Miller, 19286 apparently had chokes. I'll post the photos from the site. I thought the analysis from "Tiger" was first rate. The line was posted here:
https://www.internetgunclub.com/archived-forum/posts.php?topicid=1344 You'll note it was reproofed in 2004:
Larry, the chart on Reilly SN's is subjective by nature;
-- You can't know when a gun was actually Serial Numbered for instance - I've assumed that Reilly like William Evans and other London dealers, Serial Numbered their guns when they were ordered; but there's a chance Reilly sold guns off the rack already serial numbered or more likely they serial numbered them when sold.
. . . . .- For instance Terry Lubinski's Reilly SN 303xx was per the chart SN'd in very early 1889, late 1888 - yet the barrel has "not for ball."
. . . . .- A gun sold by Toby Barclay 35079 was proofed pre-1896 but the SN places it at late 1900.
. . . . .- 26584 was serial numbered in late 1884 yet on the label "1886" is written.
. . . . .- 13599 was serial numbered in very late 1864; yet there is "Sanskrit" writing on it that reads,
"Maharaj Pratap Singh ji Solarkar or Sarkar Palamau. Vaishak..(i.e April/May) Sudi 12 means 12 of April/ May..Sanwat 1937" (dating to 1880 in the Georgian calendar).
"200 Silvers rupees paid to the seller along with some presentation." (i.e. it was probably resold in India in 1880).
-- I don't know when Reilly built gun 001; or if there were a 001.
-- Proof marks and Patent numbers can't prove anything; guns were redone, updated - rebounding hammers added.
. . . . . .- SN 10354, which would date from mid-1857, was completely redone between 1895 and 1904 including new receiver, action, stock, hammers, etc. and may have been converted from a Muzzle Loader to a breech loader at that time.
. . . . . .- SN 34585 was 1898 - yet it has steel barrels with the 295 Oxford St. address on them (post 1904) - it likely was re-barreled.
-- Labels change - cases are re-lined.
-- Even addresses on ribs might not be accurate -
. . . . . .- the numbering system on Oxford Street changed in November 1881, yet you can still find guns and newspaper advertisements using the old numbering system for a couple of years afterwards.
. . . . . .- 3402, Terry Buffum's gun, was sold as an "E.M. Reilly." It surely had to have had J.C. Reilly on the rib. Terry thought perhaps the auction house didn't know who was Joseph Charles and just assumed it was the more famous "E.M."
-- But the chart does use some firm data - If a gun has "rue Scribe" on it - it had to be numbered after the opening of that store in mid-February 1868. So the number chart is subjective but is based on concrete observations. (And how do I know rue Scribe opened around 12 Feb 1868? - it's all laid out in the Reilly line).
-- What patent numbers and proof marks can do though is subjectively add some "Sanity Checks" to the chart. The data has to be interpreted but it helps.
. . . . .- For instance in the UK analysis of 19286, the H.Walker patent use marks were helpful in confirming what I had already postulated. Anson & Deeley use marks may prove to also help confirm data from the 1880's.
. . . . .- SN 11115 is the first gun found with "EM Reilly" on the rib. It can't date before October 1859 when that name first began to be used for the company; the chart has it as late 1859. 11115 also has a Jones underlever - Jones patent was Sept 1859. The patent number and the gun date fit.
Admittedly the Reilly research was Quixotic - but there isn't anything better out there I don't think.
