Shooting the War

ARMS AND ARMOUR
Guns and Pistols
Old firearms arc popular collector’s items, and no olde oake beame type of pub or cafe worth its salt feels fully decorated without weapons on its walls, so good ones are expensive; nevertheless one sometimes comes across old guns and pistols in junk shops and these can be in pretty bad condition. It is usually possible to mend and clean these things and make them look very decorative; by spending money they can be restored to near perfection, and you can even fire them if you dare. For really careful restoration, try to find a picture of a gun like yours or a similar actual weapon in a museum, which you can copy.
As a first step make sure that any gun you buy is not loaded. It is not ridiculous to suggest that an old pistol which has been knocking about for years could be loaded, for it has happened, and even ancient gunpowder will explode violently. Gently insert a wooden rod or dowel into the muzzle and when it will go no further make a pencil mark. Withdraw the rod and lay it alongside the barrel with the pencil mark by the muzzle and the point at which the barrel is blocked can be exactly gauged. The powder must be carefully removed. If you have a shotgun
hi
the cleaning rod wch goes with will it wiprobably have a cap on the end which unscrews to reveal a screw tip. Screw this gently into the charge in the old gun and remove it like a cork. Failing a cleaning rod, an ordinary screw welded to a piece of stiff wire would do just as well. After this the barrel should be washed out with warm water and thoroughly dried.
Unless the gun is really terribly rusted, or contrariwise is in excellent condition, it is probably best to strip it down into its component parts, just as one would when cleaning a modern gun. Normally the lock is removed first by unscrewing it from the stock. First remove the screw which holds the cock (in the flintlock) or hammer (in the percussion lock) and slide off the part. Next unscrew the pivot of the pan cover and the pan cover spring screw and remove tile parts. ‘then unscrew the holding bolts or screws until the lock plates can be removed. (See Fig. i.)
Penetrating oil applied to the screws and left for a while will allow many a stubborn screw to be removed. Do use well-fitting screwdrivers, as if you spoil a screw ]lead by using a wrongly fitting screwdriver it may be impossible to get it out without drilling. The drilling out of screws is extremely tricky and may result in damage to the pistol, so don’t try it unless you must. Expert help may be necessary. One way to loosen obstinate screws is first to place a little lubricating oil round tile head of the screw, and then to touch the head of tine screw for a second or two with the tip of a red-hot poker. This meat causes expansion and contraction to loosen the screw and the oil will penetrate and help with the withdrawal.
Dispiiawlitt,9 a flitalock, arid reassembling (see Fig. r). In order to take the lock to pieces for cleaning or repair the four screws which hold the mainspring, the sear, the scar spring and the bridle, must be half loosened. Then take out the mainspring screw and remove the mainspring. There is a pill at the rear end of the mainspring which engages in the lock plate, and the other end of the mainspring which engages in the toe of the tumbler. Compress the mainspring and it will come away easily. A hand vice is a useful tool for this job. Once tile mainspring is off, the other screws may be removed and die other parts will come off quite easily. Having cleaned all parts with fine files and emery paper or powder, and got rid of all the rust, oil everything well, and cover with Vaseline. Then set about reassembling. lock plate to take the cock on the outside. The scar and the sear spring come next and then the bridle. The square lug on the scar spring fits a slot in the lock plate and holds the spring in position. Compress the mainspring and put it on the lock plate with the holding pin in position, and put the lower end of the spring back over the tumbler toe. Then secure the screw. Without a hand vice, depress the tumbler to the fired position so that the end of the mainspring will go over it. Then put the cock oil and pull it back to the half cocked position so that the tumbler toe comes and compresses the mainspring. The rest of the pieces are put back in the reverse order to removal, the pan cover spring and pan cover going on last.
The barrel of the gun comes off next. This has a metal extension called a tang which runs into the stock. The tang screws are removed, and any retaining bands or pins. Trigger guard, butt cap and ramrod pipes are usually screwed or pinned in place and must be removed with care. If a gun is in bad condition it is likely that the rusty screws and pins are stuck into the wooden stock parts, and too much beef will merely result in breaking off chunks of wood complete with the pins and screws. Gentle tapping and the judicious use of penetrating oil will help. But leave things where they are rather than risk breaking the stock. Expert gunsmiths make their own castings and spare parts, but for those without the necessary tools or ability, castings can be bought, which only need filing to fit. Normans of Framlingham in Suffolk specialise in these parts and have a comprehensive catalogue.
Guns will be more or less rusty, either with ordinary brown rust or that black rust which seems to have eaten right into the metal and looks like black ink stains. When restoring or cleaning any kind of metal, the rule is not to overdo things. Gentle abrasives, gentle cleaners and gentle fingers give the best results. Patience is better than a power tool. Start by applying a mixture of oil and paraffin, or by soaking the metal parts in it. Patent rust removers arc fine if used with care. They should never be left on for a very long time, or they will etch the metal, and will probably dull it, although in this case can always be re- polished. Penetrating oil contains rust remover, so if you have been using this to remove screws, be sure to wipe it all off the metal before leaving the work for any length of time. Clean the inside of the barrel with a wire brush on a rod.
Coll revolver
Draht
ger prawim lock,
Having cleaned off all possible rust, polish die metal work with jeweller’s emery, which is considerably finer than ordinary emery paper and comes in various grades (see Abrasives). Start with a coarse grade and finish with fine grades and you can get a mirror finish. Don’t be too quick to resort to buffing wheels or harsh abrasives; you may make deep scratches or rub off marks or chasings which cannot be replaced. Barrels may have a brown colour which is due to deliberate rusting, so that the barrel would not rust further while the gun was in use. To re-brown a barrel it must first be polished mirror bright and then treated with many successive solutions of a certain acid formula. Gunsmiths guard these formulae closely, and most send their barrels to an acknowledged expert to have the job done. It costs several pounds and would probably not be worth your while, simply to restore a not very valuable piece of junk.
Blue barrels were originally coloured by a heat process. Blueing is equally an expert’s job which takes time and experience, although solutions can be bought which enable the amateur to blue barrels quite effectively.
Clean brass parts, trigger guards, ramrod pipes, butt caps, etc. with ordinary metal polish. If these are missing new ones can be bought (see above) and fitted by filing.
Having achieved the polish and colour you want, the next thing is to maintain it. Be very careful not to handle the metal parts of your gun. after its final polish, as sweaty
fingers leave a deposit which causes spots of rust. (This
applies to ametal work.) A piece of wood carefully
jammed in the muzzle will make a temporary handle while applying a final finish to the gun. Wipe over the metal parts with a very thin layer of oil; or if you don’t like this, try wiping with aduster which is impregnated with silicone—these can be bought for dusting furniture in any hardware store. Some people like to lacquer things on the principle that lacquering reduces cleaning to ‘iaminimum.Un- less lacquer is of extremely good quality, it will darken in time and altogether spoil the look of the job. (See Lacquer.)
The wooden stocks or butts are another matter, and often need a lot of repair. The stock may be completely split. Modern impact adhesives, such as Evo-stik, make a strong join very easy, but it is best to make sure that they do fit accurately, as with impact adhesives once the two faces of a
join are put together they must remain if a good join is to be made. If the stock is chipped or if there is a piece missing, you are going to have to find a piece of more or less matching wood to replace it. Clean the old stock first with fine steel wool and linseed oil. Rub away until the dirt and any old varnish has gone, then you will be able to see the graiui and colour of the wood. Finding the right piece of wood may be difficult. A friendly furniture restorer is about the most likely mail to help—you will only need a small piece anyway. Whittle the new wood to fit with a sharp knife and fine sandpaper. If you are an expert wood- carver and have die tools, making a matching piece should be no problem. Remember, having bonded new and old, that it may be necessary to bore small holes for the pins or screws to take the metal parts when the pistol is reassembled and this should be done with care. When the bond is set, rub the whole stock well with linseed before reassembling the gun.
Shallow dents in wooden gun stocks can sometimes be reduced by steaming. Soak a piece of thick cloth in hot water and put it over the dent and then hold a hot iron on the cloth and get up a good head of steam; this swells the wood and reduces the dents a little, but as the wood dries right out they will probably reappear to some degree.
Gunstocks arc often attacked by woodworm and if this has happened, treat the stock with all anti-woodworm dressing such as Rentokil. If the stock is badly honey- combed, inject syntheticresin into the holes with a hypodermic syringe or even soak it in a thin mix to stiffen the whole thing.
Burr walnut (see Woods) is most commonly used for gun stocks and is mainly imported. You would probably have to buy a new stock blank through the trade and shape it to fit, if a whole new stock is required.
Of course if you can get hold of several pistols all more or less alike, you can make up composite restorations using sound parts from each. What you will have at the finish is a fake, not a restoration, but if it is just for decoration, then it doesn’t really matter, and only an expert will be able to tell that it isn’t the genuine article!
The periodical Guns Review contains much interesting information about antique firearms.
Swords
Swords turn up in junk shops in odd lots with old hickory shafted golf clubs, broken walking sticks and elderly umbrellas, and are usually a relic of somebody’s great grandfather’s service in the cavalry. The services still use dress swords and ceremonial swords, and these, being expensive items, get handed on and do not appear in junk shops. Valuable old swords are real collector’s items and you are unlikely to be trying to restore one of these. However, any old sword can look quite fine once it has been cleaned and polished. Knives and daggers and bayonets come into the same category and are perhaps more common in junk shops. Very often the scabbard, particularly if it is an Oriental one, is as attractive as the weapon itself and warrants as much care as the blade.
As with the restoration and cleaning of any kind of metal object, care is needed. Too violent attempts at rust removal may remove interesting marks or engraving or inlay, and half the fun of cleaning up these things is in what may come to light underneath. A sword, like a gun, can be dismantled into its component parts, and if this can be done without breaking the weapon or damaging it, it is far better to take it apart for cleaning. Blades were often made somewhere other than the hilts or sheaths, and the whole assembled by sword-smiths before sale. Parts got broken and were replaced, and a sword or a dagger can be a composite bearing different makers’ marks and still be quite genuine. If you find a sheathed sword in a junk shop, take it carefully out of the sheath holding the whole thing pointed downward. Be especially careful with knives and daggers for an old scabbard can split as you take out the weapon which may still be razor sharp.
