Let's see some pic's of your SxS's & O/U's
- Thread starter Win/64
- Start date
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Cooter303, that's a nice old Pape you have there. Nice to see these old gems still in action.
Doll’s heads, bar-in-wood, and crab joints – where it all started
I see that many CGNers have doubles with a top rib/barrel extension, either a ‘doll’s head’ or a tab through which a Greener-type crossbolt extends. The idea of fastening the barrels to the action at that point, at the highest part of the breech face, was started by Westley Richards, and it was to address a weakness inherent in all hinge-action guns. Ultimately the top extension provided many makers with a second or third point of attachment, but Westley Richards considered the single rib/barrel extension sufficient, and made many guns on that principle.
Some names become synonymous with their inventors. In the case of Westley Richards, one of the great names in Birmingham gunmaking, both terms ‘doll’s head’ and ‘crab joint’ come to mind. The peculiar rounded tab extending from the barrels into the top of the breech has been copied by many makers, including several American ones. The elaborate wood-covered jointing bringing to mind a crustacean appendage… well, I can’t think of anyone else who went to such trouble. The amount of skill required to shape metal and wood to these respective designs is beyond my understanding – it is uncommonly fine work. So far I’ve put up some examples of bar-in-wood guns, but the best-known and most commonly encountered are Westley Richards guns, as they started the making of bar-in-wood guns and made these a mainstay of their offerings for a long time. The pivoting top lever, the one our thumbs know how to use without thinking, appeared on Westley Richards snap-action guns in 1864, one year before the more famous W. M. Scott top-lever (the one that was famously joined with the Purdey under-bolt, and found in most hinge action guns today). Like many gun inventions, the side-swinging top-lever was an improvement on an earlier system, one that is rarely seen today.
One of the reasons that I’ve studied the pinfire is that so many of the inventions, designs and ideas found on the fantastic hammerless Edwardian guns of the Golden Age of shotgunning (guns, I might add, that I could never afford), started there. Breech-loading was new, exciting, and radical. Clever inventions abounded, and makers fought for custom through innovation and meticulous attention to detail. What makes collecting the earliest breech-loaders a challenge is that there were relatively so few of them. A gun mechanism might have been patented in, say, 1862, but only a handful would have been made in that year. Popularity would be gradual and in the meantime the maker might have come up with a better idea, and then even fewer guns might be made with the earlier design. This makes the early designs hard to come by, especially when a maker supplants his own ideas with better ones.
The first Westley Richards doll’s head and crab-joint gun did have a top lever, but it did not pivot – it was pulled straight back with the thumb. While this was great news for left-handers, there is only so much leverage that can be applied in this way against a strong spring, and it is no surprise that Westley Richards decided that a laterally pivoting lever applied the same leverage with less effort. The pull-lever was given the patent number 2506 in September 1862, and the lateral lever was given patent number 2623 in October 1864. There could not have been many pull-lever guns made in this short time, and the most famous one was built in 1863 for HRH Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, for his 22nd birthday in 1863.
The Prince of Wales enjoyed his shooting. The year before in 1862 Sandringham and close to 8,000 acres of land were purchased for him and his fiancée, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, by his mother and father, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. With his new Westley Richards pull-lever pinfire, he could shoot to his heart’s content and he developed the Sandringham Estate as one of the finest shooting grounds in Britain. Later, and as Edward VII, he no doubt had many fine guns to choose from, but I’m sure he treasured his birthday WR pull-lever.
The doll’s head fastener was actually a clever solution to a problem. One of the weaknesses of the hinge action is made worse by the distance between the hinge and the attachment point. When a gun is fired the barrels try to flex downward, acting as a first-class lever against the action bar. The closer the attachment point to the hinge, the stronger the leverage against the action bar. With enough shooting, the junction between the action bar and breech face is apt to crack or fail. Two solutions eventually reduced this problem. The first was to increase the distance as much as possible between the attachment point and the hinge – and the doll’s head did just that. The second, appearing in most guns some time later, required leaving a slight curve or radius where the action bar meets the breech face, as a curved surface, even a very small one, is stronger than a right-angle joint at withstanding opposing forces (this is a good time to take out a magnifying glass and look at your guns). While the doll’s head provides the only point of attachment in the early Westley Richards guns, other makers often combined the doll’s head with an under-bolt or other attachment for extra strength. Considering we’re talking about guns made with hand tools, the craftsmanship required to shape and fit a Westley Richards doll’s head is astounding.
