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

Wonderful write up Stephen. I'd like to make a couple of comments:

Here is the earliest reference to a Beringer under-lever I can find in the UK press. "The Field" 20 Dec 1856:


In Dec 1857 Reilly wrote a letter to "The Field" in which he stated that "until very recently breech loaders were regarded as a novelty." (Reilly's full page letter is published earlier in this line):
"Until quite recently purchases were made from sheer curiousity, in the most disbelieving spirit as to their utility, but admitting the ingenuity and apparent goodness of this workmanship. The desire was to possess something new, taking its merits upon trust; and it has often been, with no less surprise than gratification that all doubts were dispelled, and the new gun found to be more agreeable to use and possessed of greater power than those on the old plan."

In looking a Serial Numbers on Extant Reilly pin-fires the following observation was made:

Comment: First Extant Reilly pin-fire breech loader is 10054, made probably late summer 1856. There is an extant Reilly breech loader 10354 made in summer 1857. This indicates the E.M. made about 300 guns during this period (J.C. made another 100...see the chart). Probably at most 10% of the 300 made by EM were breech loaders = 30 guns - probably a lot less - 15 guns maybe? The Extant SN Reilly guns are pictured above.

Note: By December 1857
-- Lang had been producing breech loaders for nearly 4 years (estimate maybe 70 guns?)
-- Reilly for 1.5 years (estimate 15 guns?);
-- Blanch for a year (estimate 5 guns?)
-- Haris Holland for 9 or 10 months (5 guns?).
-- The technology was still 3 years away from infiltrating Birmingham.
-- There were a few other gunsmiths making them - Henry Tatham had made a couple per letters to the Field
etc.
In other words there were not that many UK made breech loaders being shot in the country at this time (Dec 1857) - maybe 100? if that many?

In other words, by summer 1857 I'd reckoned that Reilly had made under 30 breech loaders and that the others not that many more.

Well...Check out this advertisement for Reilly 20 June 1857 "The Field": Reilly flat out stated that purchasers could select from close to 100 guns then in the state of manufacture with finishing to order. 100 GUNS BEING MADE!! Talk about a turn-around in demand. No wonder JC retired in Sep 1857... Also no wonder Reilly could make a gun in a month when others took 6 months....he obviously planned ahead and put money into the planning.