Very interesting observations and food for thought. I now need to look at the three extant Reilly 4 bores to figure out wether they were 6 bores or truly 4 bores. I suspect the rifle....though also made in 1869 may be a true brass case 4 bore. It's also in the best shape.
I just checked the advertisements for the other two Reilly 4-bore center-break guns:
11937 -This was an original 1861 4 bore muzzle-loader single-barrel wild fowler converted to center-break, center-fire. No details, no proof marks, etc but it has 4" chambers and the buyer offered 20 Eley 4 bore cartridges to go with the gun. No telling what it was originally.
15986 - 4 bore rifle from 1869, originally a pin-fire. There is not enough details in the advertisement to separate fact from fiction from modification to alteration.
Last edited by Argo44; 04/06/21 07:56 PM.