The crab joint must push the limits of the stock-maker. Both the action portion and the fore-end have to be shaped to fit together in the least ungainly way. I admit it is not my favourite bar-in-wood jointing, aesthetically speaking, but I still marvel at the design and the skill required.
As to the story of the business, William Westley Richards was born in 1788, son of Theophilus Richards, another gun maker. He started his business in Birmingham in 1812, and from 1826 or so he operated from a second address, 170 Bond St. in London. William Westley's son, Westley Richards, took over the business in 1840 at the age of 26. He was a great inventor, obtaining a number of varied patents (such as the hinged breech block ‘monkey tail’ carbine). In 1859 the business was re-named Westley Richards & Co.. Westley Richards retired from the business in 1872, due to ill health, and died in 1897 at the age of 83. Westley Richards & Co. is still in business today, still building fine guns.
Gun number 10652 is a 12-bore, made in 1865. Unlike so many Westley Richards pinfires, it is still in its original form and was never converted to centre-fire. It has 30” Birmingham-proofed damascus barrels signed by Westley Richards, and carry the London address on the rib. It has the pull-top-lever snap-action with doll’s head fastening system (patent No. 2506 of 1862). The breech face is stamped "WESTLEY RICHARDS PATENT 564," indicating it is the 564th gun built on this patent. As Westley Richards had already started building lateral top-lever guns by this point, someone must have preferred the pull-lever instead. The bar-action locks are signed “Westley Richards”, fitted to a bar-in-wood stock with the ‘crab joint’. The hammers are flat-sided, with dolphin-shaped noses. The silver stock escutcheon has a distinctive family crest (unicorn’s head erased, horned and crined) and initials “CGS”, but I have yet to trace the original owner. The gun weighs a tidy 6 lb 12 oz, and the bores are still mirror clean. It is still in its original leather-covered case with label, cleaning rod, and original key.
I see that many CGNers have doubles with a top rib/barrel extension, either a ‘doll’s head’ or a tab through which a Greener-type crossbolt extends. The idea of fastening the barrels to the action at that point, at the highest part of the breech face, was started by Westley Richards, and it was to address a weakness inherent in all hinge-action guns. Ultimately the top extension provided many makers with a second or third point of attachment, but Westley Richards considered the single rib/barrel extension sufficient, and made many guns on that principle.
Some names become synonymous with their inventors. In the case of Westley Richards, one of the great names in Birmingham gunmaking, both terms ‘doll’s head’ and ‘crab joint’ come to mind. The peculiar rounded tab extending from the barrels into the top of the breech has been copied by many makers, including several American ones. The elaborate wood-covered jointing bringing to mind a crustacean appendage… well, I can’t think of anyone else who went to such trouble. The amount of skill required to shape metal and wood to these respective designs is beyond my understanding – it is uncommonly fine work. So far I’ve put up some examples of bar-in-wood guns, but the best-known and most commonly encountered are Westley Richards guns, as they started the making of bar-in-wood guns and made these a mainstay of their offerings for a long time. The pivoting top lever, the one our thumbs know how to use without thinking, appeared on Westley Richards snap-action guns in 1864, one year before the more famous W. M. Scott top-lever (the one that was famously joined with the Purdey under-bolt, and found in most hinge action guns today). Like many gun inventions, the side-swinging top-lever was an improvement on an earlier system, one that is rarely seen today.
One of the reasons that I’ve studied the pinfire is that so many of the inventions, designs and ideas found on the fantastic hammerless Edwardian guns of the Golden Age of shotgunning (guns, I might add, that I could never afford), started there. Breech-loading was new, exciting, and radical. Clever inventions abounded, and makers fought for custom through innovation and meticulous attention to detail. What makes collecting the earliest breech-loaders a challenge is that there were relatively so few of them. A gun mechanism might have been patented in, say, 1862, but only a handful would have been made in that year. Popularity would be gradual and in the meantime the maker might have come up with a better idea, and then even fewer guns might be made with the earlier design. This makes the early designs hard to come by, especially when a maker supplants his own ideas with better ones.
The first Westley Richards doll’s head and crab-joint gun did have a top lever, but it did not pivot – it was pulled straight back with the thumb. While this was great news for left-handers, there is only so much leverage that can be applied in this way against a strong spring, and it is no surprise that Westley Richards decided that a laterally pivoting lever applied the same leverage with less effort. The pull-lever was given the patent number 2506 in September 1862, and the lateral lever was given patent number 2623 in October 1864. There could not have been many pull-lever guns made in this short time, and the most famous one was built in 1863 for HRH Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, for his 22nd birthday in 1863.
