell in his article in "Double Gun Journal," Summer 2015 also wrote that Reilly was a member of the clock-makers' guild, something also requiring quite an apprenticeship; he allegedly retained his membership in this guild until the late 1820's.

In 1817 his son Edward Michael was born, the third of four children. He prospered, buying a country estate in Bedfordshire in 1824.

Jewelry shops in London at the time often dealt in guns, engraving and re-selling them, perhaps because of the influence of the artistic professionalism of Joseph Manton's guns at the time. Some such shops called themselves "Whitesmiths."

Note: Among the extant JC Reilly "jewelry" from this time period are two miniature working naval gun models with Damascus barrels. Yet, he did indeed deal in jewelry: a list of stolen goods from the Reilly shop in January 1831 included, rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. - normal stuff for the métier.

1828: First Guns Made at 12 Middle Row, Holborn (Holborn Bars), London

Sometime around summer 1828 he numbered his first Reilly built gun which presumably was 01. Reilly's first advertisement for guns he specifically claimed to make is July 1830; However, ads from summer 1828 make it clear he was making guns for clients - and urging customers not to spend money for a "name." The serial numbered guns included pistols, rifles and shotguns.

His guns during this period used the address "Holborn Bars." 12 Middle Row was at "Holborn Bars". "Bars" shows the area was one of the old tax stations for entering London.

Note: Reilly appears to have been amongst the very first London gun makers to begin to advertise in the mass popular press, possibly preceded only by Lang. Very few gun ads from rival makers can be found in 1820’s-early 1830’s newspapers.

Following are the earliest known Reilly serial numbered guns:

-- SN 88 - a pair of .50 cal. percussion dueling pistols with J.C. Reilly, Holborn Bars, London engraved on the hexagonal Damascus barrels; These are the oldest extant Reillys and are dated circa early 1829.

-- SN 162 - the earliest extant Reilly-made long gun; It is a single barrel 6 bore muzzle loader wild-fowler, J.C. Reilly, Holborn Bars, London engraved on the barrel, also made circa 1829.

-- SN 176 - also a pair of .50 cal. percussion pistols, almost identical to SN 88 above with J.C. Reilly, Holborn Bars, London; These are the third oldest existing serial numbered J.C. Reilly guns and are also dated late 1829.

Reilly Business Model:

JC Reilly early on adopted a business model which did not change during the life of the firm: i.e. provide a quality hand-made product for a moderate price and deliver it rapidly, and "make what would sell."

Reilly was never an innovator - he was a businessman first and a technician/engineer second. But, with this model, and especially with the rise of EM, with his family connections to the gun trade, his ability to recognize a winning or commercially interesting invention or patent, and his flexibility enabling him to produce new products and abandon old ways, Reilly undercut more expensive and better known makers and made his profit on volume.

Reilly dealt in used guns taken on trade and sold guns under license. However, he only serial numbered guns he built and he numbered his guns consecutively for 90 years with certain exceptions during the move to New Oxford-Street in 1847. Reilly had extensive finishing facilities in his large London buildings and no doubt stockpiled locks (and later after 1855 actions) and barrel blanks from outworkers to allow him to meet orders three times as quickly as his competitors.
. . .-- Example: Ads from the 1850’s in spring of each year consistently stated that Reilly had 100 guns in various stages of manufacture which were available for custom fitting and engraving; these guns were not previously ordered but were “speculation guns” stockpiled for expected customers based on anticipated demand. These ads state outright that this had been the company business practice for "more than 20 years."
. . .-- Caveat: Around 1880 Reilly may have changed some of the parameters of the company' business model; He may have begun using actions from Birmingham bought "in the white" and finished in London. This possibility is still being investigated (see below).

1831: Reilly "Gun Maker"

The first Reilly advertisement so far found with "Gun-Maker" appeared in April 1831. However, the report on the early January theft of jewelry from his shop identified J.C. as both “gun maker” and “silversmith” indicating that he was alreadly established in the gun trade at that time. From this time forward Reilly identified himself solely as "Gun-Maker.” (For historical reference, the old London bridge was demolished in 1831).

His gun advertisements in 1831 targeted “gentlemen going abroad” and offered special rates to “country dealers” ordering his guns. For an entreprenuer who had began making guns only three years earlier, this is an impressive expansion of his manufacturing capability and his marketing/retailing.

Note: Reilly continued to deal in jewelry for awhile. In London directories he is mentioned as a jeweler up to 1835. He apparently continued to make “jewelry” of a type afterwards which included miniature cannons and guns; J.C. Reilly exhibited small brass mortar models at an exhibition in 1845.

Note: 70 years later as Reilly fortunes began to wane, J.C. Reilly's grandson advertised the firm as "established 1835." This history knows more than the grandson did.

