===========================================================
Colonel Jacob's patent rifles




Readers of Reilly advertisements on this line will note advertisements for "Colonel Jacob's" rifles from about 1858 - 1863 including advertising those that could fire "explosive shells". I've never seen a Reilly made Colonel Jacob's rifle...but the history of it is incredible as is the history of Col. Jacobs himself....the first time I went up into Baluchistan I got off the train in Jacobabad (technically Punjab..but Baluch to the core - or possibly with a goodly number of Saraiki speakers).

Here's an advertisement from the 1858 Anglo-Indian Almanack: (That book went to press in 1857 - and you'll also note the advertisement for his center-break guns):


Here is a description of his rifle:






You can read info on Wikipedia here on this amazing man:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_(East_India_Company_officer)


But here is the key part of it....if anyone has a Reilly made Col. Jacob's rifle, would love to see it:

As a Military Engineer[edit]
He wrote many pamphlets which were critical of the Indian Army as it then was, and got him into much trouble with the Government in London. He was a scientist and inventor, developing an exploding bullet,[6] or shell, that fired combustibles up to 6 miles (9.7 km).He believed this would revolutionize the art of war. Two good riflemen could, in his opinion, annihilate the best battery of field artillery in 10 minutes. Further experiments made it possible to fire shells up to a range of 14 miles. More importantly, he designed a four grooved rifle and had various experimental guns manufactured in London by leading gunsmiths, and at his expense.. (Several internet courses say he seemed to favor Manton or George Daw to build his ideas from 1846 on...but the records are not complete).


Sind plains in that area or the bare scalding mountains to its west, provide plenty of reasons why Jacobs wanted to be able to hit targets at 2000 yards.

And by the way....it again shows the willingness of Reilly to push the envelop at this time....he went after innovation - he may not have created it himself - but he surely recognized it, made it and marketed it. He had no fear of the "establishment" because he wasn't part of it.

Last edited by Argo44; 06/29/20 07:35 PM.
Baluch are not Brahui, Brahui are Baluch