To take a sword apart (see Fig. 3) first check the button at the top of the hilt. The tang, or top end of the blade, passes right up through the Ht and the pommel at the top, and is then burred over the button to hold the whole thing together. File off the overlap and slide the blade from the hilt; but it may not come out that easily. Later swords may have a screw-iii button. Grip the blade in a vice, near the top, but make sure the vice is padded, or the sword well wrapped, so that it will not be marked by the vice. Using a piece of hard wood as a punch, tap the base of the pommel upwards away from the grip, working round and round it till it loosens and the hilt begins to slide off the blade; but do be careful not to damage anything. Best leave well alone if there is no movement at all. Penetrating oil may help, if you can get some to run between the tang of the blade and the hilt. If the sword has only a small pommel, tap the hilt round the shells, at the bottom. Once again, be very careful for it is terribly easy to break castings.
Now the blade and the hilt are separate and can be coped with on their merits. If the grip is wooden and covered with leather, it may be split, and you will have to carve yourself a new grip using the old one as a pattern. Beech and walnut are tile most common woods, but any wood could be used to remake a grip which is to be covered—after all the sword is not going to be used in battle. If the grip is leather-covered, and the leather is sound, give it a good dose of leather dressing. There are various proprietary dressings and the same one can be used on a leather sheath. Some dressings give a long-lasting finish, others need more frequent renewing (see Leather Dressings).
A new leather grip cover can be made quite easily by cutting out a piece from any suitable leather. Clean off all the old leather and make the grip smooth and clean. Then very carefully pare or bevel the edges of the new leather grip so that they fit round the handle without a ridge where the join conics. Soak the leather and put it on the grip, smoothing it to fit. Then bind it on to dry. Rubber bands may leave grooves in the leather, so some kind of wide tape or bandage just to hold it in position while it dries is better. When the leather is quite dry, remove the binding, and, very carefully, the leather piece which should by now be exactly the right shape and fit. Using an adhesive, such as Evo-stik which will not stain the leather, stick it firmly to the wooden grip. Very often lints are wholly or partly bound with brass wire. If this has to be replaced, two strands of brim piano wire or picture wire, twisted together, make a good job. The actual binding is not so easy as the ends of the wire have to be neatly tucked in.
The cleaning of metal hilts andblades must be care- fully done. Brass and silver hilts will probably conic up well with ordinary metal polishes and some elbow grease, but steel hilts will need rubbing with abrasive. Make up various pads and sticks to help with the rubbing down,
well
checking that the stick is wepadded with foam rubber under the emery paper; this makes it easier to get into difficult corners. Blades which have inlay should be treated very gently, as any rough treatment will bring it off. Soap and water and a soft cloth for drying are die best; certainly it is dangerous to use strong metal polishes or rust removing preparations. Clean plain blades and steel hilts with oil and paraffin mixture to remove loose rust, and then wash with strong detergent to get rid of all grease. Clean very greasy metal with carbon tetrachloride. Then wipe rust remover on the metal and remove it after a few minutes. You will get some idea of how much rust is going to shift, and can repeat the treatment until the metal is clean. The big danger is that rust remover, if left too long, will work unevenly and will start to etch the metal, and you will end up with a pitted surface. Oriental swords are very often meant to have a dull finish, and after a wipe over with rust remover, all they will need is a polish with a soft cloth, whereas Western steel is worked over with emery until it has a mirror finish. Don’t get fingerprints on to the polished metal or they will form rust spots in time. Rub the finished metal over with a light film of oil, or use a silicone-impregnated duster or silicone furniture polish, sparingly, on a soft cloth. Lacquer, if used, must be of high quality, or it will darken in time and have to be removed. Lacquer is really a lazy and not wholly satisfactory way of finishing polished metals (see Lacquer).
If metal parts of the hilt, quillons, shell guards etc., are broken or damaged, it may be possible to braze carefully shaped new parts into place, but this does seem to me to be a job for the expert as it requires special tools and a knowledge of technique.
If the top of the tang was filed off to free the blade, hammer out the tang a little so that there is something to burr over again on replacement. Be very careful, and hammer gently with the tang laid flat on a block. Reassemble hilt and blade and tap it into position tapping the pommel well home. Use a small mallet or a piece of wood, not a metal hammer. Burr over the top of the tang with a punch and file it smooth and neat.
If your sword or dagger has a metal scabbard, treat it in the same way as the blade, cleaning with great care if it has any engraving or inlay. If it is plain, wipe it with rust remover and rub with abrasive, and finish it with a silicone wipe.
Damaged leather scabbards take some mending. If the stitching has gone, it may be possible to restitch it, but often the holes have broken out and the leather is dry and dead anyway and won’t hold stitches. Just stick the edges together as neatly as you can with adhesive.
If the scabbard is broken, insert a strip of cardboard or veneer or plastic to support it. If leather is in good condition all it needs is a wipe with ordinary leather dressing. Sonic scabbards have been stained and polished or boned, these are best retouched and polished with ordinary leather polish.
Old pieces of armour, even complete suits picked up iii very bad condition, can be completely cleaned and done up. The methods used for cleaning sword blades, guns etc. arc suitable for armour. Museums use a phosphoric acid cleaner known as Deoxidise.
I know of someone who bought a terribly rusty old suit of armour for C20, without knowing anything about it, and cleaned and restored it and sold it for 0300. I suppose the basic cost of 4zo puts it outside the category of junk, but it is the kind of profit one likes to dream about.
Burnishing. Any cavalry mark will tell you that the only way to get swords, cuirasses, spurs, bits irons etc. chromium bright is to burnish diem. They are first cleaned with metal polish and then burnished. A burnisher is a leather pad with small steel rings like chain mail sewn to it, arid the object to be burnished is rubbed very hard with this pad. The metal will come to chromium brightness if you use enough elbow grease. The object is then greased very lightly, or lacquered to preserve the shine; but before doing this, small objects can be kept dry and bright in a bag of bran.
By the way, the shoulder pieces of a trooper’s dress uniform, which look like pieces of chain mail, are in fact ornamental burnishers.
Bits, irons and spurs are ornamental enough to become collectors’ items, and they should be burnished as described, or by being put into a canvas bag with a handful of ball-bearings and swung around for a bit. It is air old trick to burnish a curb chain by folding it inside a big duster or piece of cloth, and then, holding both ends tightly, to swing it about with a circular motion.

Tags: Adhesives, aduster, armour, Battle, bond, brass, Burr, butt, careful restoration, component parts, decoration, excellent condition, experience, factor, firearms, flintlock, Furniture, gunpowder, gunsmiths, hammer, iaminimum, Interest, junk shops, metal polishes, mirror finish, muzzle, Norman, Normans, oake, old gun, old guns, patek philippe claw legs watch, patent ironstone china mark, patent ironstone china red and blue willow plate, patterns for cupboard doors, patterns of doors in chinese history, paul crespin and nicholas sprimont, paul crespin silver basket, paul follot, paul frankl biography, paul frankl desk curved edge top, paul frankl skyscraper, paw foot dresser value, peat bucket mahogany, pedestal lion head toilet, pedestal painted table 18th century", pedestal rectangular louis xv dining table, pembroke side tables, pembroke table 2 drawer drop leaf, pembroke table antique, pembroke table structure, pembroke tables value, pembrook furniture antique, pendule religieuse, pendulum bracket clock, pendulum clock antiquite imperiale, pennsylvania dutch sideboards, pennsylvania house chest of drawers 1959, pennsylvania house writing desk 9 drawer, pennsylvania walnut chipendale drop leaf table with cla, penwork cabinet, percussion, percussion lock, perieod regency center table, period art nouveau furniture auctions, period chaises longues to restore ebay uk, period chests, period of electicism, period stools, perspectiva cabinet, petite dropleaf antique, philip webb antiques, philip webb chest, philip webb sussex armchair, photo examples of 1930's usa stoneware, pictures of straight legged , pictures of antique beds made out of walnut in 1850's, pictures of antique chairs with tacks, pictures of antique clawfoot tables, pictures of antique washstands and commodes, pictures of antiue french provencial furnature, pictures of expensive antique pottery, pictures of innovative 1900's dining tables, pictures of painted antique china cabinets, pie crust table/imperial furniture co., pierced wood panels for cabinet doors, pierre langlois furniture george iii marquetry, pillar and scroll design card table with fruitwood vene, pillar leg sofa, pillar sofa, pine rectangle drop leaf table with end drawers, pine wardrobes + northwest england, pis of germany antique desk furniture of 1930, pitcher and basin sets with chamber pot, pivot, pivoting gateleg table, plain dutch style antique bedroom armoire, plain ironstone pottery, Rub, sandpaper, silicone, soap and water, spending money, stiff wire, stock, sword, technique, vices, warm water

The first revolvers produced by Philip Webley have already been mentioned greak modern firnuture. For some, years he seems to have manufactured revolvers on a modest scale, most of which were sold through dealers, who put their own names on both the weapons and their cases wash stands for center bowl. A number of them achieved the distinction of being purchased as Presentation pieces fiddle shape antique silverware. The following year saw the appearance of the first firearm which was to make the name of Webley so well known rockingham porcelain. This was the so-called R furniture by charles ashbee.I seventeenth century english stoneware.C arc design in drawing room. revolver, which was used to equip not only the Royal Irish Constabulary, after which it was named, but also several Colonial military and police forces, including the Cape Mounted *Rifles collecting clarice cliff. The barrel was short, being only 41 inches, with a calibre which was nominally ‘45o but actually ‘4′12, It had a solid frame, a six-chamber cylinder and took a centre-fire cartridge swan kandler plate. It established a considerable reputation for reliability, and was subsequently made in a number of different patterns and calibres pewter armchairs. It was still in active use in -many, parts of the world at the end of the nineteenth century antique english oak sideboard grape engraved.