The Prince of Wales enjoyed his shooting. The year before in 1862 Sandringham and close to 8,000 acres of land were purchased for him and his fiancée, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, by his mother and father, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. With his new Westley Richards pull-lever pinfire, he could shoot to his heart’s content and he developed the Sandringham Estate as one of the finest shooting grounds in Britain. Later, and as Edward VII, he no doubt had many fine guns to choose from, but I’m sure he treasured his birthday WR pull-lever.
The doll’s head fastener was actually a clever solution to a problem. One of the weaknesses of the hinge action is made worse by the distance between the hinge and the attachment point. When a gun is fired the barrels try to flex downward, acting as a first-class lever against the action bar. The closer the attachment point to the hinge, the stronger the leverage against the action bar. With enough shooting, the junction between the action bar and breech face is apt to crack or fail. Two solutions eventually reduced this problem. The first was to increase the distance as much as possible between the attachment point and the hinge – and the doll’s head did just that. The second, appearing in most guns some time later, required leaving a slight curve or radius where the action bar meets the breech face, as a curved surface, even a very small one, is stronger than a right-angle joint at withstanding opposing forces (this is a good time to take out a magnifying glass and look at your guns). While the doll’s head provides the only point of attachment in the early Westley Richards guns, other makers often combined the doll’s head with an under-bolt or other attachment for extra strength. Considering we’re talking about guns made with hand tools, the craftsmanship required to shape and fit a Westley Richards doll’s head is astounding.
The crab joint must push the limits of the stock-maker. Both the action portion and the fore-end have to be shaped to fit together in the least ungainly way. I admit it is not my favourite bar-in-wood jointing, aesthetically speaking, but I still marvel at the design and the skill required.
As to the story of the business, William Westley Richards was born in 1788, son of Theophilus Richards, another gun maker. He started his business in Birmingham in 1812, and from 1826 or so he operated from a second address, 170 Bond St. in London. William Westley's son, Westley Richards, took over the business in 1840 at the age of 26. He was a great inventor, obtaining a number of varied patents (such as the hinged breech block ‘monkey tail’ carbine). In 1859 the business was re-named Westley Richards & Co.. Westley Richards retired from the business in 1872, due to ill health, and died in 1897 at the age of 83. Westley Richards & Co. is still in business today, still building fine guns.
Gun number 10652 is a 12-bore, made in 1865. Unlike so many Westley Richards pinfires, it is still in its original form and was never converted to centre-fire. It has 30” Birmingham-proofed damascus barrels signed by Westley Richards, and carry the London address on the rib. It has the pull-top-lever snap-action with doll’s head fastening system (patent No. 2506 of 1862). The breech face is stamped "WESTLEY RICHARDS PATENT 564," indicating it is the 564th gun built on this patent. As Westley Richards had already started building lateral top-lever guns by this point, someone must have preferred the pull-lever instead. The bar-action locks are signed “Westley Richards”, fitted to a bar-in-wood stock with the ‘crab joint’. The hammers are flat-sided, with dolphin-shaped noses. The silver stock escutcheon has a distinctive family crest (unicorn’s head erased, horned and crined) and initials “CGS”, but I have yet to trace the original owner. The gun weighs a tidy 6 lb 12 oz, and the bores are still mirror clean. It is still in its original leather-covered case with label, cleaning rod, and original key.
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Very nice, Steve. I have read a bit about the charismatic William Bishop.
Some nice guns and information! Here is my Charles Osborne back action circa 1890. I posted it earlier in the thread but I have fixed it up a bit.
I brought it back on face by making a slightly oversized hinge pin and reamed out the hole. I smoked and filed the barrel hook until everything locked up tight again. I cleaned up the locks, filed the sear noses until the triggers broke just right. The wood cleaned up nicely and I oiled it with raw linseed. The barrels I bead blasted, sanded, browned etched in ferric chloride then browned some more. The bores are clean and at 9" they measure the proper diameter for a "13" marked gun. There is a bit of pitting on the outside of the barrels at the muzzle presumably from bp smoke. Overall a challenging but fun project, I enjoy working on doubles.
