Follow-up on the above, here is a ReillY "Field's Patent" falling block single barrel .500 BPE rifle, SN 32755 (1891). It looks like an improved Martini-Henry. However, it was patented by William Field working for Westley-Richards in 1877. The patent was used extensively by Holland&Holland and others to make elegant, robust, big bore hunting and sporting rifles and apparently is something of a legend. Google AI: "The Field’s Patent falling block rifle is a historic and highly regarded single-shot rifle action patented by William Field of Westley Richards in 1877 (with US patents following in 1878). It was widely utilized by elite British gunmakers such as Holland & Holland and Westley Richards.".

This is the first Reilly-made (or finished) Field's patent found. It has the side-lever rather than under-lever. There are no Reilly advertisements found for a Field's Patent gun and this one is after the expiration of the patent. Interesting. For some reason there always seemed to be a problem between W-R and Reilly - This was mentioned before in the 1860's - just a feeling but. . .

https://www.holtsauctioneers.com/as...+++704+&refno=++244827&saletype=

.500 (B/P EXP) FIELD'S PATENT FALLING-BLOCK SPORTING RIFLE, serial no. 32755 (1963),
circa 1885, with blued ovoid 23in. barrel (probably shortened), the top-flat fitted with a dove-tailed fore-sight and with vacant dove-tail for a rear-sight, the sighting plane signed 'E.M. REILLY & CO. 16 NEW OXFORD STREET LONDON' (rubbed), the side of breech further numbered '1963', plain slab sided receiver signed on the left 'E.M. REILLY & CO.' and fitted with a later side-mount for a telescopic sight, falling-block breech with exposed central hammer, large cocking lever to the right and also provision for a safety catch (absent), chequered walnut pistol-grip half-stock (small cracks and filled repairs), chequered walnut splinter fore-end and swivels for a sling

[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]
[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]

A reference to this gun has been added to Chapter 57 of the history. See P. 94
IX: Reilly, Arsenal and the British Army. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
. . .57. 1872-1912: Reilly sells other Military/Sporting Rifles; Swinburn, Gibbs, Westley Richards, Soper, Field's Patent, Lee-Speed

**571872-1912 Reilly sells other Military/Sporting Rifles: Swinburn, Gibbs, Westley Richards, Soper, Field's Partent, Lee-Speed

[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]

The Snider-Enfield was apparently the last military rifle Reilly made in his London workshops and serial numbered. He did not serial number the Reilly-Comblain nor the Martini-Henry sporting guns he sold. However, he continued to advertise and market military rifles, selling some to the Volunteer Militia and some to private owners for sport. Some of these were finished in his workshops (with serial numbers after the expiration of patents); some were made elsewhere. Here are six:

. . . . . Swinburn-Henry: **57a The Swinburn was similar to the Martini-Henry but differed internally quite a bit. For instance it had a thumb manipulated side lever which could cock the hammer without operating the lever. It fired the same .577/540 Martini-Henry cartridge but was more prone to breakage. It was patented in 1872 and all production was done by by Abingdon Works Co. Ltd., Birmingham. Reilly’s first advertisement for a Swinburn rifle (which he misspelled) is from October 1875. *57a1
. . . . . . . . . .-- There is one extant Reilly Swinburn from about 1885 in the Royal Armouries. It is highly engraved with a lion surrounded by fine scrollwork on the right side of the receiver and two stags on the left. It is engraved “E.M. REILLY & Co., 277 OXFORD STREET, LONDON, AMMUNITION GOV 577.450.” *57a2

. . . . . George Gibbs “Farquharson Patent”: *57b This is a single-shot hammerless falling-block action rifle. It was patented by John Farquharson in Scotland in 1872. George Gibbs, a Bristol gun-maker, bought into the patent in 1875 and was the sole maker until the patent expired in 1886. Per Wikipedia, fewer that 1,000 Gibbs-Farquharson rifles were made, the last in 1910. Famous hunter Frederick Selous was known to use the rifle. *57b1
. . . . . . . . . .-- There is one extant Gibbs-Farquharson .451 cal rifle with Reilly's name on it, signed “E.M. REILLY & CO., 277 OXFORD STREET, LONDON,” with a Gibbs serial number 1331 (Wikipedia can be wrong too). *57b2

. . . . . Westley-Richards 1868 .451 breech-loading carbine:*57c Iin 1868 Westley-Richards patented a breech loading action for the .451 high velocity cartridge. It was entered in the 1868 trials but ultimately lost out to the Martini action coupled with a Hentry barrel. However it was marketed successfully in South Africa where it continued to be used and improved upon for many years. In the modern market-place it is usually identified as an "Improved-Martini" although its action has little to do with the Martini action.
. . . . . . . . . .-- At least one Reilly marketed WR patent carbine exists with a Henry barrel with the address “E.M. REILLY & CO., NEW OXFORD STREET, LONDON.”

. . . . . The Soper Rifle: *57d The Soper Birmingham-made breech-loader missed out on the breech-loading trials in 1867-68. However, in a separate test in 1872 it fired 60 rounds in one minute, a rate not matched by magazine guns. Soper put up a £100 bet ($10,000+) in 1878 that he would match two men firing his gun against three firing any other rifle in the world to see who could get most rounds on a 200 yard target in 3 minutes. No one took him up on it. Per an early 1880 advertisement Reilly was the Soper rifle "agent for London." *57d1 . Examples of the Soper rifle in 1870 and 1880 are pictured. *57d2, 57d3

. . . . Field's Patent: *57e The Field’s Patent rifle is a falling block single-barrel rifle patented byWilliam Field in 1877 while working for Westley-Richards. It was used extensively by notable London gun makers including iin particular Holland & Holland to make elegant big-bore hunting and sporting rifles. I often used a side-lever design eleminating the cocking lever giving it a sleek robust look.
. . . . . . . . . .-- There is one extant Reilly Field’s Patent Rifle SN 32755 (1891), “E.M REILLY 7 CO, 16 NEW OXFORD STREET, LONDON on the barrel rib. It is a .500 BPE side lever design manufactured after the expiration of the patent.

. . . . . Lee-Speed: *57f The Lee-Speed was a bolt-action magazine rifle, which was basically a sporting variant of the Lee-Enfield made for civilians. It shot the .303 cartridge. The first advertisement for a Reilly marketed Lee-Speed is in 1893. *57f1 A number of London gun-makers offered Lee-Speeds for sale to sportsmen including Holland & Holland. *57f2
. . . . . . . . . .-- There is one extant Reilly marketed Lee-Speed shooting the .375 x 2.5” nitro express cartridge, introduced in 1899 (basically a hunting cartridge, a slightly longer version of the .303 necked out to .375). This Reilly has on the barrel “E.M. REILLY & CO., 295 OXFORD STREET, LONDON” indicating it was marketed between May 1904 and June 1912. *57f3

Last edited by Argo44; 06/02/26 09:58 PM.
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