August 1835: Move to 316 High Holborn-Street:

In August 1835 JC Reilly with 17 year old EM as an apprentice moved to 316 High Holborn Street. The building no longer exists but from lithograph prints of the area at the time and from the size of the current building on the plot, it was probably quite substantial. The first serial numbered extant gun with the High Holborn address is SN 1024, an 8.5mm pocket pistol, Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London on the gun.

Advertisements from the 1840’s shows the shop had a small shooting gallery where air guns and hand guns could be tested.

1837: End of Serial Numbered Pistols:

By circa 1837 pistols were no longer numbered in the Reilly chronological numbering system although in the 1839 edition of "Pigot’s London Directory" J.C. Reilly is still listed as “Gun and Pistol Maker.” His serial numbered guns seemed to be limited to bespoke long-guns made to order. The last serial numbered pistol so far found is SN 1292, a 120 bore (.32 Cal.), pocket pistol with a steel barrel. (This style of Reilly pocket pistol is almost ubiquitous - dozens are extant including the most ornate cased in mahogany and silver encrusted to the mundane - it was obviously a best seller. However, none after SN 1292 are serial numbered).

August 1840: Company Name Changes to "Reilly":

In August 1840 the firm's name in advertisements changed from J.C. Reilly to just "Reilly," which may mark the advent of 23 year old EM as a full partner in the company. EM is listed in the 1841 census as living with J.C. and his occupation, like that of J.C. is "Gun maker."

The names on the gun ribs continued to be "J.C. Reilly" or "Joseph Charles Reilly." Case/Trade labels were styled like an embossed business card with the following inscription:
. . ."Joseph Charles Reilly,"
. . . . . . "Gun Maker,"
. . . . 316 High Holborn
. . . .near Chancery Lane.

1840's: Air-guns:

JC Reilly during this period also became known for his air cane guns. Young EM was billed as the expert and was so mentioned in advertisements for the next 8 years, identified as "Reilly Junr."

In 1847 EM wrote a widely disseminated pamphlet on air guns. It is mostly an advertising brochure highlighting the company's ability to produce all sorts of air-guns and parts - but also going into air pressures they achieved in the air chambers and other technical aspects of the guns. It is cited to this day. The pamphlet title page noted the author was "Reilly junr," used the (new) 502 New Oxford Street address and included the phrase "Removed from Holborn" (see below).

Note: The earliest Reilly trade-case label known (for 316 High Holborn Street) came out of an air-gun case, not surprisingly since it was undoubtedly not carried out into muddy fields. It appears that Reilly did not serial number air guns even though the company manufactured and made the guns (similar to post 1837 hand-guns mentioned above). This said there is one air-gun with a serial number 7801 with J.C. Reilly’s name on it. This appears to be a legitimate JC “7000” series number (see below).

Note: Reilly became so associated with air-guns that his name was mentioned in various fiction "who-done-its,' and may have been a prototype for the Sherlock Holmes short story "The Empty House" by Arthur Conan Doyle.

March 1847: Move to 502 New Oxford-Street

In late March 1847 Reilly moved from High Holborn to 502 New Oxford Street, a large edifice also called the "Elizabethian buildings" on a new extension of Oxford Street. With this move, Reilly demonstrated another trait of his business acumen, i.e. "location." The new road provided access to the center of London from the wealthy suburbs. He always chose prestigious, high-traffic locations for his stores.

The building was huge, an estimated 10,000 square feet, possibly more. For a gun-maker in London, this was an enormous space - guns in London were being made in shops at the time the size of a kitchen.

April-November 1847: Change in Trade Label

From April 1847 to November 1847 the trade label kept the form of the old High Holborn case label format but with the 502 New Oxford Street, London address and a note that the firm had "Removed from Holborn."

Note: Reilly used the phrase "Removed from Holborn" in advertisements after the move from April 1847 to November 1847. By December 1847 it had disappeared from his ads.

1847: Change in the Main-Line Numbering Chronology - 3350 Jumps to 8350

At the time of the move the main serial number chronology for Reilly long-guns was jumped up 5000 numbers from about SN 3350 to begin anew at around 8350 (called for simplicity the "8350" series). The name on serial numbered guns after the move ultimately became simply "Reilly" with exceptions.

. . .-- SN 3329 is the last extant gun made at High Holborn. It is a 10 gauge SxS percussion rifle with Joseph Charles Reilly, 316 High Holburn, London on the rib.

. . .-- SN 8378 is the first extant main-line SN'd gun from the new building, a SxS 12 bore muzzle-loading shotgun. It has "J.C. Reilly, 502 New Oxford Street, London" on the rib. The original label in the old High Holborn case label format has the 502 New Oxford Street, London address and notes the firm had "Removed from Holborn."