I brought it back on face by making a slightly oversized hinge pin and reamed out the hole. I smoked and filed the barrel hook until everything locked up tight again. I cleaned up the locks, filed the sear noses until the triggers broke just right. The wood cleaned up nicely and I oiled it with raw linseed. The barrels I bead blasted, sanded, browned etched in ferric chloride then browned some more. The bores are clean and at 9" they measure the proper diameter for a "13" marked gun. There is a bit of pitting on the outside of the barrels at the muzzle presumably from bp smoke. Overall a challenging but fun project, I enjoy working on doubles.
Pinfire, that is a very nice, very scarce Westley Richards. They probably made less than 1000 total of that pull back lever version and original survivors are few and far between, I've never seen one. I've heard that crab joint described as a stockmaker's purgatory and apparently this was specialty work performed only by one or two dedicated craftsmen. Very very few could do that today.
Noobie 81, you've done wonders on your fine Charles Osborne, the finishes are just right. Incidentally, the horizontal marking on your action is not damage or a flaw, it is the original forging marks which did not show when the gun was finished up but have gradually crept out over the last 130 years. It also sometimes shows on early Winchester lever actions and others, a sign that that this gun has not been refinished. That should be lots of fun with appropriate ammunition.
Noobie 81, you've done wonders on your fine Charles Osborne, the finishes are just right. Incidentally, the horizontal marking on your action is not damage or a flaw, it is the original forging marks which did not show when the gun was finished up but have gradually crept out over the last 130 years. It also sometimes shows on early Winchester lever actions and others, a sign that that this gun has not been refinished. That should be lots of fun with appropriate ammunition.
Last edited:
I didn't notice the intricate stock work on Pinfires Westley Richards until you pointed it out Ashcroft, amazing craftmanship. That is interesting about the forging marks of the action coming out. Whatever the original finish was is long gone, colour case hardening maybe? It was interesting to take apart and see the file marks of the makers, being that this is an entry level gun the finish is much less refined. File marks present behind the fences where they meet the action.
What those long gone master craftsmen could do with simple hand tools like files is mind boggling. The work was precise to perfection, perfectly proportioned, fitted like a Swiss watch and they worked fast! If you were important enough to go to the top of the list your freshly ordered custom hand made gun could be delivered in 3-4 months. A new order from Westley Richards today will take 2-3 YEARS although the quality will still be impeccable. The price today ( $60,000 Can and up) is actually less in buying power than the £75 - 90 that a customer would have paid for his new gun in 1875.
I just noticed the chambers on your Westley Richards pinfire, those walls sure don't have much extra meat, much like muzzle loader barrels. Obviously they were adequate for the ammunition of the day but you sure wouldn't want to push the envelope today.
It truly is impressive what they could make, the pride and quality of workmanship is top-notch and really something to marvel at. It's true that the cost for a custom gun has come down since the 1870s, possibly because of skilled time consuming work like action filing being replaced with CNC machines.
In my doubles I have been using KENT Elite Low Recoil Training 12ga. 2-1/2″, 3/4oz., 1200fps, #8 they are great for clays.
In my doubles I have been using KENT Elite Low Recoil Training 12ga. 2-1/2″, 3/4oz., 1200fps, #8 they are great for clays.
A Holland, and a Holland
There is a current thread on CGN on Holland & Holland guns, in which the value of the name and the actual makers of some H&H guns are discussed. As is usually the case, the firm started small, around the output of one gunmaker and a few apprentices and workers, and gradually built on a reputation for putting out fine London guns. Of course, the barrels, locks and assorted furniture came from elsewhere, usually Birmingham and the ‘black country’ ironworks, and the fitting and finishing done in the London premises. Towards the end of the 19th Century many if not most H&H guns were made by other makers, such as Webley & Scott, with the H&H name added. I'm interested in the time when Harris Holland made his guns.
Harris John Holland set up in business in 1835, at 9 King Street, Holborn, London. His nephew, Henry William Holland, was taken on as an apprentice in 1860, for seven years. Also in this year the firm moved to a new address at New Bond Street. Henry William became a partner in the business in 1867, and Harris John Holland retired in 1875. In 1876 the name of the firm was changed to Holland & Holland, and much has been written about the firm and the wonderful H&H guns since then, and many if not most sidelock double guns today are built on a H&H design.
But all that is much later than the period I’m interested in. The 1850s and 1860s are when the breech-loader came on to the scene, and Harris Holland started making breech-loaders in 1857, when he made six of them. In 1858 he made 14, and in 1859 he doubled his output to 28 breech-loading guns. Production increased very gradually after that, some 30-40 breech-loading guns a year, and in 1865 he built 66 breech-loaders, and only 19 percussion-cap guns. All of the breech-loaders up to this point were pinfire, Harris Holland made his first centre-fire gun in 1866.