A modified version of this revolver of rather lighter build and with a very short barrel of only 22 inches and ‘450 calibre was made in 1883 gueridon tripartite base table. It was adopted by the Metropolitan Police and various other police forces in Great Britain multipurpose dressing table. In Webley x7go—x953 there is the following interesting account of a remarkable feat by Henry Webley using this weapon:
`With this stubby weapon, designed purely as a short-ranged man-stopper, Henry Webley gave a demonstration of shooting that has probably never been surpassed with a similar arm antique china furstenberg. It was reported antique german furniture for sale.in many papers of the day, including The Standard, The Shooting Times, The Birmingham Daily Gazette, and the Birmingham Daily Mail wheat shaped dining table base. The following account is taken from the last paper, dated 21st May, 1884—” art deco furniture germany. antique japanese tea table. antique american tilt top pedestal table. In demonstrating to his police pupils the manner in which the revolver ought to be used, Mr antique game bird dinner plates. Webley fired five shots at nine yards at a target having a bulls eye two inches in diameter british dining table 19th century. The result was that the bullets were lodged in a space 2J in comtoise clocks longcase. by il in french chairs black leather. Then the range was increased to fifteen yards, and five shots were fired at a similar target, the bullets in this case being put into a space 21 in antique dining table with carved x shaped legs. by il in bugatti sideboard. The next move was made to a distance of twenty-five yards from the target, and at this range five shots were fired by Mr table octagon inlaid drawer european austrian. Webley indian interior low seating drawing room. The same undeviating accuracy was maintained, a surface 21 in 19th century louis xv mahogany french chest of draws floral inlaid wood with marble top and glass cabinet with cabriole legs. by 31 in 17th century painted cassone. being eugene gaillard chair. riddled, Having wit-, nessed the expertness of their instructor, the police sergeants had a little practice to themselves, - and soon satisfied Mr antique rotating dumbwaiter. Webley of their ability to make good use of their weapons at long and short ranges napolean empire furniture. The sergeants who took part in the experiments will in turn act as instructors to other members of the force marcel breuer pel. victorian draw leaf table. meissen dot period. papier mache tray-c19th.”‘
A very similar revolver with the same short barrel had been introduced in 1878 antique thonet wien 3 legged chair. It had a short rounded butt and was made in two calibres: ‘450 and -422 nabeshima antiques. This little weapon was very popular and was known everywhere as the ‘British Bulldog’ construction of antique teaspoons.
The success of the firm was established by the purchase, in 1877 of the patent taken out in November 1876 by Charles Pryse (of C american made ceramic french figurine. & J borghese lamps. Pryse & Co antique scandinavian raised panel flower painted & mirrors cabinet.) for a ‘break-open’ revolver with a barrel latch and a self-ejection system dining room sideboards that look gaudy. This, as shown in the quotation from Mr sheffield plate candelabra. Scurfield, was an extremely popular weapon wooden upholstered arm chair. It had a double-action lock and the first models had a calibre of •38 art nouveau, armchair stained wood and glass,1904. Later an Army pattern was produced with a calibre of ‘45 spanish revival sofa. This Webley-Pryse was the, forerunner of Webley’s Army revolvers, and its main features were embodied in the first of them,
In 188o the Webley-Kaufman appeared 19th century french shaving basin. This was a break-open revolver with a double-action, a five-chamber cylinder and a calibre of -45-
In 1882 Webley constructed his first revolver with both a break-open action and a simultaneous self-ejection system sheffield plate candelabra. This was basically the same method of opening and ejecting which has been retained by the firm of Webley ever since early 19th century french bureau. There followed in 18 86 Webley’s Mark I, which was virtually the 1882 revolver with some standardization of parts antique drop front desks. This was submitted to the Government, and after very thorough tests by the Board of Ordnance it was accepted as the official revolver for the Army “art deco dresser” and “marble top”. The calibre was -45 and the length of the barrel four inches art deco wooden chair.
The initial -order for the Army was io,000 revolvers, and a copy of the original letter is reproduced in Webley z7goz953• It reads as follows:
WAR OFFICE, PALL MALL, S what style of furniture is a kidney desk characterized as?.W tilt tea table chinoiserie.
`Gentlemen,
`In reply to your letter of the 25th ult art deco examples., I have to inform you that this Department undertakes to give you an order for io,000 Webley pattern revolvers at 61 — each on your completing a pattern for approval, delivery to be made at such times as may be agreed upon hereafter rectangular mahogany extension table square pedestal base bun feet. It is probable that from 2000 to 3000 could be taken before the 3 Ist March 18 8 8 hand of fatima with arabic writing.
`A formal contract with the necessary clauses shall be concluded directly the pattern is sealed antique new england drop front desk.
`I am, Gentlemen,
`Your obedient Servant, 18th century english crescent marks. painted sideboard pine maryland.
Two years later an improved model, the Mark II, was introduced dutch lion paw dining table. This had a larger hammer and an alteration to the shape of the grip bugatti sideboard. In the same year Webley made a special target model, the W sphinks wall tiles holland.G antique wooden commode with chamber pot. (or Webley-Green) german antique throne chair. It had a calibre of ‘476, and was made with two different barrel lengths, 6 inches and 71 inches 18th and 19th century silversmithing. The front and rear sights were both adjustable potters stoke on trent empire rococo.
A modified W telescoping table.G 1920’s antique mahogany tables. known as the ‘455 476 Army Model was produced in 1892 maggiolini and cabinet maker from the 17th century. It had a flared butt, six-inch barrel and was without the adjustable sights putti on dutch delftware. It was never an official revolver but was very popular with Army officers, and was in treasured use by many of them until -455 pistol ammunition ceased ‘to be an official issue antique blue glass desert. The writer had a gorgeous model, which, with a magnificent disregard for the modern vulgar craze for camouflage and concealment, was completely covered in nickel plate antique talavera for sale. Beautifully balanced and earning its fortunate owner many antique walnut writing table with pillar (post) legs. a bottle of beer on the revolver range, it was reluctantly retired when the ‘38 weapon finally replaced all the official large bore Webleys king george 1v tankard sheffield plate.
A modification of the standard Webley of 1889 was produced to meet the requirements of the Wilkinson Sword Company leg design for small tables. This `Wilkinson-Webley’ had a six-inch ribbed barrel, a modified grip, a bead foresight and a special cam lever antique tray. Most of the Wilkinson modifications were retained as permanent features, and the Mark III Webley of 18 93 was substantially the same as the Wilkinson-Webley, but with a four-inch barrel brass drum tables.
Meanwhile, in 1887 Webleys had taken over the firm of Tipping & Lawden, of Constitution Hill, Birmingham antique victorian wedgewood pottery smaa jug. In 1897 there was a further expansion owing to the amalgamation of Webleys with W jiajing ming porcelain. & C antique ivory and silver tableware. Scott & Son, and Richard Ellis & Son commodore perry corner cabinet. As a result the concern became a Public Company which was registered under the name of the Webley & Scott Revolver and Arms Co istoriato china., Ltd petite french mantel antique clocks.
The french 17th century furniture gentleman’s dresser.firm of W johann carl schoenheit meissen. & C lady’s bureau: henry van de velde. Scott & Son had been founded in Birmingham by William Scott, who set up an establishment in Bath Street in 1834 antique drum shaped table. He was later joined by his two sons, W “chest of drawers”  cherry  1840s. M porcelain spanish dancers. Scott and James C queen chamber pot. Scott drop leaf tea table spanish. In due course the business was transferred to a new building in Lancaster Street, Birmingham, entitled the Premier Gun Works czechoslovakian quality porcelain.
The Mark IV Webley was produced just before the Boer war, and was the standard revolver issued to the troops for the campaigns in South Africa antique 17th century dresser. There were two different lengths of barrel: four inches and six inches; and the hammer was smaller than that of its predecessors crockery cabinet design. The Mark IV was manufactured until 1914- It was succeeded by the Mark V, in which the cylinder diameter was increased by -on inch for nitro powder english column candlestick creamware. A few of these revolvers had six-inch barrels, but they were practically all four-inch czechoslovakia antiques. The short-barrelled model of both the Mark IV and the Mark V was used to equip the- mounted troops in the First World War antique glass epergne.
Twenty thousand of the Mark V were ordered, and with the completion of this contract in 191 5, a new weapon for the Army, the Mark VI, was introduced antique mahogany tea table. This, the best known of all etruscan pottery olive. Webley revolvers, became the universal short range weapon spanish cabinets. It had a six-inch barrel (though a few were made with a four-inch one), altered sights and a modified grip bureau plat charles boulle. The contract stipulated a weekly delivery o•,25oo; and, in all, some 300,000 were delivered france antique collectors.
10 1921 Enfield took over the manufacture of the Mark VI, under the official name of the Pistol, Revolver, Webley, Mark VI 16th century florentine italian credenza. In 1700 french fashion pattern book. 19,26 it was renamed the Pistol, Revolver, No collecting antique brass candlesticks. r, Mark VI; though it was still known universally as the Webley revolver for the remainder of its official career crackle glaze jazz figures 1920s.
Already mercury barometer. in 1922 it had been officially decided that a lighter revolver of smaller calibre was required, if one could be produced with equal, or nearly equal, stopping power french neo-rococo marble top table. Webley & Scott Ltd tea table with gated legs. (the name which the Company had adopted in 1906) were requested to carry out’ experiments antique wales footed dessert platter. The result was a -38 calibre revolver which was in all essentials a smaller version of the Mark VI, and modelled in part on the ‘38 police model Webley which had been produced in 1897 charles mackintosh wardrobe. Like the previous Webleys, the new ‘38 had a lead bullet, and the cartridge charge gave it a greater muzzle velocity than had been achieved with any previous cartridge of the same length in this calibre walnut armchair josef urban art noveau. The lead bullet, to comply with the Geneva Convention, was ultimately replaced by one with a nickel cover japanese mother of pearl furniture.
In 1929 russian oak parquetry refectory table. production of the new revolver was put in hand, but it was made at Enfield as the Pistol, Revolver, No bugatti furniture range. 2, Mark I, and differed slightly from the original Webley conception antique book ends. The firm of Webley, in the meantime, went ahead with the manufacture of their baroque table clocks of gilded brass 17th century.own Mark IV ‘38 (the earlier police revolver having been Mark III) inlaid refectory table. Large numbers of these ‘38 Webleys were produced for the Army in the Second World War; and this explains the appearance of two apparently similar weapons; one called ‘Enfield’ and the other ‘Webley’ value of apostle teaspoons’.
The introduction of the ‘38 was much criticized at the time, since it was antique spanish candlesticks. held that the smaller bullet could not compare in stopping power with the old heavy lead ‘455 bullet space saving rectangular drop leaf tables. It is certainly a lighter revolver and easier to handle, but whether it permits any more accurate shooting in the hands of the trained shot is a moot point art deco burr walnut - antiques. The writer, in any case, could never make such good practice with it as he could with his old W epergne glass dish.G burr antique table. During the War, for a reason as yet unexplained, some Enfield ’38’s were made which could only fire double-action-, cocus wood oyster veneered. and were designated Mark I* rococo music. The only modification was the removal of the single-action bent “chinese screen” and “mother of pearl”.