. . .-- SN 8463 is the first extant SN'd gun in the new series with only "Reilly, 502 New Oxford Street, London." The gun is a .390 cal SxS muzzle loader rifle, also with "Removed from Holborn" on the label.

Note: Reilly used the phrase "Removed from Holborn" in advertisements after the move from April 1847 to November 1847. By December 1847 it had disappeared from his ads.

1846-1857: J.C. Reilly 7000 Series Numbering Chronology

Preceding this move to New Oxford Street, around early 1846, perhaps anticipating the (planned) change in the main serial number chronology, J.C. Reilly appears to have kept a series of numbers for himself, called for simplicity the J.C. "7000" series. He numbered about 1200 guns over the next 11 years in this series beginning around SN 7000 and ending around 8200 when he retired in 1857.

JC Reilly sometimes (but not always) put his full name or initials on the ribs of these serial numbers but with the 502 New Oxford Street address; yet the trade/case labels with "Reilly" as the firm's name and the advertisements/publicity remained the same for the "8350 main-line series and the J.C. "7000" series.

. . .-- SN 7021 is the first extant SN'd gun in the JC "7000" series, a 20 bore single barrel boy’s percussion shotgun. It has " Reilly, London" on the barrel and was probably numbered in early 1846.

. . .-- SN 7023 is the second extant SN'd gun in the JC "7000" series, an 11 bore SxS percussion shotgun. It has "J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London" on the rib and was probably numbered in early 1846.

. . .-- SN 7201, a .577 percussion single barrel rifle, was the first in the J.C. 7000 series with the new "Joseph Charles Reilly, 502 New Oxford Street, London" address on the barrel, probably numbered around September 1847. It has the old style "J.C. Reilly" trade label with the new 502 New Oxford Street address and also with "Removed from Holborn."

. . .-- SN 8186 is the last extant gun in the 7000 series (no doubt made in late summer 1857). It's an elegant .650 mimi ball single barrel muzzle-loader rifle engraved Reilly, New Oxford Street, London, with "Vini, Vidi, Vici" on the barrel (- see below).

Outlier J.C. serial numbered guns, 1840-1856

There are outlier SN'd guns associated with JC which do not fit any sort of pattern, illustrating the sometime quirkiness of JC Reilly.

. . .-- 4573 - c1841, a 7 gauge, smoothbore, short single barrel, dangerous game gun with "J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London" on the barrel.

. . .-- 2008 - c1850-56, a 14 bore SxS muzzle-loader shotgun with "Joseph Charles Reilly, New Oxford Street, London" on the rib, and the trade label in the case dating from late 1847 to circa summer 1856 series;

. . .-- 3514, a 13 bore SxS percussion shotgun with "Reilly, New Oxford Street, London" on the rib, apparently made (per the trade label in the case) after 1855.

Hypothetical J.C. "4500-5000" number series early/mid 1840's:

There are two (possibly three) extant SxS percussion guns from apparently the mid-1840's which are very similar; It may be that J.C. Reilly had a 5500 serial number series of some sort; more guns are needed to establish this point. One wonders whether this series might be connected to 4573 above; if so it would add a good 1,000 guns to the total Reilly made. However there is a second possibility to account for the below serial numbers; It is possible that J.C. and E.M. split their gun numbering series around 1844-45 before the move to Oxford Street, E.M. keeping the 3000 series and jumping it to 8500 in 1847 and J.C. numbering guns with the 4500-5500 series and jumping those numbers to the 7000 series in 1846. Until more guns come to light this is only hypothetical:

. . .-- 5512 – 1845-47?, a 16 bore SxS muzzle loader shotgun, which has “J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London now 502 New Oxford Street” on the rib, the only gun found so far with both addresses and it would appear numbered around the time of the move. However, the two addresses are printed a slightly different font indicating 5512 may have been brought in for maintenance after the March 1847 move and re-engraved at that time;

. . .-- 5580 – 1845-47?, a 12 bore SxS muzzle loader shotgun, which has “J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London” on the rib, (engraving and format very similar to 5512 above);

. . .-- xxxx – 1845-47?, The engraving on 5512 and 5580 match remarkably to a 12 bore SxS percussion gun advertised by Christies with “J.C. Reilly, 316 High Holborn, London” on the rib; The SN was unpublished, however, it could be part of this possible “5500 series.”

December 1847: New Label for 502 New Oxford-Street

Soon after the move, possibly around December 1847, the trade label changed to "Reilly, Gun Maker." It was rectangular shaped with scolloped corners and featured a sketch of 502 New Oxford Street.

Note: From 1847 to 1859 long guns and hand guns can be found with "Edward M.," "Edward Michael," or "E.M" on their ribs; however, unless serial numbered these were not built by Reilly - they were only engraved and marketed.

