doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Reilly Box Lock - Best Gun

Interesting. I know that patent use numbers are not a reliable indicator of age of a gun; unless they are.
-- The above Clarke & Sons, Midlands Gun Works SN 9683 dated circa1880 has A&D use # 1147.
-- The earliest Reilly box lock in my database, SN 22482 dated Jan 1880 per my chart, is use # 1156 .

I am curious about the Westley Richards patented top lever. Was that patent still current in 1880?

My 1878 (the year after the WWG advert you showed on the page before) Greener A&D has Anson and Deeley patent use number 1206, but bear in mind that they may have been issued to different makers in blocks of numbers and could well overlap when it comes to the completion of individual guns.

The number 2 is boldly engraved as shown on the action flat and also the fore-end iron. Graham Greener tells me it was the number 2 gun of a pair and they were then Greener’s Grade 3.

That would make it a 30 Guinea gun. It seems that A&D boxlock non ejectors were priced at something of a premium at the time of their introduction as being the “latest thing” compared to Greener’s pricing of similar guns in the 1930’s despite the loss in value of money in the intervening 50 years.

30 Guineas in 1878 would be the equivalent of 53 Guineas in 1938.

My greener is earlier then your gun mine has the large square ,angled cocking levers and I think the safe button is a little different mine is closer to 19000 number

Round cocking bars (distinctly over-engineered) were a feature of early (if not the earliest) Anson and Deeley guns.

I have mainly seen them on single lump top-bite only Westley Richards style guns such as this early Edwinson Green serial number 2701 (pre1881) with patent use number 1907. It has a top safe, and there are no obvious manufacturer’s marks other than Edwinson C. Green on the action sides.

mc, does your early Greener A&D have the same ball fences as mine, rounded down at the front edge to meet the barrel exterior?

In Graham Greener’s book at page 93 he shows a similar 30 Guinea A&D gun with rounded fences (but with no evident safety catch unless it is the same gun shown left hand view at page 95).

To set the record straight, Reilly advertised Brazier locks in 1862 for an entra 5£ - a lot of money back then. Per above, 25044 was mentioned as the earliest Reilly with a Brazier action. This isn't right. There is an early extant Reilly with Brazier actions, SN 13688 - dated per the chart to 1865. Holt's did not publish a photo of the inscription.

http://auctions.holtsauctioneers.com/asp/searchresults.asp?sale_no=A0314&st=D&pg=24
A 20-BORE SINGLE-BARRELLED ROTARY-UNDERLEVER HAMMERGUN, serial no. 13688, Original rifle. 28in. nitro reproved (in 2014) octagonal to polygonal to round barrel, top flat with bold acanthus scroll detailing and engraved 'E.M. REILLY & CO. NEW OXFORD STREET. LONDON.', 2 3/4in. chamber, bored approx. true cyl. choke, rotary underlever with ring detail, carved percussion fence and sculpted standing breech, rebounding back-action lock, action flats marked 'JOSEPH BRAZIER', best bold acanthus scroll engraving with ropework and scrolling borders, brushed finish, 14 1/8in. figured stock with steel buttplate, fore-end with carved shell engraving and sculpted horn finial, weight 5lb. 8oz.