If these numbers seem low, they were actually comparable to the other top makers of the day, such as Boss & Co., Purdey, etc.. This is why finding any early breech-loader in its original configuration by one of the top makers is exciting, the total numbers produced were very low compared with later true factory output in the 1880s and later.
So, these two Harris Holland pinfires, made in 1861 and 1863, are rare on several counts. Each was one of just a handful made by Harris Holland in that year; they are in their original cases with many of their original loading tools; and both Harris Holland and his still-apprentice nephew likely had a hand in making them. How rare is a Holland pinfire? Rare enough that no 1850s-1860s pinfire are illustrated in “The Shooting Field”, H&H’s own book by Peter King published in 1990, or in Donald Dallas’s fine history, “Holland & Holland, The Royal Gunmaker”, published in 2003 – you have to see them on CGN!
Gun number 824 is a 12-bore single-bite rotary-underlever pinfire sporting gun with back-action locks, made in 1861 for Alan James Gulston of Dirleton and Derwydd, Wales, one of the largest landowners at the time. In the 1861 census A. J. Gulston was listed as 43 years of age. As is typical for early breech-loaders the fences are quite thin; the 30 1/8” damascus barrels, signed "H. Holland 98 New Bond St London" on the top rib and stamped “H.H” on the under rib, still have mirror bores. Interestingly the gun has a grip safety, a hold-over from percussion guns and only seen on very early pinfires. The gun weighs 7 lb 1 oz.
Gun number 963-A (possibly one of a pair) is a 12-bore double-bite rotary-underlever pinfire sporting gun with back-action locks, made in 1863. The 29 3/4” damascus barrels, also signed "H. Holland 98 New Bond St London" on the top rib and stamped “H.H” on the under rib, have bores that are slightly pitted. Unfortunately Holland’s records for the years 1860-64 are missing and the original owner cannot be traced, even with a clear family crest on the stock escutcheon (out of a ducal coronet, a wolf’s head proper, which is used by several family names such as Freeman, Seale, Ward, West and Wolseley). There is still much original colour on the trigger guard bow, heel-plate and fore-end iron, though the colour has faded elsewhere. The gun weighs 6 lb 15 oz.
There is a current thread on CGN on Holland & Holland guns, in which the value of the name and the actual makers of some H&H guns are discussed. As is usually the case, the firm started small, around the output of one gunmaker and a few apprentices and workers, and gradually built on a reputation for putting out fine London guns. Of course, the barrels, locks and assorted furniture came from elsewhere, usually Birmingham and the ‘black country’ ironworks, and the fitting and finishing done in the London premises. Towards the end of the 19th Century many if not most H&H guns were made by other makers, such as Webley & Scott, with the H&H name added. I'm interested in the time when Harris Holland made his guns.
Harris John Holland set up in business in 1835, at 9 King Street, Holborn, London. His nephew, Henry William Holland, was taken on as an apprentice in 1860, for seven years. Also in this year the firm moved to a new address at New Bond Street. Henry William became a partner in the business in 1867, and Harris John Holland retired in 1875. In 1876 the name of the firm was changed to Holland & Holland, and much has been written about the firm and the wonderful H&H guns since then, and many if not most sidelock double guns today are built on a H&H design.
But all that is much later than the period I’m interested in. The 1850s and 1860s are when the breech-loader came on to the scene, and Harris Holland started making breech-loaders in 1857, when he made six of them. In 1858 he made 14, and in 1859 he doubled his output to 28 breech-loading guns. Production increased very gradually after that, some 30-40 breech-loading guns a year, and in 1865 he built 66 breech-loaders, and only 19 percussion-cap guns. All of the breech-loaders up to this point were pinfire, Harris Holland made his first centre-fire gun in 1866.
If these numbers seem low, they were actually comparable to the other top makers of the day, such as Boss & Co., Purdey, etc.. This is why finding any early breech-loader in its original configuration by one of the top makers is exciting, the total numbers produced were very low compared with later true factory output in the 1880s and later.
So, these two Harris Holland pinfires, made in 1861 and 1863, are rare on several counts. Each was one of just a handful made by Harris Holland in that year; they are in their original cases with many of their original loading tools; and both Harris Holland and his still-apprentice nephew likely had a hand in making them. How rare is a Holland pinfire? Rare enough that no 1850s-1860s pinfire are illustrated in “The Shooting Field”, H&H’s own book by Peter King published in 1990, or in Donald Dallas’s fine history, “Holland & Holland, The Royal Gunmaker”, published in 2003 – you have to see them on CGN!
