doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly; History; Chronology; Serial Numbers

Previously a Holt's auction advertisement for a Reilly .410 SxS was posted here with comments on the three other similar guns in existence.
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=666407#Post666407

In this regard here is once again Holt's putting up for sale SN 12251 (1862), a Reilly SxS cape gun muzzle loader. Reilly was one of the very first London gun makers to advertise this type of gun. There are 5 such muzzle loaders known to still be extant. Nice gun (Stock is worn and probably not redone - barrels look good - possibly rebrowned):
https://www.holtsauctioneers.com/as...+++534+&refno=++226376&saletype=
E.M. REILLY & CO., LONDON
A GOOD 25-BORE/.500 PERCUSSION CAPE-RIFLE, serial no. 12251,
for 1859, with expertly re-browned 30in. twist barrels the broad matted raised top-rib signed 'E.M. REILLY & Co. OXFORD ST. LONDON' within an arabesque white metal lined bordered panel, the top-rib also bordered with a white metal line and marked with similarly bordered one inch increments, dove-tailed bead fore-sight, 'Africa' style rear-sight with five flush folding notched leaves, each with platinum central line and a further shallow standing notch, shell engraved rib-end at breech, platinum plugs, borderline and scroll engraved elongated top-tang, borderline and scroll engraved bar-action locks signed 'E.M. REILLY & Co.', engraved hammers, chequered walnut pistol-grip half-stock (chequering worn smooth), engraved hinged patchbox to right side of butt, iron heel-plate, engraved moulded iron grip-cap, engraved iron trigger-guard tang and bow, single set triggers for both barrels, engraved ramrod throat, plain thimbles and nickel mounted iron ramrod (small pinned working repair behind right hand lock)



Here are the other four existing Reilly muzzle-loader Cape Guns. 12251 above is clearly the best of the lot; It's interesting that more cape guns have straight stocks than pistol grips; It might have depended on where the guns were destined to go - India and Africa - pistol grip for the rifle; Europe - straight grip for the shotgun:

11864 - E.M. Reilly & Co., London; 12 bore, .600 cal Cape Gun SxS; hammer gun, muzzle loader
https://auctions.holtsauctioneers.c...+++526+&refno=++146195&saletype=


12207 - E.M. Reilly & Co., (address not legible); 17 ga/.488 cal Cape gun SxS; hammer gun, muzzle loader.
https://www.ozgunsales.com/listing/101684/e_m_reilly_cape_gun.html


12214 - E.M. Reilly & Co., Oxford Street, London;; 12 ga/.45 cal Cape gun SxS; hammer gun, muzzle loader.
Cape gun; SxS
https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lot...rial/961-varia_antiek-07.12.24-venduehui


13155 - E.M. Reilly & Co., 502, New Oxford Street, London. SxS cape gun; 14 bore shotgun/20 bore rifle. Percussion muzzle loader.
https://auctions.holtsauctioneers.c...++2049+&refno=++160145&saletype=

The History mentions Cape Guns as a sub-sub-chapter; however, it might merit more attention since Reilly was one of the first, perhaps the first, to advertise such a gun in London in 1858. Chapter VIII has been further delineated in the Table of Contents of the history on P.94 of this line to assist in searches.




VIII. 1860 – 1867 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
. . .45. 1850’s-1895: Reilly Staff; Quality Young Employees
. . .46. 1861: Reilly Manufacturing and Sales
. . . . . . . .1861: Dougall “Lockfast” patent:
. . . . . . . .1861: “Double grip” - “Jones Underlever:
. . . . . . . .1859: Nuthall’s Patent:
. . . . . . . .1861: .451 Enfield target rifle
. . . . . . . .1861: .451 Enfield experimental rifling
. . . . . . . .1861: Capt. Scott's Patent Progressive Twist Rifling and bullet
. . . . . . . .1858: Cape Guns
. . . . . . . .1861: Bastin Lepage sliding action
. . .47. 1862: Reilly and the 1862 London Expos