Reilly in the early 1850's: Shooting Range, Custom Gun and Munitions

Business anthologies and gun history sites from this period note that J.C. Reilly made guns, E.M. Reilly air guns. But, both worked from the same building and used the same advertisements. This distinction has been made too much of. They operated from the same company. 1850's Reilly advertisements confirm this conclusion.

Advertisements from 1851 papers show that Reilly had a 300 yard shooting range near his London establishment. Research shows it was located off Wood Lane, Shepard's Bush and was still in use through the 1880's.

Reilly was making custom explosive bullets for famous hunter/explorer Sir Samuel Baker as early as 1853 when Baker wrote his book The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. Baker in 1874 edited the book adding, “For many years I have been supplied with first rate No 10 rifles by Messrs. Reilly & Co, of Oxford Street, London, which have never become in the slightest degree deranged during the rough work of wild hunting.”

Throughout the 1840’s and 1850’s Reilly targeted mid-level British officers going abroad to “the colonies” with his ads. In addition throughout the history of the company Reilly marketed his guns to Indian Rajah’s and royalty.*

1851 Crystal Palace Exposition – the Lefaucheaux revelation

Reilly exhibited at the 1851 Crystal Palace International Exposition (as Edward M. Reilly). There were two extremely influential guns shown at the exposition. Colt showed his heavy revolver which became a sensation. However, Reilly and the UK long-gun world was much taken by the Casimir Lefaucheaux center-break gun, used in France since 1836. Reilly, Lang and Blanch ultimately became the major advocates for the Lefaucheaux new type of break-action guns in England, something that would cause a technological revolution and a great deal of dispute and public wrangling amongst the UK gun-owner fraternity.

1855 Paris Exposition Universelle

Reilly exhibited at the 1855 Paris Universelle Exposition, where he received much acclaim, "all guns were sold," and "many orders were booked." The exhibit was in the name of E.M Reilly; however, advertisements make it very clear that though EM won the medals, the firm was still "Reilly, Gun Maker."

For the record, In the mid-1850’s Reilly’s foreman was named fnu “Le Gerant” per an advertisemtnent for a rifle for sale on consignment. ("Le Gérant" of course means "the manager" in French....thus this may not be a name at all..just another expression of Reilly's Catholic francophilia).

Reilly Numbering Bore Sizes before the 1855 Proof Law

In 1855 the British government required that bore sizes be stamped on barrels; Reilly, however, along with Greener and Manton, appears to have been amongst the very few gun makers stamping bore sizes for years before the formal requirement. There are several extant Reilly's with bore size stamps dating back to 1842.

Mid-1856: Trade/Case Label Changes

Reilly case labels changed after 1855 to illustrate the 1851 and 1855 world's fair medals and to highlight "Fusils à bascule," French for center-break guns (made on the "Lefaucheux principle"). The new label also advertised “Improved Breech Loaders” referring to guns such as the Prince Patent bolt action and the Terry Patent breech loaders which he marketed and promoted.

Note: Efforts have been made to try to date when exactly this label was adopted because it has obvious implications for when Reilly began making and selling certer-break guns (see below). The first dated newspaper ad so far found with the phrase "Fusils à bascule" appeared in ""The Law Journal"," 16 Aug 1856. There are other 1856 Reilly advertisements for "Fusils à bascule" or "Fusils bascule" in certain books and tour guides but the exact dates these were published are not clear.

There is a 12 bore pin-fire rifle shell stamped "Reilly, London" and dated 1855. It almost certainly was made under contract and imported from France. The cartridge's existance shows only that Reilly might have been selling pin-fire shells in 1855. It does, however, highlight Reilly's involvement in center-break guns at the time, surely a very small niche business then but one for which a sharp visionary businessman like E.M. could see a future.

September 1857: J.C. Reilly Retires

In September 1857 J.C. Reilly retired to his country estates at Bourn End, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, where he died a wealthy man in January 1864; his last guns in the "7000" series were engraved with Julius Caesar's words "Vini, Vidi, Vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered") possibly as his swan song story of his life. "Formerly Gun-Maker, London" was placed on his tombstone at his request.

Speculation: J.C.'s retirement appeared to have been quite abrupt. At the time the debate over center-break breech-loaders, a French invention, divided families and flame wars raged in the British press. One wondered if J.C., the traditionalist, broke with his son E.M, a very early proponent of the Lefaucheux break-action gun, over this issue - much like what happened between the Greener's father/son a few years later. However, based on 1855 advertisements in "The Field "broke" is not the correct word - rather a more accurate description of JC's retirement should be something like, "JC surrendered the field to his son."