A large number of American Smith and Wesson revolvers Of ‘38 calibre were made for the British Army during the Second World War brass frame girandole. As a ‘455 calibre weapon the Smith and Wesson had always been popular and had been purchased extensively as an officers’ private weapon 17th century tea tray. Instead of breaking open, the frame is solid and the cylinder swings out to the left louis xiv antique dining table designs. Ejection has to be carried out as a separate operation by pushing a rod attached to the front of the cylinder neoclassical sheraton style butlers sideboard.

Tags: antique silverware, armchairs, armour, barrel, calibre, clock, Company, drawing room, dressing table, establishment, fiddle, form, Furniture, gentlemen, germ, hammer, Lancaster Street, mahogany, marjorie townley, marked decorchemont, markings on chippendale furniture, marks of famous 19th century furniture makers, marquetry +galle +tray, marquetry furniture, marquetry louis cubes, marquetry louis xv kidney shaped tables with flower inl, marquetry maggiolini, marquetry mahogany desk, marquetry tables, masculine leather study furniture, mason's ironstone marks, mason's ironstone of stoke-on trent, mason's ironstone patterns, mason's ironstone regency pattern, mason's patent ironstone china, mason's patent ironstone regency, masons ironestone ware, masons ironstone willow pattern china, masons oak shape ironstone, masons oriental design pottery, mass produced art from china, matthew boulton candelabra value, mayodon france nude, measuring isopon, mechanical inset and drop leaf antique dining table, mechanical movements design, medevil style dining table, medieval tripod table, meissen "scattered flowers", meissen candlesticks blue, meissen elephant, meissen figurines of wind and sea, meissen harlequin kandler, meissen pastoral clock, meissen patterns, meissen porcelain 19th century elephant, meissen porcelain busts, meissen porcelain cube, meissen porcelain medallions, meissen porcelain pagoda, meissen porcelain urns bolted with gold scales, meissen porcelain?pagoda, meissen reproductions elephant kirchner, meissen textured elephant, merchant class on art, metal occasional cabinet, metropolitan police, meubles antique spain, michael thonet bentwood chairs-1929, nineteenth century, oak, oak sideboard, police forces, porcelain, remarkable feat, revolver, Richard Ellis, royal irish constabulary, Scott Revolver, Scurfield, silversmith, South Africa, spanish, weapon, webley, William, William Scott

When the revolver, or pistol with a revolving chamber, was first adopted in the British Army, the principle was by no means a new one ash gateleg extenstion table. As far back as the middle of the seventeenth century John Dafte of London had made a revolver-carbine with a cylinder, turned by hand, containing six chambers johnson “antique card table”. Powder and ball were inserted into the front of each chamber, and a spring catch on the barrel engaged in slots to hold chambers in turn in the firing position bookcase islamic style.dwg. Each chamber had a 17th century dutch small cupboard value. separate flash-pan, with a sliding pan cover which was opened by a link attached to the cock, as the latter struck the steel 18th century chambersticks. The lock was of the snaphaunce variety with a separate steel 19th century dressers.
Nevertheless) after a certain initial popularity in the seventeenth century, little more was heard of revolver-pistols or carbines until the appearance on the gunmaking stage of Elisha Hayden Collier edwardian c19th construction buildings. Collier was an American gunsmith of Boston, Massachusetts antique english knights dining tables. In about 1810 he succeeded in making a practical pistol with a revolving cylinder, which was turned by hand china made in czechoslovakia. He was not, of course, the first to do this, but the Collier mechanism was infinitely superior to anything which had preceded it coop dresser. The priming mechanism was ingeniou§ meissen harlequin kandler. There was only one flash-pan, instead of one to each chamber, and this was recharged automatically from a magazine after each shot walnut versus maghony drop leaf table. The magazine was fitted on the flash-pan cover and incorporated a ratchet and pawl mechanism which was actuated by the closing of the pan art deco furniture  antique shop california. Collier used a novel and ingenious system to align the chambers with the bore of the barrel antique furniture 1800. The front of each chamber was countersunk and fitted over a cone on the rear of the barrel pictures of antique spider leg tables. A spring held the cylinder in position, and to move the cylinder round, it was pressed back against the spring to free the chamber which had been in the firing position from its cone seating century hepplewhite walnut card table. During the actual moment of firing the pressure of the spring was augmented by a steel wedge operated by the movement of the cock antique small oval drop leaf table. This mechanism produced a very close and firm union between barrel and cylinder antique tudor furniture. All Collier revolver weapons operated on the same principle carved top gateleg coffee table.
The Collier revolvers were extremely good, but, unfortunately, very expensive to manufacture czechoslovakian lusterware. Collier was unable to interest either American private capital or the United States Government, and, accordingly, he left for England in 1811 robert jupe table. There he established a shop at 45 The Strand, London, and was granted a Royal Patent,
In England Collier seems to have made a number of revolving arms for the forces of the East India Company, including both pistols and carbines “english cabinet”  dining  antique  amsterdam. The pistol was 14 inches long, with octagonal smooth-bore barrel, 61 inches in length and with a calibre of ‘47 inch trestle table lyre base. In 1852 he returned to the United States and reopened his old gunshop in Boston francois linke.
During the first decade of the nineteenth century Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States finest candelabras. The son of a merchant, he was destined to become the most famous maker of revolving pistols: so much so that the terms revolver and Colt were at one time almost synonymous art deco antique dresser. Samuel Colt, however, does not seem to have had any ambitions to become a gunsmith in his earlier days anantique pembroke tables with two drawers. Indeed, at a comparatively youthful age he announced his intention of becoming a lecturer revolving bookcase drum table. Even in the United States lecturing cannot have offered a promising career, and one does not imagine that Colt’s parents greeted the idea with any enthusiasm regency ironstone marks blue. Nevertheless, he chose the somewhat original subject of laughing gas, and whilst still below the age of twenty gave platform demonstrations of his subject art deco furniture dining table  copy of the duke. He travelled under the name of Dr painted antique wine cooler. Coult of New York, London and Calcutta, and his lectures really did take him to these places antique oval dutch table. Whilst in Calcutta, in fact, he took notes on a Collier arm wooden arm chair pedestal castor antique oak. This was probably one of the revolvers which had been made by Collier for the East India Company pine “coaching table”.
It may have been this Collier weapon which first really aroused Colt’s interest in firearms stone china george jones stoke on trent. At any rate he took careful note of its construction and complex mechanism indian interior low seating drawing room. During the voyage back to America Colt whittled away at a piece of wood, shaping the design of a model of a revolver which should be based on Collier’s system but have a much simpler mechanism antique table top wooden book stand.
After his return to the United States, Colt took his wooden model to a pattern-maker of Hartford named Anton Chase, From this Chase made Colt’s first revolver english antique consoles. Whilst in many respects a great advance on the Collier arms, the first Colts suffered from a faulty cylinder design which could result in the explosion of one charge igniting all the others antique dutch rococo serpentine pine chest. In front of the cylinder was a plate which was intended to prevent the balls rolling out of the chambers scandinavian aesthetic. This plate, however, had the disadvantage that a lateral flame leak from the firing chamber was liable to be deflected by it to another chamber, resulting in a chain of explosions in all the remaining chambers in the cylinder french gesso painted 18th century console. Apart from the damage to the weapon, the random discharge of bullets was, at the least, disconcerting antique carved trestle table.
Colt’s laughing-gas show was apparently still a very profitable source of income; for he used it now to finance his revolver experiments german buffet furniture. Indirectly, too, the laughing gas was responsible for Colt revolvers being ultimately adopted by the United States Army fake ironstone pottery. Colt was booked to give his lectures at the Baltimore Museum, and there he met and interested Joseph Walker the director tilt top bird cage table 1740’s. Walker had a relation of the same name who was a captain in the Army; and some time later it was his influence which led the military authorities to accept Colt’s invention art deco sideboard legs.
Colt’s first essay at production seems to have been in conjunction with a gunsmith named Pearson, who was to receive a fixed salary in return for paying the rental of a shop and forge antique ceramic wine coolers. The combination resulted in a small number of revolving pistols and rifles 12 arts and crafts dining chairs. Colt’s income, however, was not yet on a very sound basis, and the partnership broke up somewhat abruptly owing to Pearson’s salary being chronically some months in arrears arts and crafts furniture, antique collectors.
The flame leak trouble in Colt’s arms was finally remedied by removing the frontal plate, and providing a loading lever which drove a slightly oversize ball into the chamber reproduction quality 19th century louis xv fauteuil (armchair) with a rococo hand-carved, floral-scrolled, giltwood frame,. This both prevented the nuisance of the bullet rolling out accidentally and sealed the charge biedermeier gothic commode.
Colt obtained patents in Great Britain, France and the United States in 1835, and his fortunes began to improve hepplewhite revival foldover dining table. The Patent Arms Manufacturing Company of Paterson, New Jersey, set up a plant for the production of Colt rifles and revolvers barker brothers furniture. The revolvers were turned out in a number of different models vienna-style trembleuse. There were three different sizes of frame, and a variety of different barrel lengths and calibres antique french ormulu furniture. In the smallest category the barrels ranged from 21 inches to 4J inches in length, and there were calibres of -28, -31 and ‘34 inches drop leaf table stable base. The next size frame was intended to be carried on a belt, and embraced barrels of from 4 to 6 inches and calibres Of -31 and ‘34 parts of chambersticks. The largest size was a holster weapon with barrels ranging from 4 to 12 inches, all with a calibre of ‘36 etling france 110 “opalescent glass”.
In 1840 the Patent Arms Company failed financially, and five years later the Colt plant was forced to close antique oak drop leaf table with casters. Samuel Colt art deco ceramics. was now back on the rocks with no establishment, no machinery and precious antique pottery matt green tea decanter. little money opalescent etched glass. At this juncture, however, fortune presented Samuel Colt with a war; for in 1846 hostilities broke out between the United States and Mexico sedish design daybed. Ten years previously Captain Walker had used Colt revolving rifles in one of the Indian campaigns, and had been very favourably impressed with them czechoslovakian antique porcelain. He now obtained authority from the Secretary of War to order i000 Colt revolvers hankerchief table mahogany. To meet this order Colt persuaded Eli Whitney, Junior; to undertake the manufacture, and embodied some improvements suggested by Walker as a result of practical experience kent extending antique table.
These first military Colts were of -44 calibre with a barrel length of nine inches table octagon marquetry drawer. Their immediate success resulted in an order for a further i000 antique 17th century drop leaf tables. By this time Colt had established a factory of his own at Hartford, and was consequently able to manufacture the revolvers for the new order himself european antique lectern pedestal table. They differed from the 18th century austrian porcelain. earlier batch in having shorter barrels of 71 inches, and the length of the cylinders was reduced by a quarter of an inch “french trestle tables”. They were subsequently known as ‘Hartford Dragoons’ antique desk makers collector.
