doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly & Co. (?)

I have acquired a E.M. Reilly hammergun and I would like find out some information on it. It is a 12 bore, 30" laminated barrels, and the serial number is 30166.

1. Who actually made it?
2. Approx. when was it made?

Here are a couple pics of the gun










Thanks for any information.

Le Fusil,

Terry Wieland speeks glowingly about this maker in his book "Vintage British Shotguns", sp. pages 126-27, 168-72, 173-74, 260-1 and many others. In the same book Jack Rowe mentions that Reilly is an under-rated gunmaker.

Looks like it has rebounding hammers, so it would be 1880ish or later. Reilly was heavily involved in live pigeon contests in the 1880's and with the Jones underlever I'd guess it was built by SOMEBODY in the mid 80's.

Who built it is anybody's guess; I don't think we know for sure that E.M.Reilly ever built a gun at all. If he didn't, he sure must have been a great retailer though, because there are lots and lots of old Reillys still around...mostly of a distinctly higher than average quality...Geo

For whatever its worth, I'm opening the GA dove season tomorrow afternoon with a Husqvarna model 51 that looks like a twin sister to your Reilly but for the Swedish Steel barrels and a toplever instead of an underlever...Geo

It has rebounding hammers, the barrel flats are not marked at all, only markings on the barrels are what I have pictured. This gun is rather plain jane...but I like it.

Rebounding hammers appeared circa 1868. The proof marks do not refer to any choke which would have been stamped Not For Ball
between 1875-1887. My guess is that it was built just pre-1875.
Looks like a clean, serviceable, working gun.

LeFusil

Try this thread which I recently posted on EM Reilly which elicted some really helpful input from the chaps on there and which has some history on Reilly as well.

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...e=7&fpart=2

One thing to help to check dates by - does the top rib have a Paris address on it? This may date it pre 1872 which was when I believe the Paris shop closed down.

Great guns and you will really enjoy using it no doubt this season.

I was reading an interesting article about an E M Reilly rehab by Terry Weiland in Guns and Ammo and it closed with the following which i think many will find interesting:
Jim

Six months later, I got a call. It was Edy: "Next time you're in town, I've got a gun you need to see."

It was another old English masterpiece, of a type I had heard about but never seen. A George Gibbs of Bristol, with the strange "Gibbs & Pitt's Patent" boxlock (circa 1873), a tumbler-block safety and a snap underlever. Damascus barrels, 28 inches long, and a total weight of six pounds, eight ounces. Lively as a puppy, with a French walnut stock that is eminently drool-worthy.

"Where on Earth did you find this?"

"The owner read about the Reilly and remembered he had this. He wants it refurbished."

The story of the Gibbs was simple, but with a twist. Its owner wanted it both refurbished and nitro-proofed, which would require sending it to England. It has lovely Damascus barrels, and the action is tight as it can be, even after 130 years. So Edy asked about its history. Seems the man's uncle gave him the gun when he was a teenager, 40-some years ago.

Did he ever shoot it? "Oh, yes," he'd replied. "I hunted ducks with it for years."

As the full import of that statement dawned, Edy asked, "Ducks? What with?"

To which the owner shrugged, "Canucks and Imperials, mostly."

Gulp!

For decades the ancient Gibbs with its Damascus barrels and 2 1/2-inch chambers had steadfastly digested a diet of the notorious CIL high-brass, 2 3/4-inch full-throttle duck loads, with nary a hitch. And it's still tight, tight, tight.

"What did you tell him?"

"I said, 'Forget nitro-proofing. This gun has nothing left to prove, to anyone.'"

To prove his point, Edy took it to the skeet range and shot a couple of rounds and reported that it is "lively; my Lord, it's lively."

So another patient has checked into Dr. von Atzigen's clinic for abused game guns. He expects this latest resurrection will take a couple of years, at least. Maybe longer...

I do plan on using this gun alot this year. Hopefully it'll get used for hunting grouse and in certain situations..ducks.

Are there any records for E.M. Reilly & Co. guns out there?

Dustin

A gun doesn't need a lot of fancy engraving in order to ooze quality. Nice specimen you have there.

Here's an 1873 Gibbs & Pitt that I have. It has been restored a little and re-proofed but I didn't think it worth spending more on. I have put it in to illustrate the above artice from Terry Weiland's book. Lagopus.....