1856-1860: Reilly Building Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

Reilly, began building center-break guns as early as 1856 (possibly late 1855). (Note: E.M. Reilly claimed he experimented with the concept shortly after the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition but abandoned it as commercially unviable - whether this is true or not is not verifiable)..

In a long letter to "The Field" published on 26 December 1857, E.M. stated that until about summer 1857 most of his sales of pin-fire breech-loaders were sold as "novelties." It wasn't until then that the whole break-action concept began to be taken seriously in UK. E.M. by that time had taken a major technological business risk. Per an advertisement from June 1857 he had 100 center-break breech-loaders in various states of build and ready to be customized; he gambled on the market by devoting fully 33% of his production capacity to making breech-loaders, this some two years before Purdey made his first.

. . .-- SN 10054 - The oldest Reilly center-break gun so far found. It is a "Lefaucheux/Lang" type long forward-underlever, single-bite type pin-fire 15 bore SxS rifle engraved "Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib. It is in a period case, with the post 1855 Paris Universelle label with "Fusils à bascule" on it. It would date per the chart to fall 1856, about the time the first Reilly ad for "Fusils à bascule" appeared in the London Press (mentioned above).

. . .-- SN 10128 - The second oldest existing Reilly pin-fire. It is a 16 bore SxS Shotgun, a Lang/Lefaucheux long underlever, single bite, pin-fire, made a couple of months afterwards circa December 1856. .

. . .-- SN 10355 (address unknown) - 12 bore SxS shotgun, pin-fire hammer gun with leather case and original labels and implements. No additional details are available from at the time a rather obscure US auction house. Per the chart it would date to mid-1857.

. . .-- SN 10655 - The fourth oldest extant Reilly break-action SxS gun found to date: It is a "Lefaucheux/Lang" type short forward-underlever, single-bite type pin-fire 12 bore SxS shotgun with "E.M. Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib, probably numbered around the time of the below mentioned "The Field" trial - March 1858. (Note the E.M. Reilly name but without the “& Co.” on the rib. There is one advertisement in an 1858 newspaper using “E.M. Reilly” rather than “Reilly.”)

E.M. Reilly participated in the April 1858 trial pitting muzzle-loaders against breech-loaders run by "The Field." His breech-loader handed a W.W. Greener muzzle-loader an historic defeat in this trial; Greener later tried to denigrate breech-loaders in his 1858 book, and was called out in the most definitive fashion by "The Field."

By fall 1858 Reilly, along with Lang and Blanch, the original proponents of break-action guns in UK, was reported to be "overdone with orders for his breech-loaders" per "The Field"; The article specifically praised Reilly’s 16 bore pin-fire used in the competition. "The Field" commented in the same aricle that at this time ¾ of the orders for new guns in London were for breech loaders.

Reilly provided 4 guns for the follow-on muzzle-loader/break-action breech-loader trial run by the "The Field" in July 1859, all allegedly built on the "lever under fore-arm" English standard single-bite "Lefaucheux/Lang" principle per a sketch in "The Field." However, at this time Reilly also was making guns with the under-lever located under the trigger guard Beringer-style per a late 1859 book sketch; whether one of these guns participated in the trials is unknown. (The gun pictured in the sketch could well be a center-break Beriinger-style pin-fire SxS shotgun sold at a recent auction – serial number unkown).

Observation re "retailer" vs "gunmaker" from an analysis of extant 1856-58 Reilly pin-fires:
-- 10054 (Fall 1856),
-- 10128 (December 1856),
-- 10355 (mid 1857), and
-- 10655 (March 1858):

. . .-- In fall 1856, there were virtually no outworkers in London who could have made 10054 or 10128. Both guns are early Lang/Lefaucheux forward under-lever pin-fire SxS's.
. . . . . .- Lang was making pin-fire Lefaucheux style breech loaders but not for the trade. Per Lang's own pamphlet he began to make such guns in January 1854. He did not advertise them. Yet Lang won a publicized gold medal at the 1855 Paris Universelle for his breech loader - his work on the concept was not a secret.
. . . . . .- Blanch claimed he made his first pin-fire breech-loader in 1856, this after traveling to Paris to buy a center-break, under-lever around trigger-guard, Berringer style pin-fire in late 1855 after the Paris Universelle and presumably reverse engineering it (He wrote about this purchase - the receipt exists). Blanch explained in his later book that at the time the change-over from muzzle-loaders entailed a massive alteration in the manufacturing processes for guns from a breech-plug to a lump, from locks to actions, etc. - this in the face of a very conservative clientele.
. . . . . .- Reilly, thus was on his own when he obviously embarked on a similar path to that of Blanch in 1855 or possibly earlier to manufacture and sell the French invention. Per Blanch's writings, it appears Reilly had preceeded him in the design and manufacture of a center-break breech-loader.)

