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*18 1851: Crystal Palace Exposition – the Lefaucheaux revelation



Reilly exhibited at the 1851 Crystal Palace International Exposition*18a as Edward M. Reilly.*18b. This is one more indication of the increasing prominence of E.M. in company affairs. The exhibit included air guns, pistols, shotguns and rifles as well as examples of engraving and chasing, which may indicate the company had its own in-house engravers.*18b

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’s center-break gun, marketed in France since 1836.*18c Reilly, Lang and Blanch ultimately became the major advocates for the Lefaucheaux break-action type guns in England, something that would cause a profound technological revolution and a great deal of dispute and public wrangling.

Comment: One cannot overstate the impact on UK gun making that the colt revolver had and in particular, the fact that it was made mostly by machinery. Colt was asked to speak to the British Society of Civil Engineers in fall 1851, the first American to do so, where he discussed his methods. Numerous publications commented later on his London factory and the fact that the workers finishing machine-made parts were not skilled and this in turn provoked dozens of trips by UK delegations to visit US factories. This ultimately led to Enfield establishing an “American system factory” circa 1860. The system did not arrive in Birmingham until the 1870’s. This is mentioned here because it is possible that Reilly tried elements of “The American System” later on in serial production of Prince and Green Brothers breech loaders).*18d


*19 Reilly in the early 1850's: Custom Guns and Munitions

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.” *19a Sir Samuel continued to use Reilly rifles for the next 30 years.*19b

By 1856 Reilly was also marketing Col. Jacob’s SxS rifle, a muzzle loading gun designed by Jacob for use on the hot Sindhi plains. It was a short barreled gun but allegedly could reach out 1,200 yards and had a sword bayonet fitted to it. Jacob’s rifle also used an exploding bullet made by Reilly among others.*19c

Years later in 1869 E.M. Reilly patented an exploding bullet, an idea possibly originating from his experience in working on the Baker and Jacob’s rifle cartridges.*19d


*20 1855: 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 the early 1840’s.*20a


*21 1855: Paris Exposition Universelle



Reilly exhibited at the 1855 Paris Universelle Exposition,*21a where he received much acclaim, "all guns were sold," and "many orders were booked." The exhibit was again in the name of E.M Reilly *21b; however, advertisements make it very clear that though EM won the medals, the firm was still "Reilly, Gun Maker."*21c

In some ways the 1855 Exposition was nearly as important for the UK gun-making fraternity as the 1851 Crystal Palace exposition. Lang won a gold medal (for excellence of construction) for his center-break pin-fire, an “improved” version of the Lefaucheaux gun.*21d Lang’s gun used a single bite lump while Lefaucheaux’s guns clearly used a double bite design although Lang reinforced other aspects of the gun.

Lang’s success apparently convinced both Reilly and Blanch, close collaborators, to research, construct and market the guns during the next year with dramatic results.


*22 September 1857: J.C. Reilly Retires; January 1864 he passed away:

In September 1857 J.C. Reilly retired*22a to his country estates at Bourn End, Cranfield, Bedfordshire,*22b where he died a wealthy man in January 1864.*22c E.M. was one of the executors of his will.*22d His last guns in the "7000" series were engraved with Julius Caesar's words "Vini, Vidi, Vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered"),*22e possibly his swan song story. "Formerly Gun-Maker, London" was placed on his tombstone at his request.*22f

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."*22g


. . . . . IV: BREAK-ACTION BREECH-LOADING GUNS IN UK: 1852 – 1860


*23 1852-56: Break Action, Pin-Fire Guns in UK., PART 1, Hodges & Lang

This is not a detailed recounting of how Lefaucheaux’s break-action pin-fire breech-loader conquered the UK and changed gun history. However, the facts must be reviewed in brief so that Reilly’s part in it can be understood. (This is according to widely accepted gun-history legend; see below re Stephen Nash's rewriting of this narrative).

