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=== *23 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 1 - Hodges & Lang FOOTNOTES ====

*23 1854-56: Pin-Fire Guns in UK Part 1; Hodges & Lang.

. . . . .*23a Lefaucheaux center-break, pin-fire at Crystal Palace, 1851


. . . . .*23b E.C. Hodges


. . . . .*23c 7, Haymarket Street:


. . . . .*23d Lang Shooting Gallery: - And does that layout....casual observers sitting and standing in front of the shooter....not look distinctly unsafe?
. . . . . . . . . .original print

. . . . . . . . . .Today’s Haymarket Hotel exterior – location of Lang’s Shooting Gallery

. . . . . . . . . .Today’s Haymarket Hotel, “The Shooting Gallery” room

. . . . . . . . . .Opened again in 1859 – 14 Sep 1859 Bell's Life reference to Lang's shooting gallery. "Adjoining" was clearly a stretch.

. . . . . . . . . .25 Jul 1830, "Bell's Life" - earliest report of Lang's shooting gallery:


. . . . .*23e 22 Cockspur Street, where Lang was located from 1852-1874 and where the British center-break pin-fire was born. Did Lang use Liège-made barrels and lumps?
. . . . . . . . . .22 Cockspur Street

. . . . . . . . . .Map



= *23 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 1 - Hodges & Lang FOOTNOTES BELOW =

== *23 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 1 - Hodges & Lang FOOTNOTES CONT. ==

. . . . . . . . . .Current building:


. . . . .*23f 27 December 1857, “The Field” re original forcing cones in Lefaucheaux + the apparent importation/use of Liège-made center-break barrels (complete with lumps?):


. . . . .*23g Lang pamphlet: Oldest extant Lang pinfire is dated 1858. Source: Blanche notebook, Royal Armouries


. . . . .*23h Lang gold medal


. . . . .*23i. 28 Jul 1855, "The Field": Typical Lang ad from 1855-1858: No mention of breech-loaders or pin-fires.


. . . . .*23j 22 November 1856, “The Field”: Letter to “The Field” defending break-action breech loaders


. . . . .*23k: Lang denigrates others' pin-fires:
. . . . . . . . . .31 July 1858, "The Field"

. . . . . . . . . .21 Aug 1858 "The Field":


. . . . .*23l Jun 1859 letter by Lang to “The Field” and a portion of "The Field"'s stinging response:


== *23 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 1 - Hodges & Lang END FOOTNOTES ==

======= *24 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 2 - Reilly & Blanch TEXT ========

*24 1852-56: Break Action, Pin-Fire Guns in UK., PART 2, Reilly & Blanch

Shortly after the end of the 1855 Paris Universelle, William Blanch, who had taken over the Blanch and Sons company from his father John, sent an employee to Paris to buy a pin-fire. The receipt for his purchase, a Beringer around-trigger-guard-lever, break-action pin-fire gun, exists and is dated December 1855.*24a

The Blanch’s and Reilly’s appear to have been friends and collaborators for many years. It seems that Blanch and Reilly both then began to develop their own break-action guns reverse engineering the Beringer Lefaucheaux. The difficulties they faced are enumerated in Blanch’s obituary.*24b Quote: “But he had also the even more arduous task of teaching his men to make the new gun. The barrel men had to be instructed how to make the lump instead of a screw breech-plug. The percussioner had to be broken into the task of making actions on Lefaucheaux’s system. Everything was new and the only moral supoport in the task arose from the fact that Joseph Lang had some time previously entered the same field of research….”

