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

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.
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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.