In 1848 Colt produced the best known and most successful of all his muzzle-loading revolvers antique draw table trestle. This was the so-called `Navy Colt’ oriental writing bureau cabinet. It had the same barrel length as the ‘Dragoon’ but was a much lighter weapon, with a calibre of only -36 inch josef hoffmann chair. It had a rifling of seven grooves and a six-chamber cylinder secretaire art deco. The mechanism was single action, and cocked by the thumb antique rosewood dining table lion feet. On the earlier models, at any rate, the cylinder was engraved with the picture of a fight at sea, and this is supposed to have been the reason for the popular name of the weapon pictures of early to mid 1800 dressing tables.
The Navy Colt was not without its faults “lit en bateau”. Certain of the components were very liable to break, but Colt overcame this drawback by supplying an enormous quantity of spares for the weak parts, and distributing them to all the establishments of contemporary American civilization where they were likely to be requested art nouveau sideboard.
The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace was opened in 1851, and Samuel Colt, now a Colonel, seized the opportunity to assault the English market serving sideboards. Subsequent events have been most entertainingly described by Mr antique dresser with turned leg. R silver forks. Scurfield in his outstanding article, ‘Early British Regulation Revolvers’, published in the Journal of the Society for ,Yrmy Historical Research porcelain butterfly: french symbolist poets, verlaine. He says:
`It is notable that (except in America) all revolvers were regarded with suspicion before 1851—the year of the Great Exhibition—although they had been in fairly wide circulation from the x82o’s, when the first hand-rotated “pepperpots”, built on the bodies of centre-hammer percussion pocket pistols, appeared end table ivory inlaid india wwii. The reason for this distrust was a two-fold one: in the first place, all the pre-1852 English types (with perhaps one exception) had radial nipples (i antique desk when thay were made.e rectangular oak gateleg table., nipples at right-angles to the bore), and the result was that in the small calibres generally used fouling accumulated in the chambers under the nipples and caused miss-fires; in the second place, the actions were so defective in design (and often in workmanship as well) that they could not be relied upon to work properly; result, more miss-fires, especially in the very numerous self-cocking pistols double roll antique desk. Thus, so far as the armed forces were concerned, the authorities found their inevitable reluctance to introduce a new weapon for the rank and file supported for once by well-founded practical and technical considerations, while officers (although a few did experiment with larger calibre “pepperpots” and “transition” revolvers, the latter mostly thumb-cocking) hesitated for the most part to discard their powerful and trustworthy single or double-barrelled pistols telescoping dining table. The net result was that the revolver was ignored, or condemned as a new-fangled toy, in the Army and Navy indian vernacular furniture. `But the Great Exhibition changed all that pennsylvania dutch antique china cabinet hand painted pictures. Not only was the Colt revolving pistol on show, in several calibres and barrel lengths, but the great Colonel Sam Colt himself came to London, equipped with a large number of presentation revolvers (engraved, silver-plated, and ivory-butted) for distribution in interested and influential quarters, and exercising his undoubted talent for commercial publicity (of which dubious art he can be regarded as the father); and to everyone’s surprise the English gun trade produced, and exhibited, a rival to the Colt—a rival at least as good, if not better art deco inlay dresser. This was the Adams revolver, the invention of Robert Adams, a partner in the firm of Deane, Adams & Deane, of King William Street in the City birmingham silver finial designs. Adams, too, had a very good idea of the value of publicity and surprise, for he appears to have kept his new arm perfectly and completely in the dark until the Exhibition opened; it was not even patented until February, 18 5 1 17th century japanese imari porcelain.
`But there was to be no more indifference to the revolver in those circles interested in firearms decoart. The value of the Adams and the Colt was plain to all, and the old objections no longer held good; but a prolonged and most entertaining controversy, based essentially (apart from personalities, especially the personality of Sam Colt, who seems to have made as many enemies as friends) on the relative excellence of self-cocking (Adams) and thumb-cocking (Colt) actions went on intermittently until it was eventually decided (for Englishmen, at any rate) in favour of the Adams antique hanging corner display cabinet. The most amusing event in the squabble seems to have been a public lecture on his revolver by Colonel Colt, which was interrupted by a partisan of the Adams (some say Robert Adams himself) leaping to his feet brandishing a specimen of that make of pistol, and shouting to make himself heard in its praise-, after which the proceedings degenerated into a wrangle which soon became a free-for-all german cabinet-makers of the 18th century.’
Robert Adams, who had produced such a dramatic challenge to Colt, was associated with his brother John and John Deane in the firm of Deane, Adams and Deane 3 tiered dessert table mahogany antique rectangular. The partnership was only formed in 1851, presumably to manufacture the Adams revolvers, and was dissolved again five years later victorian tripod small table pillar and claw. In this short period, however, both the original revolver and all the various modifications to it appeared imatation marble antique bedromm suit.
At this stage, before describing Robert Adams’ designs, it would be well to consider the terms single-action and double-action as used in connection with revolvers; for their meanings seem to have altered during the course of the years antique victorian wood stool chamber pot. Originally `thumb-cocking’ was applied to an action in which the hammer was cocked by hand, and the movement at the same time actuated the pawl which rotated the cylinder to the next chamber and locked it in position while the shot was fired 1970s ashtray “art deco” style. `Self-cocking’, on the other hand, was used of an action where the pull on the trigger first cocked the hammer, at the same time performing the other actions mentioned above, and then released the hammer to fire the shot new deco furniture. Both these types were called single-action ebonized aesthetic movement credenza. A double-action revolver implied one which could be either self-cocked or thumb-cocked george ii burr walnut tallboy. But now, in the Fighting Services at any rate, thumb-cocking is described as single-action, and self-cocking as double-action antique bed acanthus paw feet. The future use of these terms in this work will refer to their modern meaning candelabra made in england.
Samuel Colt used single-action, whilst Robert Adams’ revolvers were double-action delatte nancy. Single-action was popular since only a light pull was required to release the hammer: a great help to accurate shooting antique coffee tables carved with romans playing instruments under oval glass. In addition it permitted very rapid fire, by ‘fanning’ the hammer 18th century chest antique. This method of shooting consisted of tying back the trigger, or holding it in the fire position, and flicking the hammer back with the palm of the free hand wedgewood porcelain swan base for pots de creme. An expert could fire six aimed shots in under three seconds, which made this method of using a Colt very popular in those parts where the American way of life was still somewhat uninhibited antique mahogany satin wood inlay and metal tray antique mahogany satin wood inlay and metal tray.
Double-action, on the other hand, had many advantages in the heat of battle when targets might present themselves quickly and from unexpected* directions doucai ming. It was then simpler and safer to pull the trigger only, rather than to co-ordinate the actions of finger and thumb cabriole iron legs table. Further, if slower than `fanning’, double-action could produce a much faster rate of fire than single-action antique dressing table with mirror for women ( designs).
Adams’ revolvers differed most-strongly from Colt’s in being double-action oval lacquer tea table. In addition, however, they were far more strongly made, since the barrel and body were forged in one piece english ironstone pottery. The cylinder, on the other hand, only had five chambers as compared with six in the case of the Colt bentwood rocking chair 1880 uk.
There were five models of the first Adams revolvers english hepplewhite revolving rent table. The largest had a 71-inch barrel of -50-inch calibre antique furniture 1800. The next size was much smaller with a 543-inch barrel and a calibre of ‘45 inch louis xv dining tables 8. Following this, a slightly longer barrel of 6 inches was combined with a smaller calibre of ‘38 inches antique commode on legs. Then came-a 41-inch barrel with -32 calibre; and a very small weapon with 3-11 lions paw on antique furniture.- inches of barrel and only -24-inch calibre royal vienna porcelain signed meyer.
In 1854 the ‘Government set up a Select Committee on Small Arms, and this body arranged for tests at Woolwich Arsenal to assess the relative merits of the Colt and Adams revolvers checkoslovakian glass decanter. The tests do not seem to have established a marked superiority by, either weapon gate leg drop leaf tables. The Select Committee preferred the Adams, but their report presumably showed that the margin value for antique china made in austria.of preference was very narrow, for the War Office purchased a large number of Colts in the following year cylinder bureau german. Most of these were issued to the Navy how to repair veneer table on couch.
In 1855 a great improvement was made in the Adams revolver by the incorporation of an invention by Captain F 19th century english cabinet makers. B staffordshire pearlware figures french revolution. E english george iii hepplewhite satinwood bedside cabinet. Beaumont, R paul de lamerie reproduction.E louis sue furniture dressing table 1933., by which the weapon could be used for either single- or double-action antiqu. This pattern of revolver was accepted for the Army, since it obviously embodied the advantages of both the Colt and the original Adams gateleg table imperial furniture. The following year it was succeeded by a similar but slightly improved model, and the last revolver which Robert Adams designed mid centru drum side table.
The Beaumont invention ruined Colt’s English market, and in 1857 the new Pimlico factory and the shop and show-room at No “brass drum tables”. i Spring Gardens, Cockspur Street, London, were closed down, and the American technicians recrossed antique rococo figurines. the Atlantic antique gate legged drop leaf table. The Colt connection was retained by a sales and show room which was established at 14 Pall Mall, where Colt arms made in America could be purchased rosewood chaise lounge 19c. Nevertheless, in spite of the short life of Colt’s English establishment, his revolvers lasted for a long time in the Navy art nouveau france origins. They remained as standard arms until 1862, and some may have remained in use until after 1880 can decorative moulding be antique bookcase.
The Adams revolvers were purchased by the Government, rather oddly, in two different calibres: -So and ‘45 inches; and were apparently issued quite indiscriminately; though there were far more of the smaller calibre serving tables.
In 1856 the Deane and Adams partnership split up antique tambour dining table -clock -desk. Robert and John Adams formed with the assistance of John Kerr (of Kerr & Co arita imari mark., gunmakers, in which he was in partnership with his brother James) the London Armoury Co arita kraak. This new firm took over all the Adams patents antique double pedestal dining room table. In 1858 Kerr & Co antigue oak mid century dining table with draw out leaves. produced a single-action revolver with a 51-inch barrel and made in two made in czechoslovakia initials. different calibres of ‘44 and ‘38 inches fire screen table. A year later they made a double-action revolver late pembroke breakfast table value. The Kerr patents were taken over in turn by the London Armoury Co antique spiral leg oak dropleaf table., and the revolvers were adopted officially by the Portuguese Army and purchased by the Confederate States of America berkey and gay.