E.M. Reilly writing in December 1857 noted that his firm had been examining the Lefaucheaux concept for 10 or 15 years.*24c Given Reilly’s propensity for gambling on technology and his connections to France, almost surely he considered building one and some lines he wrote in 1885 seem to indicate he experimented with the gun after the Crystal Palace fair. Certainly E.M. was not overly concerned with the difficulties of building such a gun or the cost of the machinery, the sole sticking point again being "instructing the workers," something he wrote about in 1857 (40 years before the Blanch book/obit).*24d. He definitely was building breech-loading pin-fire guns as early as mid-1856, perhaps earlier as discussed in more detail below

The three London gunmakers, Lang, Blanch and Reilly are universally credited as the London manufacturers who opened the doors to the center-break-action concept in the UK. It’s interesting that as late as December 1856 “The Field” still seemed confused about the various types of center-break pin-fires.*24e

And this brings the story to summer of 1856 which sparked a sporting gun revolution in UK and the world.

Note: the pin-fire was not the only center-break gun inspired by LeFaucheaux. Lancaster built his own break-action center-fire “base-fire” gun which might have conquered the market had he not tried to limit the sales of ammuntions to those of his own make.*24f

===== 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 2 - Reilly & Blanche END TEXT ======

===== *24 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 2 - Reilly & Blanch FOOTNOTES ======

*24 1854-56: Break Action Pin-Fire Guns in UK PART 2; Reilly & Blanch

. . . . .*24a Berringer receipt Blanch; Source: Blanch notebook, Royal Armouries


. . . . .*24b William Blanch Obituary and an account of Blanch’s entry into the breech-loading controversy:


. . . . .*24c Reilly looking at Lefaucheaux guns for 15 years


. . . . .*24d Reilly on expense of making the gun:


. . . . .*24e 20 Dec 1856, “The Field”: Descriptions of Lefaucheux, Beringer


. . . . .*24f Lancaster “Base-Fire” gun: (Photo from Diggory Hadoke).


=== *24 1852-56: Pin-fire Guns in UK; Part 2 - Reilly & Blanche END FOOTNOTES ===

======= Pause 3 :Liège made barrels and Lumps at the Uk origin? ======

PAUSE-3:: Did Hodges, Lang and and possibly early-on Blanch and Reilly initially bring in barrels with lumps for their early SxS pin-fires from Liège?

--I Just want to point out the possibility that Hodges, Lang, possibly even Blanch and Reilly might have been early on using barrels, possibly with lumps made in Liège. Lefaucheaux's guns were made in Liège. This is not mentioned much in gun history (except by Raimey and Stephen Nash). One wonders if it were a "dirty little secret." (This said, Reilly's barrels on the two extant 1856 guns were proofed in London).

27 December 1857, "The Field" - Letter by E.M. Reilly: Barrels actually made in this country?


20 Dec 1856, “The Field”: Lefaucheaux made in Liège:


Steve Nash also had this to say:
"British makers bought Belgian actions such as the Bastin action with sliding barrels (Google Purdey Bastin slide action for a fine example), to be made up in Britain. The Bastin action was used by a number of British makers, and it was one of the first non-Lefaucheux pinfire actions in Britain (a Francotte with Bastin action was used in the Trial of 1859). Some makers brought in barrelled actions (or possibly whole guns) from liege as well, with a British maker's name on the rib and Belgian action and barrel proofs as evidence. And some makers operated in both London and Liege, such as the Masu Brothers."

Purdey with a Bastin action:
https://www.morphyauctions.com/jamesdjulia/item/3169-394/

===== Pause 3 :Liège made barrels and Lumps at the Uk origin? =====

======= *25 1856: Reilly builds breech-loading pin-fires TEXT ==========

*25 1856: Reilly Begins Building Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

Reilly, began building center-break guns as early as 1856. (Note: E.M. Reilly claimed he experimented with the concept shortly after the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition but abandoned it as commercially unviable - whether this is true or not is not verifiable). The first datable advertisement for a Reilly center-break gun is from "The Law Journal"," 16 August 1856, with follow-on ads in the fall of 1856. *25a (see chapter 26 below).

