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Reilly the technological risk-taker 1850’s-1860’s


As mentioned in the history E.M. Reilly was not an innovator; He was a technically literate businessman. But he was very astute and always tried to be one step ahead of demand. As such he took technological business risks. This trait has been commented on in several articles in the mid-1800’s in “The Field.” His shop always had the latest breech-loader or new innovation that one could handle and either purchase outright or order. Below are three periods where he appeared to put significant resources into a technological gamble:

----- summer 1857 – massive investment in Pin-Fire Breech-Loaders ---------
100 Pin-Fire guns out of 300 guns numbered


E.M. commented in a letter to “The Field” in December 1857 that until circa 1857 those Englishmen purchasing a breech loader did so for the sake of “novelty.” It was only “quite recently” that demand took off. Per this advertisement in summer 1857 Reilly had 100 breech-loading pin-fires in the state of manufacture. In that year Reilly from summer 1856-summer 1857 made about 300 serial numbered guns, J.C. another 100 (he did not make breech-laders). In other words Reilly had switched/devoted 1/3 of his output during that period to pin-fire breech-loaders, this two years before Purdey even built his first. In the famous quote in "The Field" from October 1858, Reilly (alongn with Lang and Blanch) was "overdone with orders" for break-action pin-fires. His gamble paid off.

20 June 1857 "The Field":
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10054 - oldest datable UK made pin-fire - Sep 1856 (see p.56)
10054- Reilly, 502, New Oxford Street, London. 15 bore, SxS Rifle, pin-fire, Single-bite, Lang-Lefaucheux forward U-L. 1st SN'd extant center-break gun. . (Note: Possibly the oldest extant UK-made center-break gun.)
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Third extant Reilly breech-loader SN 13344, August 1857.
10344 - Reilly, (address not mentioned). 12 bore SxS shotgun, pin-fire hammer gun with leather case.


----- summer 1858 – Significant investment in Prince-Patent, Breech-Loading Rifles ------
75 Prince rifles out of 280 numbered guns


In probably late summer - early fall 1856 Reilly adopted a new label which had two references to Breech-Loader:
-- “Fusils a Bascule” (French for center-break Breech loader)
-- “Improved Breech Loaders” – In 1855 Prince patented his Breech-Loading single barrel rifle, undoubtedly the finest of his era. At the same time Terry patented is breech loader. There was a ferment in the industry as American inventions began arriving.

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Reilly it appears in summer 1858 decided to put a lot of eggs in the Prince basket. On the dating chart there are only three extant Reilly’s from the period July-December 1858. All three are Prince patent breech-loaders, SN 10738 – 10872. Reilly devoted considerable manufacturing resources to stocking up on Prince breech loaders - From this he could have serial numbered some 100 Prince rifles of some 280 total guns made during this period.

10738- Reilly, 502 New Oxford Street, London; .350 cal, single-barrel, breech loader. (10438 on hammer). Frederic Prince patent.
10811- Reilly & Co., Oxford Street, London. .25 bore (sic) (probably .577), single barrel breech-loader hammer gun, Frederic Prince patent. (1st use of "Oxford St." and "Reilly & Co.")
10872 - Reilly, New Oxford Street, London. .577 cal; Rifle; single barrel, breech loader, hammer gun, Frederic Prince Patent.

As speculated previously, this may also reinforce the notion that Reilly was behind the 1858 “Field” advertisement signed by 12 notable London gunmakers urging Arsenal to reopen the Army trials to match the Prince breech-loader against the recently adopted (1853) Enfield rifle-musket. Reilly it appears had some sort of arrangement with Prince and Green (who were in a partnership at the time), possibly a financial investment which kept him from signing the letter. But as speculated before, Reilly may well have provoked the whole thing as a business ploy (see analysis on p.55):

"The Field", 24 April 1858
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------- 1867-68 – investment in Green Brothers Breech-Loading Rifles -------------
150 Green Bros rifles out of 300 guns numbered


As documented in the above line on p.24, Green-Bros patented their breech-loading rifle in January 1862. In March 1864 Reilly announced that he had manufacturiung rights to the patent and began an extensive advertising campaign for the rifle. The first Green-Bros Reilly pat use number is #23, SN 13333 (May 1864)

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The Rifle did not win the 1864-65 interim breech-loading trials – Snider did – but the Green brothers patent rifle was extremely accurate, won a lot of shooting contests and was in demand. From about September 1867 to January 1868 it appears Reilly serial numbered almost 150 Green brothers rifles out of 300 total serial numbered guns produced…one-half of his manufacturing production.(see p.57 for more complete info). (There is a possibility that SN 14763 actually had pat use #277 rather than 177 - which would better fit the curve of Reilly made Green Bros patent use numbers - but that is what the auction house said).

14763 - E.M. Reilly & Co., Oxford Street, London. .577 cal. Single barrel breech-loader rifle. Green Bros Patent - Pat use #177
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15047 - E.M. Reilly & Co., New Oxford Street, London. .577 Rifle. Single barrel, breech-loader rifle. Green Bros Patent - Pat use #325
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Last edited by Argo44; 08/18/21 04:32 AM.

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