In the meantime John Deane had opened his own establish-ment in London Bridge Stfeet, in London; and in 1858 had taken over the percussion revolver patents of William Harding 1930s drop leaf sofa tables. The weapon which was subsequently manufactured was known as the ‘Deane-Harding’ revolver antique 6 ft. st. louis credenza values. It was a double-action piece made in two calibres of ‘44 and -32 inches collapsible antique wardrobe. It had a very complicated lock, and for this reason was rejected as a Service weapon 16th century trestle refectory table. It was, however, much purchased privately by officers of both the British and ‘John Company’s’ Armies what types of materials were used in george hepplewhite furniture. In addition, the Confederate Government purchased a number of Deane-Hardings antique 19th mahogany hepplewhite card table.
Closely associated with the Adams brother’s was a relation or connection named William Tranter; a Birmingham gunsmith who later opened an establishment in London antique talavera for sale. There he manufactured many of the Adams revolvers grand furniture russia. In 1853 he patented a revolver of his own antique trestle refectory table. This had the peculiar feature of two triggers vilas furniture antique. One was for cocking the hammer and the other for firing rookwood nursery tiles. Three years later he brought out an improved type which had only, one trigger and double-action leopold stickly table 1959. There were three classes of this model: the ‘Dragoon’, of -So calibre and a barrel length Of 71 or 8 inches; the ‘Navy, ‘44 calibre and barrel 51 or 6J inches; and the small ‘Pocket’, ‘32 calibre and barrel 4 inches pattern for making victorian wash stands. Of these, the ‘Dragoon’ could be supplied with a detachable carbine stock 18th century antique gate leg table.
In 1858 Tranter secured a Government contract for his `Dragoon’ and ‘Navy’ models italian,furniture,maker,address.

Tags: american gunsmith, antique collectors, antique furniture, antique shop, appearance, armour, art deco furniture, arts and crafts, Baroque, boston massachusetts, british army, cabinet, calibre, carbine, carbines, construction buildings, dining tables, drop leaf table, enfield, English, english knights, fire, Fixed, frieze drawer, glass, Gunmakers, hankerchief, ingenious system, initial popularity, Ireland, islamic style, jupe, kandler, knife, London, mahogany, money, Owen Jones, Police, queen anne legs, ratchet and pawl, regency, revolver pistols, Rollin White, serving table, seventeenth century, silversmith, small to large modern gateleg dining table with leaves, small trayed mohogany antiques tables, smoking accessories, sofa casters, sofa table, solid rosewood furniture, solid silver candlesticks english, solid silver metal baskets and bowls, somerset dresser mahogany, southern spanish pottery, space-saving drop-leaf table, spanish antique furniture 16th century draw tables, spanish card table, spanish carved cabinet, spanish designer art neuvau, spanish empire coat of arms bar funiture antique, spanish potter mark, spanish pottery collectors, spanish pottery rabbits, spanish revival antique dining chairs, spanish revival coffee table, spanish sideboards, spanish turned columns, speed moderne art deco armchair, spider leg coffee table, spider leg table base plan, spider legs furniture, spiral leg antique furniture, splayed legs on art deco chairs, spode oriental pattern covered dishes, spode willow pattern manufacturers marks, spring catch, square antique oak lamp table with glass claw feet made, square drop leaf antique card table with ashtrays claw , square glass serving tray with legs, square pembroke table, staffordshire doric porcelain, staffordshire figure walton, staffordshire flatback figures on ebay, staffordshire ironstone pottery large roses, staffordshire ironstone with large roses, staffordshire ironstone/willow, staffordshire rococo revival porcelain, staffordshire teapots by enoch booth, staffordshire underglaze ironstone tableware, standard supports, standing antique with ivory inlay, steuben octagon shaped stemware, steubenville dishware cursive, stickley argyle street design table, stickley cherry dining, stinkwood clawfoot glass cabinet, stoke on trent pottery greek key, stoneware chelsea american, straight high backed oak chair, strap hinges for blanket chests, striking lantern clock, strip lacquer from mahogany, stuart cross and olive cut glass stemware history, stuart gateleg tables, stuart king turning windsor chair parts on you tube, styles of european pottery blue glaze, styles of silverware knives, stylized birds in bauhaus, subtle harlequin patterns, susie cooper beechwood prices, susie cooper nosegay, sutherland drop leaf table, sutherland gateleg table, sutherland style victorian gateleg drop leaf table, sutherland victorian table, suzanne lalique signiture, sveven thousand years of greek antique art, United States, William

The new serjeant’s pike was nine feet in length with a spear head which screwed into a socket and a cross-piece to prevent the head from penetrating too far signatures of art deco cabinet makers paris . The wooden shaft was painted white in order to show up the polished metal parts antique chinese chicken coop .
The recognition that the sword was now the officer’s primary weapon led to some apparent anxiety as to the suitability of the various regimental patterns, for the General Order which abolished spontoons said that infantry officers were to ‘provide themselves with a strong substantial uniform sword with a straight cut-and-thrust blade, an inch broad at the shoulder and 32 inches long antique bugatti table . The hilt, if not steel, to be either gilt or silver according to the buttons on the uniforms antique collectors .’ In accordance with existing policy all details of design were left to regiments, but the stipulated width at the shoulder ensured a fairly substantial blade 16th century settee .
The period of regimentally designed swords, however, was drawing to an end 1930’s austro-hungarian furniture . The first to be dealt with were the cavalry 19th century regency antique furniture .
By the 1780’s it appears that all Light Dragoon regiments had stirrup hilts to their swords, formed by bending one quillon up to join the pommel, and most blades were curved in varying degrees 18th century cabinets to hold chamber pots . They remained fairly short, for Light Dragoons, unlike the ‘heavies’, wore their swords when dismounted instead of leaving them on the horse french empire desk cabinet maker logo .
Of the heavy cavalry the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons were noted in an Inspection Return of 1777 as having ‘new swords being made’ ant cherry antique dictionary tables . These new swords had half basket-hilts, and were perhaps of similar design to the earlier Dragoon sword already mentioned scottish flame mahogany chest of drawers .
In 1788 a Board of General Officers on the clothing and equipment of the cavalry passed resolutions regarding the swords most suitable for both light and heavy cavalry modern oriental writing bureau .
That in respect of the light cavalry said: `Regimental swords and sabres for Light Dragoons veneer inlay 1940 bedroom set antique . The hilt to be of the same form as used by the Light Dragoons and to be 5 ins antique centre table with caryatid legs . long in the grip antique center tables . The blade to be 36 ins king george drop leaf gateleg table . long and the curve in the centre to be i I ins john toulouse porcelain modeller . from the straight line antique austria 1855 - 1953 statues . The breadth to be i-j- ins george i folding card table antique . long in the shoulder antique drop leaf table federal period . The blade to be I ins antique silver gravy boat . thick and to finish about II ins circular glass pedestal dining table . from the point rectangular drop leaf sofa table . Officers’ swords for all the regiments of cavalry to be uniform with those of the men 1918 1940 usa design trends creators raymond loewy .’
For the heavy cavalry the resolution was:
`That the hilts of the swords of the regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons be half basket, the same as those of the 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons cabriole in architecture . The grip from the guard to the point of the button to be 7-r8x in antique tea kettle . The blade to be 3 ft double gate drop leaf table antique . 9 in english ironstone potteries ltd . long from the guard to the point meissen kandler . The breadth of the blade at the shoulder to be 1 5/12 in oak chamber pot chair ., and the back to be
in recognizing antiques pembroke table . thick and to finish about 14 in lovers on a swing’ meissen porcelain . from the point “antique sheffield silver dresser” .’
This was the first time that such detailed specifications had been drawn up for the swords of the Army serving epergne . There was little, if any, room for regimental variation, and even the officers’ swords had to conform to the official pattern silver forks made in italy . The most striking feature was the very great length of the-heavy cavalry sword antique music cabinete with mirror at the top .
On the 14th November 1796 a Royal Warrant was issued which contained regulations governing the design and pattern of the swords of the cavalry; and in the same year a General Order gave instructions regarding the swords to be worn by officers of the infantry irish, intricately carved lion paw, oak dining table, 1800’s, 6 leafs . Thus for the first time there were official patterns for practically all personal weapons in the Army fiddleback walnut .
The new infantry officer’s sword was described in the General Order as follows:
`The sword to have a brass guard, pommel and shell gilt with gold and the grip or handle of silver twisted wire antique english ironstone . The blade to be straight and made to cut and thrust; to be at least i in 1920s and 1930s hand painted enamel posters . broad at the shoulder and 32 in example of 18th century wooden handle silverware . in length conformable to former orders given in 178′6 types of timepieces in ancient times with pictures of it .’
Thus the dimensions of the blade ordered in, 1786 were retained, but the design of the hilt was also now governed by a regulation cylindrical crock eared handles cobalt blue . The General Order was probably accompanied by a drawing, for precisely the same pattern of hilt was common to all the regiments of Foot antique furniture marks . It had a flat ’shell’, or plate, at the top of the blade, with a heart-shaped indentation at front and rear are mahogany drum tables in demand . On the underneath side of the plate ornamental decoration connected the two indentations and surrounded the blade antique dresser teardrop mirror . From the rear indentation protruded the stump of
• quillon terminating in an acorn muller freres chandelier . From the front indentation
• single-bar popular antique american earthenware brown . knuckle guard rose in a curve to the base of the pommel old fashioned dutch dining tables . The pommel was urn-shaped antique sofas 1920 . Round the knuckle guard was twisted a crimson and gold sword-knot, ending in a tassel knife urns .
Old habits, however, died hard antique golden oak drop leaf table . Whilst in general the orders were adhered to, a practice arose in some regiments of wearing sabres, or swords with curved blades american empire sofa . In most regiments it became the custom for officers in Light companies to wear sabres fitted with a form of the Light Dragoon stirrup hilt antique table turned feet . So general did this practice become that by r 81 5 it seems to have been recognized, perhaps unofficially, by the Authorities verlys holophane .
The Warrant of 1796 directed that for the heavy cavalry:
`A new sword 35 in, long in the blade is to be substituted in lieu of that now in use, having been found unmanageable owing to the length of the blade and the weight of the hilt “u shaped” coffee table mahogany . The rivet which fixes the*back of the hilt to the middle of the handle to go through the shank of the blade and the back to be well rivetted near the guard directoire napoleon furniture . The shank of the blade to be large and the top of the scabbard to be made to take off for the easier replacing of the same value of iron table lamp made in 1940’s .