There is a 12 bore pin-fire rifle shell stamped "Reilly, London" and dated 1855.*25b It almost certainly was made under contract and imported from France. The cartridge's existance shows only that Reilly might have been selling pin-fire shells in 1855. It does, however, highlight Reilly's involvement in center-break guns at the time, surely a very small niche business then but one for which a sharp visionary businessman like E.M. could see a future.

This said there is always the possibility that Reilly had constructed a pin-fire rifle in 1855. Blanche seemed to believe that Reilly was working on a pin-fire gun when he bought his Beringer in Paris. And, the earliest existing Reilly pin-fire, perhaps the earliest extant UK made pin-fire period, is SN 10054, a 12 bore rifle.*25c (see below).

In the 26 December 1857 edition of "The Field" a long letter from E.M. was published detailing the state of the center-break pin-fire gun controversy.*25d E.M. stated that until about summer 1857 most of his sales of pin-fire breech-loaders were sold as "novelties."*25e It wasn't until then that the whole break-action concept began to be taken seriously in UK.

E.M. by that time had taken a major technological business risk. Per an advertisement from June 1857 he had 100 center-break breech-loaders in various states of build and ready to be customized.*2f He gambled on the market by devoting fully 33% of his production capacity to making breech-loaders. This was some two years before Purdey made his first. Boss didn’t make a center-break gun until 1858. Harris Holland made his first ever six center-break guns in 1857, etc.

As commented below Reilly for years had connections to Paris and Liège. There is some evidence that all early pin-fire makers in the UK, Hodges, Lang, Blanche and Reilly, may have been at some point dealing with Liège for actions, barrels, etc. There is one Reilly pin-fire from early 1860's with faint Liège proof marks on it overlain by London proof marks.*25g This will be investigated further and separately.)

======= *25 1856: Reilly builds breech-loading pin-fires END TEXT ==========

===== *25 1856: Reilly builds breech-loading pin-fires FOOTNOTES ======

*25 1856-1867: Reilly Begins Building Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

. . . . .*25a First datable Reilly advertisements for "Fusils a Bascule."
16 Aug 1856, "The Law Journal


. . . . . *25b 12 bore pin-fire rifle shell stamped "Reilly, London" and dated 1855. (Photo Aaron Newcomber)


. . . . . *25c SN 10054 discussed below:


. . . . . *25d 26 December 1857 edition of "The Field" a long letter from E.M. was published detailing the state of the center-break pin-fire gun controversy.
text of Reilly's letter to "The Field" published 26 Dec 1857



. . . . .*25e E.M. stated that until about summer 1857 most of his sales of pin-fire breech-loaders were sold as "curiosities."
26 Dec 1857, “The Field”


. . . . . *25f June 1857 he had 100 center-break breech-loaders in various states of build and ready to be customized.
26 Jun 1857, “The Field”


. . . . . *25g SN 12543: What's interesting is how close the 1978 auction house got to the date of that gun. They said 1860-65. Our chart reads Late 1862


===== *25 1856: Reilly builds breech-loading pin-fires END FOOTNOTES =====

=========== *26 Mid-1856: New Trade/Case Label TEXT ============

*26 Mid-1856: Trade/Case Label Changes

Reilly case labels changed after the 1855 Paris Universelle.*26a
. .-- The new label illustrated the 1851 and 1855 world's fair medals*26b
. .-- It highlighted "Fusils à bascule," French for center-break guns (made on the "Lefaucheux principle").
. .-- The new label also advertised “Improved Breech Loaders” referring to guns such as the Prince Patent bolt action and the Terry Patent breech loaders which he marketed and promoted.*26c
. .-- The bottom line in the label has been changed to read "emigrants to All Parts of the Globe," slightly scaling back his shipping capabilities from “the Universe” as used on the 1847-1855 labels.