Gun number 824 is a 12-bore single-bite rotary-underlever pinfire sporting gun with back-action locks, made in 1861 for Alan James Gulston of Dirleton and Derwydd, Wales, one of the largest landowners at the time. In the 1861 census A. J. Gulston was listed as 43 years of age. As is typical for early breech-loaders the fences are quite thin; the 30 1/8” damascus barrels, signed "H. Holland 98 New Bond St London" on the top rib and stamped “H.H” on the under rib, still have mirror bores. Interestingly the gun has a grip safety, a hold-over from percussion guns and only seen on very early pinfires. The gun weighs 7 lb 1 oz.
Gun number 963-A (possibly one of a pair) is a 12-bore double-bite rotary-underlever pinfire sporting gun with back-action locks, made in 1863. The 29 3/4” damascus barrels, also signed "H. Holland 98 New Bond St London" on the top rib and stamped “H.H” on the under rib, have bores that are slightly pitted. Unfortunately Holland’s records for the years 1860-64 are missing and the original owner cannot be traced, even with a clear family crest on the stock escutcheon (out of a ducal coronet, a wolf’s head proper, which is used by several family names such as Freeman, Seale, Ward, West and Wolseley). There is still much original colour on the trigger guard bow, heel-plate and fore-end iron, though the colour has faded elsewhere. The gun weighs 6 lb 15 oz.
These are truly masterpieces, the checkering and engraving and finish is just beyond words. No wonder Holland earned himself a reputation so early on. Thanks for sharing. Is there any way to load up Pinfires cartridges, is there any way to fire these guns? (Not that you would!)
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Magnificent H&H Pinfire!
Many more to come, Canvasback, and I’ve got something special reserved for this year’s SxS Classic!
I did try loading pinfire cartridges using re-usable brass casings obtained in the UK, about 25 years ago. I was never completely happy with the results, but that might have been due to my reloading skills. After that I never tried again.
A real gun-making company, or just a stock swindle…?
With the growing popularity of the pinfire system in Britain in the mid-1860s, a number of new gunmaking firms appeared to fill the demand. One of these was the Breechloading Armoury Company Limited of London, selling guns from their fashionable 4 Pall Mall address for only a short period between 1866 and 1868. One of their guns is shown here, a distinctive twelve-bore game gun with bar-action locks and a slender side-lever to release the breech. The hammers are nicely sculptured, and the thick fences, the radius cut between the action bar and the breech face, and the long action bar are typical features of a later pinfire gun built for improved strength. The top rib is signed "The Breech Loading Armoury Company Limited 4 Pall Mall London", the gun is London proofed, it has 29 5/8” damascus barrels, the bores are fair with moderate pitting, and the gun weights 6 lb 12 oz.
The gun has a high serial number (10244) for a gun produced by a new company that lasted less than three years. This, together with the fact that the firm's name is lacking from the lock plates, suggests that the gun was obtained from an established gunmaker or supplier, with only the company's name added to the top rib. But more on this peculiar company later.
The very unusual action is a single-bite snap-action worked by a side lever, using part of Stephen and Joseph Law's provisional patent number 2063 of 1865. The original patent belonging to these Wolverhampton gunmakers was for an ingenious design that would release the barrel locking bolt by pulling one of the hammers at half ####. The patent included a pivoting locking bolt whose rounded free end engaged a hook-like barrel lump, with a vertical V-spring applying tension against the bolt. This is the locking system used on this gun, and the action flats are stamped with the inscription "Law Bros Patent." The slender side-lever, when pressed downwards, rotates and disengages the locking bolt. This is slightly different from the patent specification, but it may be that the Law brothers' hammer-release design was too difficult to build or too fragile for heavy use, and was never really implemented. In practice the action works well, though the downward throw required to release the barrels is quite long and, coupled with the fragile build of the lever, one can only speculate as to how many of these levers might have been bent or broken off during a hectic pheasant drive.