Castor Lefaucheaux took out a patent for a break action gun in France in 1836. Several of these guns made their way to the UK over the years but were generally ignored or regarded as curiosities. However, at the 1851 Crystal Palace Exposition, Lefaucheaux showed a single barrel pin-fire center-break gun.*23a It created a lot of interest.

Lefaucheaux did not take out a patent on the design in UK so it was free for the taking. The gun was ridiculed by many of the UK gun establishment, in particular William Greener (senior), who called it a “French crutch gun.”

However, a young 18 year old apprentice gunsmith named Edward Charles Hodges*23b especially took notice. Following the closing of the fair, he embarked on a project to build a copy of the gun, which after some time was completed, probably one speculates in late 1852.



It Is not known how Hodges did this; did he buy a Lefaucheux (unlikely) or did he handle the gun and carefully take measurements and sketches? He could not have made the barrels himself so did he buy the barrels and lumps from Liège? There is no information on when Hodges completed his trial gun; neither he nor his sons ever commented.

(Note: French center-break shot-guns and rifles were available in the UK at this time and were known to gun-makers. Reilly in a letter to "The field" a few years later admitted to have "examined" such guns for a number of years previous and there are in-print recountings of British shooters using the French guns in the early-mid 1850's. Lefaucheaux was not the only French gun-maker exhibiting at Crystal Palace though his gun is the only one pictured.)

Over the following few months he worked to convince Joseph Lang to buy his gun and to make and sell versions of it. (Note: Hodges later made a good living making center-break pin-fire actions for all the major gun manufactures in London, This leads inevitably to speculation that he concentrated on perfecting the action and stock and indeed may have used barrels/lumps purchased in Liège, a simple and cheap way to forward the design).

Joseph Lang had started out as a silversmith and like Reilly later morphed into a gunsmith. In the 1820’s he was essentially selling guns Joseph Manton sent to him on consignment. When Manton went bankrupt in 1826, Lang bought his left-over stock, barrel borers etc. For the next 25 years he made guns at 7 Haymarket Street, London.*23c By 1826 he had created a 28 yard shooting gallery in a neighboring building, which became well known, and even advertised access to two billiards tables for his customers.*23d

In 1852 he moved his shop to 22 Cockspur Street; the shooting gallery closed. The company remained there until 1874.*23e Joseph Lang died in 1869 and his firm was subsequently run by his son.



Probably in 1853 after his move Lang finally succumbed to Hodges’ entreaties, bought Hodges' gun, and began working on the center-break concept.

By early 1854 he had a working gun ready for sale which followed pretty much the design of Lefaucheaux’s original gun although beefing up parts of it. He also tried to make it look as much like a percussion gun as possible, with wooden fore-end, etc., no doubt thinking that familiarity in looks would help its acceptance. His gun, however, though originally following the Lefaucheaux concept of using two bites on the lumps, ultimately wound up using only one.

Note: The original Lang guns apparently did not have forcing cones in front of the breech following Lefaucheaux's example; British gunmakers soon changed this.*23f

In this respect per comments in the UK press there was the distinct possibility that Lang was using Liège made barrels with lumps, which were later modified by English gunsmiths and that this continued into 1856-59. This is circumstantial evidence that Hodges had followed the same route.

In a pamphlet published in January 1857 to hawk the pin-fire, Lang wrote that he had been shooting break action pin-fires for three years.*23g

This would seem to indicate that he began shooting his own breech-loading guns (or at least breech-loading guns in general) in early 1854, which is as good a guess for the date of his first pin-fire gun as any. (The earliest extant datable Lang pin-fire is from 1858. One well-known British gunsmith has stated that he believes he may be able to locate two Lang pin-fire center-break guns with bills of sale dated to 1854. However, no documentation has been forthcoming.)