. . .-- 10355 mid-1857- Similar conclusions (without additional details on the gun).

. . .-- 10655, a Lefaucheux-style 12 bore SxS shotgun pin-fire breech-loader: At the time it was numbered, March 1858, believe there were still very few gun-making firms or gun parts makers in general in all of UK that could have made it or portions of it – barrels & actions, and it's twins submitted by Reilly for the April 1858 "The Field" breech-loader vs muzzle-loader trials.
. . . . . .- Again, the two firms, who could possibly have made 10655, were Lang and Blanch. E.C. Hodges, the original designer of Lang's break-action gun, was making center-break actions, labeled with his name on the plate - not found on Reilly's. Although two very small Birmingham gunsmiths submitted pin-fire break-actions for the trials, the first main-stream Birmingham-made center-break gun or the manufacture of center-break actions was still several years in the future.
. . . . . .- However, Lang and Blanch had orders aplenty themselves - they likely had no time to manufacture for "the trade."

. . .-- Thus, the most logical conclusion is that the extant Reilly pin-fires from this era 10054, 10128, 10355, and 10655 were indeed made by Reilly; no one else could have done it for him. It well may be that 10054 is the earliest UK made pin-fire center-break gun in existence.

(These conclusions are per historical data currently available on the early origins of UK center-break pin-fires. For the record Haris Holland made his first breech loader in 1857 although he advertised them in Sep 1856; Boss in 1858; Purdey in late 1858 or early 1859.)

August 1858: Opening of 315 Oxford-Street Manufactory - New Label

In early August 1858 with new partners (unknown) EM opened a branch store/factory in a large building at 315 Oxford Street, probably because of the surging demand for break-action breech-loaders. The branch early on was also referred to as "Reilly's Armoury House" or on labels, a separate format from the 502 labels, "The Manufactory." Reilly was three doors down from Purdey located at "314 1/2" - the numbers are deceiving.

Note: Oxford Street numbering at the time is extremely confusing. There were 9 x 315's in the census of 1871 and 1881 and in the pre-1882 postal directories. It appears the entire block was numbered "315" with variations.

From this time forward guns with only "Oxford Street, London" on their ribs would have been built at 315 Oxford Street. Guns built at 502 New Oxford Street without a street number would have simply "New Oxford Street."
. . .-- The first existing gun with only "Oxford Street" is SN 10811 (Fall 1858) - see below.
. . .-- The first extant gun with the address number "315" physically on the barrel is a 3-band Enfield SN 11419, probably numbered in Spring 1860.

Reilly created a separate retangular trade label with unscolloped corners for this new workshop, again using "Fusils à bascule" with the name “Reilly’s Armoury House.” It advertised the shooting gallery (see below).

The Shooting Gallery at 315 Oxford Street:

With the opening of 315 Oxford Street, Reilly also opened a 50 yard shooting gallery attached to the workshop. A 50 yard shooting gallery in central London is extremely unusual. While many gun manufacturers had a small space for shooting hand-guns, perhaps only two had a space where shotguns and rifles could be shot, Lang and Reilly. Lang had a well-known shooting gallery described numerous times; but believe it was only about 21 yards long.

Thus, Reilly's shooting gallery likely was unique. Per newspaper ads and per mentions in articles in "The Field," the 50 yard shooting gallery was "on the premises" of Reilly's 315 manufactory. It had to be above ground for light and ventilation. It may have been on the ground floor of the adjacent billiard club also numbered "315" or occupying a sliver of property running from Oxford Street through an apparent large open space/courtyard behind the building to Princess street near Hanover Square. Later the center of this block became a skating rink in the 1870’s and then Salvation Army Regents Hall from 1882 on. The last ad for the range so far found is in 1867.

August 1858-March 1859: Company Name Changes to “Reilly & Co.”

The company may have used "Reilly & Co., Gun Maker" (singular) for a short while from circa August 1858-March 1859 per a few advertisements & references in books. Newspaper ads only began mentioning this name from January 1859 but it may have been registered in some way in trade directories. No trade labels exist with this name. One extant gun has "Reilly & Co., Oxford Street, London" allegedly on the barrel - SN 10811, a Prince patent breech loader, the name/address probably engraved in early fall 1858. No photos were available to confirm the name/address on the barrel of 10811 but, relying on Christie's advertising integrity, this is probably the first extant gun made at 315 Oxford Street.

April 1859: Name Changes to “E.M. Reilly & Co.” - New Labels

By April 1859 the company's name used in newspaper and magazine ads changed definitively to "E.M. Reilly & Co", a name which continued in use until bankruptcy in 1918 and beyond when the name was bought by Charles Riggs.