The instruction does not contain many details of the sword, but again it was probably supported by a drawing harlequin pattern period furniture . This was almost certainly the heavy cavalry sword which was used throughout the Napoleonic wars, since there is no evidence of any other pattern being introduced before 1822 antique alcove sofa . The hilt of this weapon was of steel and consisted of a flat disc which was pierced with holes, with a short projection at the rear, and the front tapering to a knuckle guard which was curved to the pommel cantagalli marks . It was an ugly design black desk curved legs . The blade was peculiar in that it finished in a hatchet point and could thus only be used for cutting viennese chairs . On the whole this was probably the worst sword which was ever issued to the British Army 18th century horoldt augsburg vases . Even the allegedly unmanageable weapon which it replaced at least gave far better protection to the hand and could be used for thrusting william hogarth + nicholas sprimont .
If the heavy cavalry sword was the worst the Army ever had, the light cavalry sword was almost certainly the best rectangular drop leaf 5 leg dining table with 4 leaves . The Royal Warrant retained the pattern recommended by the Board of General Officers in 1788, but shortened the blade by some three inches florals in british furniture . It was described as: ‘A sabre to be of the pattern last approved by Us and the length of the blade to be 321 ins art deco regency mahogony . or 33 ins scandinavian aesthetic . measured in a straight line from the hilt to the point but not to exceed the latter measurement’ scottish chest drawers . With the shorter length, of course, the same deviation from, the straight line would result in the blade having a more pronounced curve than the 1788 pattern yabu fruit .
This light cavalry sabre was intended for both cutting and thrusting; but it was as a cutting weapon that it was preeminent, and easily the best in any army throughout -the Napoleonic wars antiques, louis xiv china . The relative merits of cutting and thrusting have been fiercely argued throughout most of the history of the British Army, and sometimes the desire to produce a weapon which will be equally good at both has led to a compromise design which has been satisfactory for neither gilded console table . At •the end of the eighteenth century military opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of cutting, and hence the light cavalry sabre was a cutting sword with thrusting as a secondary task copeland parian busts and figures . The Rules and Regulations for the Sword Exercise, issued from the Adjutant-General’s Office on the 1st December 1796, the same year as the introduction of the new sabre, was based on it and feature it in all the illustrations art deco burr walnut - antiques . The merits and uses of cutting and thrusting are explained clearly in its pages, as the following extracts show antiques antique oak sideboards dutch style .
`CUTS two tier table .
TiiERE are only six ways of directing the edge of the blade; therefore the different parts of the body, which may be exposed by the unskilfulness of a swordsman, are not to be (erroneously) conceived as admitting of so many distinct Cuts french furniture dorset . The action of the wrist and shoulder alone, directs the blade; and they admit but of six movements,- from which every cut is derived, wherever may be its particular application to the body victorian gate leg pine table . Of the six cuts, four are made in diagonal directions, and two horizontally: the whole are equally applicable against cavalry, and may be directed on either side of the horse, but their application must depend on the openings given by the adversary, and be regulated by judgement, and experience in the use of the weapon old english table leg shapes pictures .
`To make a Cut with effect, and at the same time without exposing the person, there are two points which principally demand attention yabu furniture . The first is, to acquire a facility in giving motion to the arm by means of the wrist and shoulder without bending the elbow; for in bending the elbow, the sword arm is exposed; a circumstance of which the opponent will ever be ready to take his advantage, as a cut in that quarter may be made with great security; and if it be well directed, with the most fatal effect, as it at once decides the issue of the contest interior design drawing room . thomas sheraton kidney shaped desk . set of 12 disciples silver spoon collection . jean luce arzberg china .
`From -want of habit in the exercise of the wrist in the common occupations of life, the weight of tjie sword will at first be found extremely irksome mayhew and ince tripod table . The action of the arm bears no comparison with that quickness of which the wrist is susceptible; for the motions of the arm are so wide and circuitous, that they are easily counteracted “empire designer, best known for pedestal tables with curved legs . antique occasional table pie crust top . drawing furniture by michael thonet . 0
`The PoiNT antique cedar drop leaf table .
`Ti-rE thrust has only one mode of execution, whether applied to cavalry, or infantry: but a greater degree of caution is required in its application against cavalry than against infantry; for if the point is parried, the adversary’s blade gets within your guard, which is not to be recovered again in time, as with a small sword; the weapon being too heavy to be managed with the requisite degree of quickness; for which reason the point should seldom or never be given in the attack, but be principally confined to the pursuit, when it can be applied with effect and without risk english ladys writing desk spiral legs .
, The case is different in acting against infantry, as the persons against whom you then direct your point, are so much below your own level, that the weight of your sword is not felt; consequently it is managed with greater facility than with an extended arm carried above the level of the shoulder 16th century antique chests . Therefore in many instances against infantry, the point may be used with as much effect as the edge, and with the same degree of security 1820 antique empire mahogany dining table .
`The CUT pictures of porcelain furniture . space saving rectangular drop leaf tables . frenchswiss antique pocket watches . against INFANTRY finmar desk .
`A person on horseback is elevated so much above those acting on foot, that it is necessary for him to bend his elbow, in order to take a sweep to give his cut with effect: and this may be securely done, as,the sword arm is not exposed in the contest gustav klimt porcelain .’
[Some of the comments in the Rules and Regulations on cutting with the sword point to some of the factors which have to be considered in design monastery credence tables .>
`Let the blade be sharpened six inches to the point, in order that you may be able to apply it with effect, and without this precaution, it may be difficult to judge how far the edge is carried correctly for sale louis 16th walnut sideboard cabinet .
`It should be remembered that little force is requisite to produce effect from the application of the edge, if conducted with skill, and that whether with a straight sword or scymitar blade, no cut can be made with effect or security, where the -weapon does not at once free itself from the object to which it is applied; otherwise it must turn in the hand, and give a contusion rather than a cut; for which reason those wounds are most severe, which are made nearest to the point collectors wooden racks for spoons austria . A swordsman cannot therefore be too accurate in judging the distance within the reach of his weapon, which alone can be done by habit and strict attention walnut entryway console table with mirror .
`With a scymitar not more than four or five inches of the point should meet your adversary, and still less with a straight blade, whose construction is by no means so well calculated for extricating itself furniture chests on long legs .
FIREARMS IN THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
The British infantry entered the long struggle with Revolutionary France armed with the old Brown Bess musket empire gateleg table . It was used exclusively in the first campaigns, and was probably regarded as highly as both of its nominal successors during the whole war deco chair dressing walnut .
In 1794 a replacement appeared in the form of the India Pattern musket with a universal barrel length of thirty-nine inches barley twist english antique writing desk . This was the standard firearm of the East India Company, and was by no means a new weapon construction of antique teaspoons . It was issued to the Company’s European and Native infantry, and possibly, since it differed from Brown Bess in only minor details, to some of the King’s troops in India rousseau shagreen . In fact, it is very likely that it was not a replacement in the ordinary sense of the word at all but was issued because there were few Brown Bess muskets left in the Tower armouries, whilst comparatively large stocks of the India Pattern muskets were available was there a change in arts in italy between 1920 and 1940 . This supposition is to a certain extent supported by a letter written to William Wilberforce by Lord Chatham, then Master-General of the Ordnance, in September 1803, when war had broken out anew with France vintage pembroke dining table . According to Lord Chatham, after the restoration of peace by the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, he had tried to restock the armouries with an improved pattern of ‘the old Tower musquet which our troops used to have’; but that because of ‘the naked state of our arsenals’ he had been forced to accept the manufacture of an inferior weapon brass iron half tester bed side curtains . The inferior weapon was presumably the india 18th century german bookcase . Pattern Musket which could be manufactured comparatively quickly cooking utensils from britain . The new and improved weapon of i8o2 will be mentioned later meuble d’appui value . The ‘old Tower musquet’ was of course Brown Bess ivory handle sheffield flatware antique .
Lord Chatham’s letter goes on to show how he had nearly surmounted the difficulties connected with the supply of the new musket, when war started afresh and he was faced with `this sudden and unprecedented demand for arms’ silver soup terrine makers . He continues:
`Had it not been with a view to improvement, and intending gradually to dispose of those of inferior quality through the medium of the India Company, we should not have been, previous to the war breaking out [again>, carrying on any manufacture of aims, our arsenals being overflowing, calculating on the extended scale the Department has ever been called upon to furnish 1685 bookcase . I have, however, in consequence of the extraordinary calls of the present crisis, determined to use every effort to meet it, and directions have been given to the Board of Ordnance to revert to the same arm as was made the last war U value of gateleg tables .e antique dressers yorkshire . before the short peace of 1802>, and to manufacture to the utmost possible extent the musquets of the India pattern 19th century antique furniture . You will easily believe I must have felt some reluctance in being obliged to take this step after all the pains I have bestowed, but I hope I have judged for the best 19th century american furniture . I have great satisfaction in thinking that the stock of arms we possess will enable us in the first instance to arm to a considerable extent perhaps all that is really useful, and- as arms come in, which with the exertions of the manufacturers they will do quickly, and with the aid of what we expect from abroad, the remainder will be provided before long antique cutlery whalebone . We have already one hundred thousand pikes, and can increase them rapidly, but in general there is an indisposition to take them occasional tables painted india . I should like much how much is a claw foot table worth .to talk over with you not only the subject of arms, but the whole question of volunteering, which I contemplate as a most serious one scottish chest .’
What this rather long-winded letter amounted to was that Lord Chatham had thought the peace was a genuine one and had been caught badly unprepared british vernacular . It looks as if he had gone rapidly ahead with his plans for disposing of worn-out and inferior arms to the East India Company, so fast in fact that he had been unable to await the improved musket he wanted joubert furniture maker 19th century . War had then broken out afresh, and in desperation he had ordered concentration on the manufacture of the India Pattern musket, for which -a 11 the gunmakers to the Government already had the specifications and tooling 19th century lacquered cabinet with paintings . Meanwhile he consoled himself with his large stock of pikes, and was apparently surprised at encounterincr the same lack of enthusiasm
encountering
for this weapon as a substitute for firearms, as a similar offer met some 137 years later marquetry patterns flower . It is little wonder that volunteering appeared a serious question gothic revival furnature with lions .
