doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Catching the dreaded Pin-Fire Disease

Stephen Nash warned me ahead of time of the dangers involved. However, disregarding his gentle "be careful" admonition, I went ahead and bought the Reilly pin-fire SN 10456 (Dec 1857) at Holts. The gun was discussed on the Reilly line.

I picked it up yesterday. When I opened the wooden case, the exhilaration was overpowering. The gun is beautiful; the wooden case exquisite.

I suddenly totally understand what there is about pin-fires and feeling the "avant-garde" craftsmanship of that early era. There were probably not 150 pin-fire UK made shotguns being shot in country at the time and the care Reilly took in its manufacture shows. The address on the rib, the label on the case are consistent with the Reilly dating chart. The case should have carried a health warning. This is my first and only pin-fire. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And it was worth it.

And now the easter-egg hunt for some cartridges begins.

Argo, make your own. It isn't that hard. I've made 9mm pinfire up to 8 bore pinfire rifle firing a 1300 grain bullet. Search youtube for videos on how to make pinfire cartridges.

Luddite. You’ll shoot your eye out.


Just kidding. Have fun.

Best,
Ted

The shadows effect in expert photography really make the guns look great, don't they? Especially the metal work.

Enjoy, Gene.

This is a great looking gun! And I can hook you up with the cartridges

Congratulations!

I take it from what you said in your thread on shipping about surreptitiously collecting it that your wife does not follow this Forum .

She is probably wondering what you are looking so happy about?

Beautiful gun.

I had Pinfire Fever this summer and was about to plunk down some cash but I came to my senses.

Pretty gun, but be careful and don't blow your hand off. In this day and age, I would go with a more modern breech loader!!

Good for you, Argo44! Good for you! Glad to see that you are happy with your purchase and it is a nice one. I love that case! Have fun and enjoy your new gun!!

I have a Belgium 16ga pinfire converted to center-fire and a French 16ga pinfire. I think I love to do a little hunting with a pinfire. Both of these have nice dimensions and just feel great in your hands.

That is a really nice shotgun.

Purdey circa 1860 with grip safety, cased with accessories.

Man, that Purdey has killer wood.

Really nice and fairly early - don't believe Purdey took an order for a center-break gun before 1858, perhaps 1859. Must cost a bit more than $1,300. . Curious about the underlever. Is this a Jones underlever - double bite? His patent lapsed 19 Sep 1862 so there may be a PUN on the gun somewhere. Or is it the Beringer style single bite under-the-guard lever with a rising bite on the action flats?

The Purdey has a pre Jones single bite action. Click to enlarge image.

So totally interesting and precise technology. beautiful. Thanks!

Just to link this to Steve Nash's historic pin-fire line, a photo was posted there of the Purdey lumps from c1860 and the Reilly lumps from this gun cDec 1857. Interesting. Look how more sophisticated the Purdey is. That might be due to the excellence of Purdey or to the natural advancement of the gun. We might learn more by such comparisons.
t


No doubt that the Purdey is outstanding and a collector's piece to be preserved. But it's also a researcher's lode-stone in a way. . .each one of these early guns marking an evolution of UK center-break technology.

(Now get Purdey to give a date for that gun. . .Nick will say the records are "locked up," meaning not legally but that there is a physical keyed 19th C. lock on them, which somehow cannot be penetrated by 21st century technology.)


(Oh well...Uk does still have elves and trolls and ogres and wood nymphs, long barrows, stone circles, Vikings, Saxons, Prince Valiant. . (et et. mon dieu - les Francais - Guillaume!) .so much moss and mushrooms and so much romance and ethereal mythology, our history too, to keep us entranced.)


At some point would like to see Steve Nash or Aaron put together a chronological dated picture series of the various elements of the pinfire action and barrels. . .from various makers. . .it would be historical.

re-reading that post, I realize It's late. . .it's not meant to be insulting...just wanderingly inquisital and metaphysical wondering. One cannot think of UK from this side of the Atlantic without getting - well - William Blake-like.

Would you have bought a pinfire had it not been a Reilly?