His labels for both workshops changed at that time to reflect the new name, "E.M. Reilly & Co., Gun Makers" (note the plural)
. . .- 502 New Oxford St. continued to use the standard scolloped corner rectangular label illustrated by the sketch of the building and the 1851 & 1855 World’s Fair medals;
. . .- 315 Oxford Street continued to have a different rectangular label still without scollops but now also with the “E.M Reilly & Co.” name.

The first extant serial numbered gun with "E.M. Reilly & Co." on the rib is a 3 band Enfield SN 11227 dated per the below chart to autumn 1859.

August 1860: “Gun Makers” Becomes “Gun Manufacturer”

In August 1860 Reilly began using "Gun Manufacturer (singular) rather than "Gun Makers" in his advertisements. The Trade Labels did not appear to change.

April 1861: “Gun Makers” Becomes “Gun Manufacturers”

In circa April 1861 the company's description on labels and in advertisements changed from "Gun Makers" to "Gun Manufacturers"(plural). At this point the company was known definitively as "E.M. Reilly & Co., Gun Manufactures," a name and description which continued in use for the next 40 years.

At that time the sketch of 502 New Oxford Street was dropped from his case labels. The separate label for 315 Oxford Street also was dropped. The new label either had 502 or 315 as the featured address; if 315 the principle establishment address was added in scroll work and vice versa. The basic format for the new label remained consistent for the next 30+ years with variations (additions of medals, branch addresses, occasionally mention of royalty, etc.) (There were a few outlier labels). The advertising scroll work at the bottom of the label changed slightly after 1885. (See the separate chart dating Reilly labels).

Reilly Presentation cases also at this time changed to adopt both the new name and description.

Business anthologies at this time identified EM Reilly as both gun and pistol manufacturers and sword/cutlery makers. Reilly's name has been found engraved on bayonettes and swords from the era.

During this time frame Reilly in advertisements claimed to be making every piece of every gun he serial numbered in his two workshops on Oxford Street and invited customers to "view the progress of their order." This would make Reilly one of the very few "vertical" gun companies in London. The London (and Birmingham) gun trade at the time relied for the most part on out-sourced parts and materials, which were assembled and finished in-house.

Note. Haris Holland posted a similar advertisement in "The Field" in 1858. It's entirely possible that Reilly was allowing customers to view only the "assembled/finished" parts of small arms manufacturing; this said, Reilly's manufacturing spaces dwarfed that of Haris Holland at the time.

1856-1866: Reilly Making Different Types of Long Guns

During the period 1856-1866 Reilly was engaged in making and marketing a variety of long guns during one of the most innovative and diverse periods of gun development in the UK. Basically he made and sold the following genera types of long-guns:
-- Single and double-barrel percussion sporting guns and rifles.
-- Enfield rifle muskets
-- Jacob patent SxS muzzle loader rifles (no extant copies of a Reilly Jacop patent gun exists but they are mentioned in numerous ads and articles. A Reilly made “sword/bayonette” for a Jacobs rifle exists. Reilly was under contract to Jacobs to manufacture exploding shells for his gun which allegedly could reach out 2000 yards. Col Jacobs was an amazing character who dominated the Sind and Punjab plains in the 1840’s-50’s and he had eccentric if fanatically held beliefs out military guns.)
-- Terry patent breech loader rifles (One extant Reilly-made Terry exists. A Anglican biship of Sarawak used one with deadly effect during an encounter between Rajah Brooks navy commanded by his son and six Prangas loaded to the gills with blood-thirsty Moro pirates).
-- Prince patent breech loading rifles (see below)
-- Green patent breech loading rifles (see below)
-- Snider-Enfield breech loading rifles (see below)
-- SxS and single barrel center-break pin-fires - rifles and shotguns. Center-fire examples just eek into this time period.
-- He did a lot of developmental work on others’ ideas; for instance Major Nuthall’s patent rifle and ball were developed and built by Reilly per “The Field” and he continued to make exploding rifle bullets for Sir Samuel Baker.

This may seem like an excessive variety of different guns being made simultaneously. However, is not much different from any other gunmaker in London. And to clarify, the Green Bros Patent and the Snider were essentially Enfield muskets with a breech screwed onto the barrel. These guns were essentially hand-made and once templates and measurements for a particular patent were in hand, competent gun makers could reproduce the guns. Reilly also apparently made "batches" of particular patent guns at once at times taking a technological risk on their marketability (see Prince Patent and Green Brothers Patent guns below).