Lang continued privately to refine his gun and in summer 1855 he showed it at the Paris Exposition Universelle and won a gold medal for “excellence of construction.”*23h

Interestingly, from 1854-1858 no Lang commercial advertisements for the pin-fire can be found. The gun early on was hardly mentioned in the UK sporting press and indeed as late as November, 1856 editors of "The Field" appear to have been confused about the details of the gun or its variants.*23i. Whether Lang sold even one of his guns before the Paris Fair is an open question.

In late 1855 or early 1856 John Henry Walsh (aka "Stonehenge") (shortly thereafter to become editor of "The Field") published a review of Lang's gun in his book Manual of British Rural Sports. This was first real acknowledgement and public awareness of the new gun.



Gradually, as the concept became accepted over the next three years beginning in late 1856-early 1857, a storm of controversy, a print “flame war,” erupted in the British press with a very conservative group of gun owners adamantly maintaining that the “crutch gun” could not stand up to strong charges of British powder with a few equally strong willed upper-class users touting its convenience, safety and general viability.*23j

Note: Lang comes across as insufferably arrogant in his letters to the press; witness his 1) 1858 advertisements labeling others' center-break guns as "rubbish"*23k; and, his 2) border-line insulting exchange in June 1859 with the editor of "The Field" over whether he was going to submit guns for the July 1859 "The Field" breech-loaders vs muzzle loaders trial. "I told you that nothing should induce me to have my name mixed up in such a farce."*23l

**Note: Stephen Nash, a pin-fire expert, has published an excellent and erudite examination of the British adaption of the French breech-loading concept. He has postulated credibly, based on analysis of existing guns and gun sketches, that Hodges and Lang adopted elements of Beringer's center break concepts in their gun, vice those of Lefaucheaux.*23m
https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/lever-over-guard-origins


*24 1852-56: Break Action, Pin-Fire Guns in UK., PART 2, Reilly & Blanch

Shortly after the end of the 1855 Paris Universelle, William Blanch, who had been gradually asserting more authority in the Blanch and Sons company from his father John, sent an employee to Paris to buy a pin-fire. The receipt for his purchase, a Beringer around-trigger-guard-lever, break-action pin-fire gun, exists and is dated December 1855.*24a



The Blanch’s and Reilly’s appear to have been friends and collaborators for many years. It seems that Blanch and Reilly both then began to develop their own break-action guns, reverse engineering the Beringer Lefaucheaux.

The difficulties they faced are enumerated in William Blanch’s obituary.*24b Quote: “But he had also the even more arduous task of teaching his men to make the new gun. The barrel men had to be instructed how to make the lump instead of a screw breech-plug. The percussioner had to be broken into the task of making actions on Lefaucheaux’s system. Everything was new and the only moral support in the task arose from the fact that Joseph Lang had some time previously entered the same field of research….”

E.M. Reilly, writing in December 1857, 40 years before the Blanch obituary*24d, noted that his firm had been examining the Lefaucheaux concept for 10 or 15 years.*24c Given Reilly’s propensity for gambling on technology and his connections to France, almost surely he considered building one and some lines he wrote much later in 1885 seem to indicate he experimented with the gun after the Crystal Palace fair. Certainly E.M. was not overly concerned with the difficulties of building such a gun or the cost of the machinery, the sole sticking point again being "instructing the workers." He definitely was building breech-loading pin-fire guns in early/mid-1856.

The three London gunmakers, Lang, Blanch and Reilly are universally credited as the London manufacturers who opened the doors to the center-break-action concept in the UK. (The whole concept was still new in UK; as late as December 1856 “The Field” still seemed confused about the various types of center-break pin-fires.*24e

And this brings the story to summer of 1856 which sparked a sporting gun revolution in UK and the world.

Note: the pin-fire was not the only center-break gun inspired by LeFaucheaux. Lancaster built his own break-action center-fire “base-fire” gun which might have conquered the market had he not tried to control the sale of ammunition for the gun.*24f


*25 1856: Reilly Begins Building Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

E.M. Reilly claimed he worked on the concept shortly after the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition but abandoned it as commercially unviable - whether this is true or not is not verifiable.*25a

It is possible that Reilly constructed a pin-fire rifle in 1855. Blanch seemed to believe that Reilly was working on a pin-fire gun when he bought his Beringer in Paris. There is a 12 bore pin-fire rifle shell stamped "Reilly, London" and dated 1855.*25b It certainly was made under contract and imported from France. The cartridge's existence 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.