Another feature of this particular gun is that it is dual fire, being able to use either pinfire or centrefire cartridges. During the transitional period between the pin-fire and the centre-fire when centre-fire cartridges were still difficult to obtain, some believed such a gun offered the best solution. It appears this gun was built as a dual fire gun, as opposed to being later modified, from the elaborate extractor mechanism. The two-piece strikers appear based on Thomas George Sylven’s 1866 patent. Two holes are drilled into the breech face for each barrel, one vertical and one horizontal, meeting inside the breech face. One striker fits in the vertical hole, while the other striker slides in the horizontal hole. The upper striker is retained by a locking screw at the rear of the action, while the horizontal striker is kept in place by a plug fitted flush against the breech face. Upon being struck by the hammer, the first striker moves downwards and its angled tip transfers its energy to the second striker, which moves forward and explodes the cap. Should a pinfire cartridge be inserted instead, the hammer nose would strike the pin and explode the charge before the hammer would reach the centre-fire striker. The gun does not carry Sylven's mark, so it is unclear whether this is Sylven's work, or if this was done by another gunsmith. The centrefire cartridge soon became as readily available as the pin cartridge, and the need for dual-ignition guns disappeared.
The story of the company is quite interesting. It starts with Bertram Calisher and William Terry’s capping-breechloader carbine of 1856. It had a very limited service use with the British 18th Hussars from 1859 to 1864, after which the same rifles were re-issued to the Cape Mounted Rifles, until 1870. In addition, some rifles were built by these Birmingham gunmakers for sporting use. In April 1865 Calisher and Terry sold their London and Birmingham premises and patents to a new concern, which was to operate under the name The Breech Loading Armoury Company. The new company was incorporated in May 1865. It aimed to build and market the carbine and other guns, and offered a prospectus to attract investors, making available 6,000 shares at £25 each. The Chairman of the new company was Rear-Admiral Mark John Currie, who had played a significant role in the exploration of Australia and the foundation of the Swan River Colony, later named Western Australia. However, in July 1866 a shareholder took the company to court, accusing it of fraud. While the role or responsibility of the company directors in the matter was never established, the court saw fit to order the winding down of the company in July 1866. In court it was shown that the prospectus shown to investors had a number of gross misstatements – such as the Calisher & Terry rifles built by the company had been approved and adopted by the government and supplied to the cavalry forces (the British government had only agreed to a trial of the rifles); English, French, American, Austrian and Belgian patents had been obtained (only one English patent had been obtained); several large payments had been made to the company (none had been made); and that 35,000 rifles had been supplied to the Government of New Zealand (which was not the case). Lord Romilly, the judge in the case, stated “I must confess that the statements in the prospectus of this company are beyond anything the worst I have ever met with. The mis-statements are the most wanton I ever saw”.
Internet and publication searches tell us that in the short time the company operated, it marketed Calisher & Terry rifles and Beaumont-Adams revolvers which carry the Breechloading Armoury Company name, and, from the example pictured here, at least one sporting gun! While the Terry carbine was a good design, it was never adapted to metallic cartridge use, and was simply superseded by better centre-fire cartridge rifles. The actual maker of the gun pictured here is likely to remain unknown, and if anyone out there has ever seen another Law Bros action, or Breech Loading Armoury Company sporting gun, I’d like to hear about it. How a little-used patent appeared on a well-made gun likely built on contract to a company that just retailed the gun is a mystery. Was it a special request? A marketing attempt, to attract clients? Why such a little-known patent, when so many others were better, and equally available? The lack of any others turning up makes it impossible to tell.
With the growing popularity of the pinfire system in Britain in the mid-1860s, a number of new gunmaking firms appeared to fill the demand. One of these was the Breechloading Armoury Company Limited of London, selling guns from their fashionable 4 Pall Mall address for only a short period between 1866 and 1868. One of their guns is shown here, a distinctive twelve-bore game gun with bar-action locks and a slender side-lever to release the breech. The hammers are nicely sculptured, and the thick fences, the radius cut between the action bar and the breech face, and the long action bar are typical features of a later pinfire gun built for improved strength. The top rib is signed "The Breech Loading Armoury Company Limited 4 Pall Mall London", the gun is London proofed, it has 29 5/8” damascus barrels, the bores are fair with moderate pitting, and the gun weights 6 lb 12 oz.
The gun has a high serial number (10244) for a gun produced by a new company that lasted less than three years. This, together with the fact that the firm's name is lacking from the lock plates, suggests that the gun was obtained from an established gunmaker or supplier, with only the company's name added to the top rib. But more on this peculiar company later.
