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E.M. Reilly & Co Double Rifle 450 3-1/4 BPE
Guns International #: 101563742 Seller's Inventory #: 101
Category: Double Rifles - Antique - Double Rifles - English
Seller's Information
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Seller: RSZ
Member Since: 12/8/20
First Name: Robert
Last Name: Szerwo
State: California
Zip: 93103
Country: United States
Phone: (805) 455-3928
Number of Active Listings: 0
Total Number of Listings: 8
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
Payment Types Accepted:
Description:
E.M. Reilly & Co Double Rifle 450 3-1/4 BPE Serial Number 17626, manufactured 1872
Jones underlever, action marked with serial number 17626 and London View proof marks. Smooth and tight underlever, nicely shaped hammers and triggers, non-rebounding locks, with stalking safety at half cock, full trigger guard tang with serial number to steel grip cap, 90-95 percent fine scroll engraving coverage, very well done.
28 inch steel barrels, London view, provisional, and definitive proofed. Rib behind the rear sight marked E. M. Reilly & Co. New Oxford Street, London & Rue Scribe, Paris. There is a short 1-1/8 inch section of the rib that is dovetailed in and appears well done, but not original work. One standing and two folding rear sights, marked 100, 200 and 300. Front sight is a fine silver bar atop a substantial steel base. Barrels are also marked with Henry’s patent No 408 on one barrel and No 409 on the other. Both display the initials W.J., and the rifle’s serial number 17626. Extractor functions well and is large, catching approximately 40 percent of the cartridge rims. Chambers, bores and rifling all in excellent shape, amazingly so for being almost 150 years old.
Forend attaches with a secured wedge with attractive escutcheons on both sides, and there is a substantial steel decorative tip secured with a carefully filed screw that matches the wood contour for the barrels and lower rib. The back edge of the iron has a small chip that does not affect function.
Stocks are original, pleasantly figured in the butt, and darker on the forend, which includes a stamped serial number, which is not present on the metal. Forend wood also missing some material from the right-side tip, about 3/16 by 1-1/2 inches, but blends in quite well. Butt includes a small cheekpiece, and a silvers pad, vintage but not original. Length of pull to the front trigger is 14-1/4 inches. Drop from the rib is 1-1/2 inches at the comb, 2 inches at the butt, very comfortable to shoot. Checkering is well executed and extensive with mullered borders. Silver escutcheon is engraved with the head of a bird of prey holding three leaves in its beak. There is a hole above the escutcheon for a missing swivel stud. There are also some cartouche marks that looks like an “o” over a “w” in parenthetical brackets and numbers 1744.
Cartridge for the rifle is the 450 3-1/4 BPE, or Black Powder Express. Original load data and bullet weight for this rifle is not known. The bores work well with standard 450 caliber alloyed lead bullets at .458 inch diameter, which provides a large selection of bullets very reasonably priced bullets. For load development selected Meister Hard Cast Bullets 45 Caliber (458 Diameter) 300 Grain Lead Round Nose Flat Point. Case availability (450 3-1/4 nitro express cases used and are same dimensions as BPE but usually thicker case walls) was initially quite limited, so Jamison cases were tried. The Jamison cases did not perform well at all. Later was able to acquire Hornady brass which have performed very well. All load development has been nitro for black powder, IMR 3031, with over powder wads firmly pressed in and filling the case from the relatively small nitro powder charge to the base of the seated bullet. Regulating was uneventful, with the rifle responding as expected to changes in the powder charges. For approximately 50 to 60 yard ranges, 42 grains of IMR 3031 shots to point of aim from the shortest standing rear sight from both barrels with the 300 grain bullet.
Shooting the rifle is a lot of fun. Using the underlever has a learning curve if you have not done it, but it is not hard to master. The most effective way that I have found use an underlever gun or rifle is to first cock the hammers (with non-rebounding locks this allows the spring assisted firing pins to pull out of the spent cartridge primers), then move the underlever fully to the right and the barrels usually fall by themselves, or they may need a little assist. The extractors will have cammed out the cartridges so they should be very easy to pull out the rest of the way from the chambers. Insert the new cartridges and then smartly close the barrels into the action. A little effort on the close will engage the interrupted screw threads and begin moving the underlever to the left. This also effectively begins locking the barrels into the action, so you can easily finish closing the action with your right hand. If you do not engage the lever by only delicately moving the barrels toward the closed position it is much harder and much more cumbersome to hold the gun while you reach for the lever to move it to the left while you try to align the interrupted threads yourself. Since you already cocked the hammers, you also will not have the possibility of slipping off the hammers while there is a live cartridge in the chamber. You will soon be able to rapidly deliver many shots downrange in a very stylish manner!
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Rifle Caliber: .450 Black Powder Express
Manufacturer: E.M. Reilly
Model: double rifle
Serial Number: 17626
Bore: 458
Chambers: 3-1/4
Condition: very good
Metal Condition: very good
Wood Condition: very good
Bore Condition: excellent
Barrel Type: Henry’s patent
Action: Jones Underlever
Triggers: two
Stock Dimensions:
14-14
Stock Drop: 2
Stock Comb: 1-1/2
Fore End: splinter
Butt Pad: Silvers
LOP: 14-1/4
Rib: solid
Finish: browned
Weight: 9lb 7oz
Sights: open
Manufacture Date: 1872
Engraving: 90-95 percent
Item Location: CA
Proof:Black: yes