Reilly certainly began building commercially marketed center-break guns as early as 1856 after the Paris Universelle. The first datable advertisement for a Reilly center-break gun is from "The Law Journal"," 16 August 1856, with follow-on ads in the fall of 1856. *25c From this it appears that Reilly was the very first London gunmaker to advertise center-break pin-fire shotguns for sale.

The earliest existing Reilly pin-fire, perhaps the earliest extant UK made pin-fire period, is SN 10054, a 12 bore rifle dating to late summer 1856.*25d

A long letter from E.M. Reilly was published in the 26 December 1857 edition of "The Field" addressing the center-break pin-fire gun controversy.*25e E.M. stated that until about summer 1857 most of his pin-fire breech-loaders were sold as "novelties."*25f 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.*25g He gambled on the market by devoting fully 33% of his production capacity to making breech-loaders. This was some two years before Purdey made his first. Boss didn’t make a center-break gun until 1858. Harris Holland made his first ever six center-break guns in 1857, etc.

Reilly for years had connections to Paris and Liège. There is some evidence that all early pin-fire makers in the UK, Hodges, Lang, Blanch and Reilly, may have been at some point dealing with Liège for actions, barrels, etc. There is one Reilly pin-fire from early 1860's with faint Liège proof marks on it overlain by London proof marks.*25h


*26 Mid-1856: Trade/Case Label Changes

Reilly case labels changed after the 1855 Paris Universelle.*26a
. .-- The new label illustrated the 1851 and 1855 world's fair medals*26b
. .-- It highlighted "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.*26c
. .-- The bottom line in the label has been changed to read "emigrants to "All Parts of the Globe", slightly scaling back his shipping capabilities from “the Universe” as used on the 1847-1855 labels.



When exactly this label was adopted is not certain. The first dated newspaper ad found with the phrase "Fusils à bascule" appeared in "The Law Journal"," 16 Aug 1856.*26d 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.*26e

There is a good chance, however, that Reilly had begun making the new labels before summer 1856 and probably months before the building of Reilly pin-fire 10054. *26f


*27 1856-1858: Reilly Extant Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

Following are the earliest extant Reilly center-break pin-fire guns dating from late summer 1856 to spring 1858.

(Note: London guns were typically serial numbered when ordered; Reilly delivered his guns within 3 weeks of an order as opposed to 9 months-2 years for others, thus the Reilly "spec" guns - built without a specific custom order - may have been serial numbered when bought and then delivered pretty close to the order date):

. . .-- SN 10054 - summer 1856: 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 late summer 1856, about the time the first Reilly ad for "Fusils à bascule" appeared in the London Press (mentioned above).*27a

. . .-- SN 10128 - December 1856: The second oldest existing Reilly pin-fire. It is a 16 bore SxS Shotgun, a Lang/Lefaucheux long underlever, single bite, pin-fire with "Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib.*27b

. . .-- SN 10355 - summer 1857: 12 bore SxS shotgun, pin-fire hammer gun (address unknown) with leather case and original labels and implements. No additional details are available from at the time a rather obscure US auction house.*27c

. . .-- SN 10655 - March 1858: 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 spring 1858.*27d (Note the E.M. Reilly name but without the “& Co.” on the rib; there is one Reilly advertisement in a late 1857 newspaper using “E.M. Reilly” rather than. just “Reilly.”)*27e




*28 1858-1860: Reilly Develops and Trials Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

E.M. Reilly participated in the April 1858 trial pitting muzzle-loaders against breech-loaders run by "The Field."*28a 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."*28b