Reilly Selling to Militia & Gun Clubs at Wholesale Prices

Beginning in 1859, Reilly also began advertising rifles sold wholesale to equip "Yoemanry" militia. He continued to advertise such guns up to at least the 1890's. Most of these guns may not have been made by him, especially after the early 1860's, and thus not serial numbered. (The Yoemanry Militia, a sort of UK "National Guard," was still in existence in WWI and units were deployed to France). He also advertised discounts for bulk purchases by shooting clubs. Reilly continued to advertise wholesale sales of guns in his advertisements and occasionally on outlier labels for the next 40 years.

Reilly and Pistols

Reilly always retailed pistols of all types from the beginning of the firm to the end. He engraved them and put his name on them. However, after 1837 he did not serial number them although Reilly was still listed as “gun and pistol makers” in business anthologies as previously noted. By 1859 he was selling all types of pistols and revolvers, Trantor, Adams, Colt, Smith&Wesson; he sold Howdah's, pepperboxes, duelers, derringers, Flobert, etc. But, because he did not serial number these guns, he did not build them.

Reilly apparently did assemble foreign made revolvers from parts imported from Liège possibly as early as 1860. But Reilly did not serial number assembled guns - witness the Martini-Henry Reilly rifles (see below). Thus pistols are ignored in this study; they cannot be used to date Reilly long-guns except for those with surviving cases with original trade labels, which helped build a data-base of Reilly case labels.

Note: A Reilly pepperbox may have been weilded by "Flashman" in the novel "Flashman and the Mountain of Light," by George MacDonald Fraser.

Reilly Stocks

Reilly almost always used a straight English stock for SxS shotguns. He almost always used a pistol grip stock for rifles, and if not, a trigger-guard extension which aped a pistol grip (a "scroll guard"). If a classic Reilly "shotgun" has a pistol grip stock, it almost certainly was repurposed from a rifle. There are proven exceptions, mostly for big-bore fowlers, but rare.

Reilly from very early on used French walnut. His highly figured stocks differed markedly from the standard English walnut offered by other makers and may be something of a marker.

Reilly Engraving

Reilly’s engraving was always tasteful, usually in the English “Rose and Scroll” style. In fact the company showed examples of embossing and chasing at the 1851 Crystal Palace world’s fair. There are guns, however, with wildlife engraved on them, mostly from the muzzle-loading period. Some of this engraving is quite realistic; however, many of the depictions of birds and animals on Reilly engraving is somewhat cartoonish. Some London gunsmiths say that many of the engravers in London at the time had never seen a wild deer, partridge or duck in their lives and drew from impressions or others’ sketches.

Reilly Barrels: Always London proofed; Reilly bored

All serial numbered Reilly’s, i.e. guns built by Reilly, with original barrels from the beginning of the firm in 1828 until bankruptcy in 1912 were proofed in London. (There are two known possible exceptions out of some 600 existing guns). (edit: This is under review since there is an 1897 barrel and action with Brum proof marks from 1896 in existence. See 1880's commentary. If there is one, there must be others).

It is well known that after 1844 with the closure of the London barrel forger Fullerd, London barrel blanks came from Birmingham (and by 1890 from Liège). However, these were bored in London. As early as 1841 Reilly advertised that he was boring his own barrels. For how long he continued to do so is unknown, but throughout the 1840’s he advertised fixing others’ bad barrels by reboring them adding, “no cure, no pay.” Testimonies as to the excellence of Reilly-bored percussion gun barrels can be found.

Reilly Shells and Ammunition

In the letter he wrote to “The Field” in December 1857, EM Reilly complained about the inability of UK ammunition makers, in particular Ely, to manufacture pin-fire shells. By that time it appears he had made the decision to go into the shotgun shell manufacturing business. He guaranteed access to supplies of ammunition in his summer 1857 advertisement for break-action pin-fires. In 1861 he patented a new machine for crimping shells. He continued to manufacture and sell his own shells for the next 40 years. This was apparantly a significant stream of income for the company. Reilly shells have been found in an archeological dig in Canada and in an investigation of an old whaling station in New Zealand.

Reilly and the 1862 London exposition:

In 1862 Reilly showed at the London International exposition and won a medal for an exhibit which included a gold washed 12 bore muzzle-loader shotgun which may still exist (SN 12532). The result, an "honorable mention" medal, had to be disappointing; Reilly placed great store in scoring well at these expositions - it was an advertising bonanza and certainly he put out a bliz of publicity leading up to the World's Fair.

Quality staff:

Articles on this exposition mention the intelligence and people skills of Reilly's young representative at his stand a "Mr. McNamara." It is interesting to note that similar laudatory comments were made about Reilly’s staff at the 1858 and 1859 (Mr. Bennet) "The Field" trials. It appears Reilly picked his young staffers with care and meticulously trained them.

For the record, in early 1860’s the Reilly shop foreman was a gunsmith named John Baker. He may be identical to a later gunmaker located in Birmingham by the same name


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