Efforts have been made to try to date when exactly this label was adopted because it has obvious implications for when Reilly began making and selling certer-break guns (see below). The first dated newspaper ad so far found with the phrase "Fusils à bascule" appeared in "The Law Journal"," 16 Aug 1856.*26d There are other 1856 Reilly advertisements for "Fusils à bascule" or "Fusils bascule" in certain books and tour guides but the exact dates these were published are not clear.*26e

There is a good chance, however, that Reilly had begun making the new labels before summer 1856. The oldest extant Reilly pin-fire 10054 above, which would date per the chart to late summer 1856, was already using the new label in that case.*26f

========= *26 Mid-1856: New Trade/Case Label END TEXT ==========

========= *26 Mid-1856: New Trade/Case Label FOOTNOTES ==========

*26 Mid-1856: Trade/Case Label Changes

. . . . . *26a Reilly case labels changed after the 1855 Paris Universelle.



. . . . . *26b The new label illustrated the 1851 and 1855 world's fair medals
.............London 1851 Bronze Medal".......................Napoleon III prize from the 1855 Paris Universelle:


. . . . . *26c highlighted "Fusils à bascule," and Improved Breech loaders:


. . . . . *26d "Fusils à bascule" appeated in mass market advertisments in summer 1856:
. . . . . . . . . .16 Aug 1856, "The Law Journal

. . . . . . . . . .04 Oct 1856, "Illustrated London News"

. . . . . . . . . .11 Oct 1856, “Illustrated London News”


. . . . .*26e "Fusils à bascule" or "Fusils bascule" in certain books and tour guides but the exact dates these were published are not clear.
. . . . . . . . . .1856 Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland;[/b] "Fusils à bascule." The volume was printed in 1856 (month not indicated); the forward written by Dod was dated 1856 (month not indicated) (unknown if it were the beginning or end of the year).

. . . . . . . . . .Cheshire Directories


. . . . .*26f SN 10054 Label with the post 1855 medals


======= *26 Mid-1856: New Trade/Case Label END FOOTNOTES ========

========== *27 1856-1858: Extant Reilly pin-fire Guns TEXT =========

*27 1856-1858: Reilly Extant Break Action Pin-Fire Guns

Following are the earliest extant Reilly center-break pin-fire guns dating from late summer 1856 to spring 1858 (a reminder: London guns were typically serial numbered when ordered; Reilly delivered his guns within 3 weeks of an order as opposed to 9 months-2 years for others, thus the Reilly “spec” guns above, may have been serial numbered when bought and then delivered pretty close to the order date)(this is speculation):

. . .-- SN 10054 - The oldest Reilly center-break gun so far found. It is a "Lefaucheux/Lang" type long forward-underlever, single-bite type pin-fire 15 bore SxS rifle engraved "Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib. It is in a period case, with the post 1855 Paris Universelle label with "Fusils à bascule" on it. It would date per the chart to late summer 1856, about the time the first Reilly ad for "Fusils à bascule" appeared in the London Press (mentioned above).*27a

. . .-- SN 10128 - The second oldest existing Reilly pin-fire. It is a 16 bore SxS Shotgun, a Lang/Lefaucheux long underlever, single bite, pin-fire, made a couple of months afterwards circa December 1856.*27b

. . .-- SN 10355 (address unknown) - 12 bore SxS shotgun, pin-fire hammer gun with leather case and original labels and implements. No additional details are available from at the time a rather obscure US auction house. Per the chart it would date to mid-1857.*27c

. . .-- SN 10655 - The fourth oldest extant Reilly break-action SxS gun found to date: It is a "Lefaucheux/Lang" type short forward-underlever, single-bite type pin-fire 12 bore SxS shotgun with "E.M. Reilly, 502 New Oxford-Street, London" on the rib, probably numbered around the time of the below mentioned "The Field" trial - March 1858.*27d (Note the E.M. Reilly name but without the “& Co.” on the rib; there is one Reilly advertisement in a late 1857 newspaper using “E.M. Reilly” rather than. just “Reilly.”)*27e

======== *27 1856-1858: Extant Reilly pin-fire Guns END TEXT =======