By spring 1858 Reilly was heavily invested in building SxS pinfire rifles, not a new concept for him; the oldest extant Reilly is a 15 bore rifle, but certainly with an added emphasis.*28c

In 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"*28d. The article specifically praised Reilly’s 16 bore pin-fire used in the competition.*28e "The Field" commented in the same article that at this time ¾ of the orders for new guns in London were for breech loaders.*28f

Reilly provided 4 guns for the follow-on muzzle-loader/break-action breech-loader trial run by the "The Field" in July 1859. All were allegedly built on the "lever under fore-arm" English standard single-bite "Lefaucheux/Lang" principle per a sketch in "The Field."*28g

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;*28i Whether one of these guns participated in the trials is unknown. (The gun pictured in the book sketch could well be a center-break Beriinger-style pin-fire SxS shotgun sold at a recent auction – serial number unknown).*28j

1. 1859 Reilly "Lefaucheaux format" (more likely Beringer w/o the around trigger-guard underleaver) trials gun - "The Field"
2. 1859 Reilly Beringer around-trigger guard underlever - sketch
3. Reilly Beringer pin-fire sold at auction, SN unknown:


Comment: Several of the most prestigious London gunmakers then involved in making breech-loader pinfires did not enter the 1859 trials. This was commented on by "The Field."*28h[/b]. These gunmakers would have been competing against "the country makers" - the "hoi paloi" - and had everything to lose - their reputation - and nothing to gain.


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

. . .-- 10054 & 10128 late summer and December 1856: 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 (perhaps he had made and sold some 10 pin fire guns over two years by this time and that is probably a high estimate; per his serial numbering system, Lang was making about 75 guns total a year from 1830-1860...perhaps by 1855 100 a year). Per Lang's own pamphlet he began to "shoot" such guns in January 1854 (perhaps trying out his own early models or a Lefaucheaux gun - the phrase is not clear). What is clear is that he did not advertise center-break pin-fires at all. 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, just ignored by the gun-world.
. . . . . .- E.C. Hodges, the original designer of Lang's break-action gun, had completed his apprenticeship in 1852 and by the late 1850's was making center-break actions for a dozen different makers including prestige names labeled with his stamp on the water table - not found on Reilly's.*29a
. . . . . .- 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 reverse engineering it. Yet, the first known Blanch advertisement in the UK press for a center-break pin-fire was in 1858.*29b Blanch was not making guns for the trade.
. . . . . .- Reilly, thus was on his own when he obviously embarked on a similar path to that of Blanch in 1855 or early 1856 to manufacture and sell the French invention.

. . .-- 10355 mid-1857: Similar conclusions (without additional details on the gun). Note: By mid 1857 there were likely less than 100 British built pin-fires being shot in the UK. Reilly, however, per the 26 June 1857 edition of "The Field" above, was building 100 pin-fire "spec" (speculation- i.e. "awaiting a buyer") guns (a long-time Reilly practice). This gun 10355 was probably one of them.

. . .-- 10655, March 1858: This is 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.
. . . . . .- Although London gun-makers by 1858 were getting involved in experimenting with the concepts and had begun in some case building a few guns (indicating an infrastructure in London was being created), again, the two firms, who could possibly have made 10655 in spring 1858 were Lang and Blanch. However, Lang and Blanch had orders aplenty themselves.
. . . . . .- As for Birmingham, one Birmingham gunsmith "Elliott" submitted two "patent" pin-fire break-actions for the July 1859 trials.*29c. Their recoil per "The Field" was so severe that they were virtually un-shootable. Yet the first main-stream Birmingham-made center-break gun or the manufacture of center-break actions was still several years in the future. Samuel Breedon c1861 may have been one of the very first makers in Birmingham of breech-loader actions.*29d

. . .-- 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 lock, stock and barrel; 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. The role that Liège barrel and action makers played in this story of the origin of the UK center-break gun is not clear; however, very prominent gun sport writers have suspicions that it was much more important than most would admit.)