Just curious.

No Stanton, I would not have. But it was a historical gun by a maker I've written a history about and not too expensive and worth preserving. So I decided to just bring it over and if it didn't work out, I'd get it to Stephen Nash somehow for his museum. However, sometimes you walk through a door expecting to find nothing, and lo and behold there is something that just captivates you.

Humorous Comment: "Dreaded Pinfire Disease" has now become a term defined by Google AI.

"Pinfire disease" in this context refers to a lighthearted, colloquial term used among antique gun enthusiasts on forums like Doublegunshop.com, describing the intense compulsion to collect vintage pinfire shotguns, rather than a medical illness. It signifies a passionate hobby of acquiring, repairing, or shooting these specific historical firearms, which are rare and largely obsolete.

Key Aspects of "Pinfire Disease" (Gun Collecting):

The Subject: The term refers specifically to pinfire shotguns or firearms, a 19th-century invention where the cartridge has a pin sticking out of the side that is struck by the hammer.

The "Disease": It is a tongue-in-cheek phrase used by collectors to describe the addictive nature of collecting these antique items, often starting with one and wanting more.

Context: It is widely used in online forums dedicated to vintage gun collecting, referring to the "dreaded" (yet enjoyed), costly, and time-consuming habit of finding and restoring these firearms.

It should not be confused with actual medical conditions, such as the skin disease "pinta" (which causes skin discoloration) or other infections.

Just a thought from Pinfire Collectors here in Britland. I have in my collection of Pinfires a rather nice 12 bore built by Sam Eberal of Shrewsbury, plus a cased complete with accessories built by Lefacheaux 9mm pistol. Both guns are in good workable condition BUT the continuous talk of making Ammunition for pinfires is making the Government and the Police uncomfortable about these guns. Not so long ago a Brit sporting gun and accessories company advertised cartridges I believe manufactured in France, making them rethink the obsolete ammunition status no licence required to own these guns have at the moment. As we know on this side of the pond the British Government have not forgotten the Russian Revolution when the King and his family where executed with people using guns, so guns in the hands of us public causes great anxiety and the sooner they can remove all of them from public hands has been a long term goal. May be the collection pf Pinfire guns here may becoming to an end sadly.

Thanks and we would like to see pictures of your pin-fire collection, perhaps on Stephen Nash's line where we are trying to compile everything known about pin-fires. Everything and every gun adds to knowledge.
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=574708&page=57

And sorry that parliament has now become so distrustful of their own citizens. Pretty sure Canada, New Zealand and Australia have followed suit.

Damascus AKA Luddite,

It is Ebrall . Sam Ebrall, Ebrall Brothers, Frankwell, Shropshire.

I hope you are keeping fit and well.

Hi Salopian! I am keeping well,ish and still coffin dodging but the distance between each when they show themselves is getting alarmingly shorter!
The Ebral Pinfire is as far as I can narrow its date to about 1840 also firming up the date is it has the most oversized and ugly hammers that are only seen on the very early guns. The gun is engraved SAMl.L Ebrall Shrewsbury sadly no adders on the barrels. Though I did post a photograph on the long runing Pinfire posting here. But I do not have much success with Image Hosting sites to the last one was imgur that being my last, it is about rime image hosting should be a part of this forum.

Found Damascus' image and will repost it. Can't be 1840 though. As discussed no UK pin-fires existed that we know of before about 1853 when Hodges completed his first apprentice gun and when Lang then bought the gun and brought out his first commercially marketed pin-fire sometime in early 1854 (or perhaps even as much as a year later). Perhaps it was converted from a Muzzle Loader? It would be interesting to see a photo of the action flats and barrel flats. It has an under-the-guard lever which could be either a single-bite Beringer style lump or a later Jones double bite. Gene

And Mr. Damascus the machine hating Luddite, sir: On an unrelated but curiously relative note, we have long understood you are from Cheshire. You are reputedly able to appear and disappear at will. Is there any truth to the tale? (The UK is full of these phantasmagorical but totally innate bits that cannot be excised from our psyches).