The very unusual action is a single-bite snap-action worked by a side lever, using part of Stephen and Joseph Law's provisional patent number 2063 of 1865. The original patent belonging to these Wolverhampton gunmakers was for an ingenious design that would release the barrel locking bolt by pulling one of the hammers at half ####. The patent included a pivoting locking bolt whose rounded free end engaged a hook-like barrel lump, with a vertical V-spring applying tension against the bolt. This is the locking system used on this gun, and the action flats are stamped with the inscription "Law Bros Patent." The slender side-lever, when pressed downwards, rotates and disengages the locking bolt. This is slightly different from the patent specification, but it may be that the Law brothers' hammer-release design was too difficult to build or too fragile for heavy use, and was never really implemented. In practice the action works well, though the downward throw required to release the barrels is quite long and, coupled with the fragile build of the lever, one can only speculate as to how many of these levers might have been bent or broken off during a hectic pheasant drive.
Another feature of this particular gun is that it is dual fire, being able to use either pinfire or centrefire cartridges. During the transitional period between the pin-fire and the centre-fire when centre-fire cartridges were still difficult to obtain, some believed such a gun offered the best solution. It appears this gun was built as a dual fire gun, as opposed to being later modified, from the elaborate extractor mechanism. The two-piece strikers appear based on Thomas George Sylven’s 1866 patent. Two holes are drilled into the breech face for each barrel, one vertical and one horizontal, meeting inside the breech face. One striker fits in the vertical hole, while the other striker slides in the horizontal hole. The upper striker is retained by a locking screw at the rear of the action, while the horizontal striker is kept in place by a plug fitted flush against the breech face. Upon being struck by the hammer, the first striker moves downwards and its angled tip transfers its energy to the second striker, which moves forward and explodes the cap. Should a pinfire cartridge be inserted instead, the hammer nose would strike the pin and explode the charge before the hammer would reach the centre-fire striker. The gun does not carry Sylven's mark, so it is unclear whether this is Sylven's work, or if this was done by another gunsmith. The centrefire cartridge soon became as readily available as the pin cartridge, and the need for dual-ignition guns disappeared.
The story of the company is quite interesting. It starts with Bertram Calisher and William Terry’s capping-breechloader carbine of 1856. It had a very limited service use with the British 18th Hussars from 1859 to 1864, after which the same rifles were re-issued to the Cape Mounted Rifles, until 1870. In addition, some rifles were built by these Birmingham gunmakers for sporting use. In April 1865 Calisher and Terry sold their London and Birmingham premises and patents to a new concern, which was to operate under the name The Breech Loading Armoury Company. The new company was incorporated in May 1865. It aimed to build and market the carbine and other guns, and offered a prospectus to attract investors, making available 6,000 shares at £25 each. The Chairman of the new company was Rear-Admiral Mark John Currie, who had played a significant role in the exploration of Australia and the foundation of the Swan River Colony, later named Western Australia. However, in July 1866 a shareholder took the company to court, accusing it of fraud. While the role or responsibility of the company directors in the matter was never established, the court saw fit to order the winding down of the company in July 1866. In court it was shown that the prospectus shown to investors had a number of gross misstatements – such as the Calisher & Terry rifles built by the company had been approved and adopted by the government and supplied to the cavalry forces (the British government had only agreed to a trial of the rifles); English, French, American, Austrian and Belgian patents had been obtained (only one English patent had been obtained); several large payments had been made to the company (none had been made); and that 35,000 rifles had been supplied to the Government of New Zealand (which was not the case). Lord Romilly, the judge in the case, stated “I must confess that the statements in the prospectus of this company are beyond anything the worst I have ever met with. The mis-statements are the most wanton I ever saw”.
Internet and publication searches tell us that in the short time the company operated, it marketed Calisher & Terry rifles and Beaumont-Adams revolvers which carry the Breechloading Armoury Company name, and, from the example pictured here, at least one sporting gun! While the Terry carbine was a good design, it was never adapted to metallic cartridge use, and was simply superseded by better centre-fire cartridge rifles. The actual maker of the gun pictured here is likely to remain unknown, and if anyone out there has ever seen another Law Bros action, or Breech Loading Armoury Company sporting gun, I’d like to hear about it. How a little-used patent appeared on a well-made gun likely built on contract to a company that just retailed the gun is a mystery. Was it a special request? A marketing attempt, to attract clients? Why such a little-known patent, when so many others were better, and equally available? The lack of any others turning up makes it impossible to tell.
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Absolutely. Nice gun but without the context is 'just' a nice gun. Such an interesting background!