The result of Chatham’s action was that all the troops proceeding overseas were equipped either with Brown Bess or the India Pattern musket, the latter having a 39-inch barrel goldscheider polished stoneware germany . In addition, new India muskets were issued to all the Militia regiments german antiques furniture .
The new infantry arm of i 8o2, the plans for which had been disrupted by the reopening of hostilities, was very similar in appearance to Nock’s experimental musket of r785, and was obviously derived from it paper mache tray india . -It was produced with three different lengths of barrel porcelan rococo teapot victorian photo . The longest was forty-two inches, the standard Brown Bess length, and was intended for all the Foot except the Light Infantry: the Light Infantry, traditionally now, had a 39-inch barrel; and there was a much shorter barrel of thirty-three inches for-the Artillery musket antique armchair ardwood anglo . The bayonet had the usual socket fitting and the standard 17-inch blade antique oval tea table .

Tags: amiens, amp, antique collectors, appearance, application, arm, armour, army, artillery, blade, british antique serving tray, british designs for dinning chairs, british large mahogany and brass chest with hinged lid, british oak sideboard, british vernacular, broken tile edges filler, bronze desk chair, bronze desk chairs, bronze lamp art deco antique, brown saryk carpet, buen retiro porcelain, buffet 2 pieces louis the 14th, buffet decoration, buffet-a-deux-corps louis xvi, bugatti cabinets, bugatti drinking glass 1957, building a dressing table, built-in day beds, bulbous 1930s oak table, bulbous leg antique, bulle glass dome, buquoy hyalith, bureau art deco, buro informati glass metal deutschland, busts of royalty 19th century, butlers tray 19th century;value g, butterfly drop leaf, butterfly hinges + japanned corner cupboard, buy antique bronze lion 1700 milan, buy antique oak pedestal table clawfoot, buy bohemian style greek bedding, c shaped bed side table, c shaped chairs, c1820 drop leaf table, cabinet antwerp for sale, cabinet designed by olbrich, cabinet maker art nouveau, cabinet makers bench antique, cabinet makers signiature j.p. 1861, cabinet pediments, cabinet pull "art deco", cabinet sliding door wood antique holland, cabinetmaker french eighteen century, cabinets draws that are figure jointed, cabinets that become tables, cabriole bureaux, cabriole leg with acanthus knees settees, cabriole legged tables, cabriole pedestal, caddy spoon collectors society, calamander circular dining table, campaign style furniture of napoleon, can ironstone be an antique ?, can old silver trays be painted, chamber pots, chest of drawers, chicken coop, chinese chicken, CUT, decoration, degree, department, dictionary tables, dimension, drop, drop leaf, dutch style, factor, firearm, french empire, Furniture, Germany, Gothic, hilts, inch, infantry, light dragoon, light dragoons, mahogany chest, mark, musket, pattern, pembroke table, person, polished metal, pot, quillon, regency, sabre, serjeant, silver, six inches, Yorkshire

This I iron was used exclusively in the manufacture of the better firearms; and it may have been its very quality which was responsible for the establishment of a tradition in the production of fine arms antique gateleg drop leaf table . Instead of welding a flat piece of metal into a tube, the Spanish gunsmiths formed a barrel by twisting the metal george iv fabrics . A long flat strip of wrought iron was coiled round a mandrel, heated, and knocked together from the two ends till it formed a solid tube with a spiral weld 19th century english oak urn shaped double pedestal refectory table . An additional Spanish touch was to bore out the barrel to a slightly larger diameter at both the breech and the muzzle ends english early ‘victorian upholstered round . The object of this was to give the bullet more resistance, and hence increased power, at the start of its journey; and then to increase its velocity by giving it greater freedom of movement just before it left the muzzle antique china furstenberg . It seems doubtful whether this Spanish boring added anything to the efficiency of a very fine barrel antique pemproke tables .
The first guns with twist barrels to be made in England were naturally the expensive weapons which were made for private purchase by sportsmen; and this may have happened, J jean dunand fakes vases . N 19th century american rosewood rococo console table . George suggests, some time shortly after 175o painted china cabinets + pictures . The favourite source in England for iron of a suitable quality was the metal salvaged from old worn-out horse-shoe nails doric china/tea sets/longton . This, apparently, surprising choice was due to the fact that the nails for horse-shoes were made out of the best wrought iron obtainable; and were subsequently toughened by pounding over the rocky, boggy or dusty tracks which passed for roadways in the latter part of the eighteenth century antique paper-mache desk . The strips of metal which were produced from this material were twisted in the Spanish fashion; and from the origin of the metal this type of manufacture was known as ’stub twist’ 1920s antique oak refrectory dining table .
THE ARMY’S FIRST RIFLE
The brief appearance of rifled firearms in war has been mentioned in Chapter II painted slant front desk . But for a hundred years after the Restoration the British Army fought wholly with smooth-bore weapons tripod pedestal . It was not till the American War of Independence that British troops encountered rifles in the field, and a halfhearted attempt was made to redress the balance design contemporary dressing table .
In 1747 a remarkable paper was read before the Royal Society by one Benjamin Robins catherine the great of russia plates . It was entitled ‘Observations of the Nature and Advantage of Rifled Barrel Pieces’, and it forms the basis of current thinking on the effect and desigq of rifling british sideboards . Robins was Engineer-General to the Honourable the East India Company, and a very distinguished mathematician kuba rugs prayer .
He explained the difference between a smooth-bored and a rifled barrel in the following terms: ‘A common piece has its barrel smooth on the inside, whereas the rifled piece has its cylinder cut with a number of spiral channels: so that it is in reality a female screw, varying from the fabric of common screws only in this, that its threads or rifles are less deflected, and approach more to a right line: it being usual for the threads with which the rifled barrel is indented to take a little more than one turn in its whole length marquetry patterns flower . The number of these threads in each barrel are different, according to the fancy of the workman, and the size of the barrel; and in like manner, the depth these channels, or rifles, are cut down to is not regulated by any invariable rule, but differs according to the country where the work is performed, or the caprice of the artificer cabriole legs basin .’
Robins pointed out that the usual method of loading a rifle was, after inserting the correct amount of powder, to put a bullet on top of the muzzle which was slightly larger than the bore had been before cutting the rifling antique mahogany round table brass feet with drawer . The bullet was then hammered down with yammer and mallet setobody . He maintained, however, that the sole function of rifling was to spin the bullet, in order to neutralize its inevitable inequalities and thus keep it straight in flight george 11 pad foot dining table . It will be remembered that it was this same theory, on the analogy of the flight of an arrow, which is believed to have inspired Augustus Cotter in his manufacture of the first rifle 1925 antique floding desk .
The contemporary view was that the main function of the grooves of the rifled barrel was to add to the resistance offered by the bullet to the explosion of the powder; and that the spin imparted to the bullet enabled it to bore its way into the target queen ann gate leg table . Robins proved that these theories were quite wrong nursing chair paw . He then went on to show that since the extra resistance of the rifling was not a factor in increasing the power of the explosion, the barrel should be as near smooth-bore as was consistent with spinning the bullet ball and claw tripod table antique . From this he deduced that instead of forcing the bullet in, it was better to have a bullet rather narrower than the bore, and to lay it on a patch of material greased on both sides, which would enclose the bullet and grip the rifling as the two were pushed up the barrel imperial gillow dining table . This method was already used in parts of Germany and Switzerland types of decoration on the shaft of a tea table .
Robins concluded with the following passage: ‘I shall close this paper with predicting that whatever State shall thoroughly comprehend the nature and advantages of rifled barrel pieces, and, having facilitated their construction, shall introduce into their armies their general use, with a dexterity in the management of them, they will by this means acquire a superiority, which will almost equal anything that has been done at any time by the particular excellence of any one kind of arms; and Will perhaps fall but little short of the wonderful effects, which the histories relate to have been formerly produced by the first invention of firearms 16 century antique english tables .’
In Germany rifles had been used as sporting weapons for very many years chippendale dining double pedestal . In 1709 the first group of German immigrants arrived in America, bringing with them a number of these sporting rifles “oliver bernard” pel . Also included in the party were some gunsmiths together with their tools gateleg table antiquequeen ann . The Germans settled down in the Lancaster Valley district of Pennsylvania, and proceeded, amongst other activities, to make rifles marquetry semi-circle drop leaf . The development of their rifles is of interest, for it was responsible for the first introduction of the rifle into the British Army art dec countries .
The German rifle of 1709 was a clumsy weapon pillars on casters . Its calibre varied from ‘75 to ‘875-, and it had a short barrel of from thirty to thirty-six inches antique silver candlesticks . The barrel was too short for the poor powder of the period, which was never fully consumed and consequently fouled the barrel badly telescopic table furniture . The ball was of the tight-fitting variety, hammered in with mallet and yammer chenghua footrims . Performance varied from rifle to rifle and was often erratic, for the type and twist of the rifling depended on the fancy of the maker bugatti oriental style desk .
The rifle which the Lancaster Valley gunmakers evolved from the original ‘Jaeger’ had a bore of 48, a barrel of forty inches in length, uniform rifling and greatly improved balance noritake earlyware . Furthermore, the bullet was of slightly smaller diameter than the bore and smeared with grease or tallow, so that it slid easily down the barrel 16th century english joyned table . In the stock of the louis xvi revival sideboard . rifle was an aperture covered with a hinged flap in which the bullets were stourbridge pink marbled overlaid on opaline glass . kept antique french inlaid dresser .
On a still later version the bore was further reduced to ‘45- inch calibre and the barrel lengthened to forty-two inches cabinet makers marks england . With the longer barrel less powder was required, range and accuracy were improved, and there was considerably less fouling due to the better combustion serpinetine leg table antique oak . The next improvement was the use of the greased patch instead of greasing the bullet porcelain wincanton . This had the effect of filling the grooves of the rifling, so that 16th century english chamber pot .the compression behind the bullet was still greater, and the patch cleaned the rifling swedish bedside tables .
By 1740 the Lancaster Valley, or Pennsylvania, as it came to be known, rifle had become almost standardized inexpensive antiques . The barrel had now an even greater length of forty-four inches; and it was flared at the muzzle and had a slightly choked bore francaise antique . This was the weapon which was used with such effect against the British troops in the War of Independence hepplewhite sofa .
The American troops used their rifles for skirmishing and guerrilla attacks, whilst for close-order fighting the bulk of the infantry were armed, as were the British, with the smoothbore musket english apostle antique teaspoons . Nevertheless the elusive and accurate riflemen formed a valuable arm of the American forces, and they were particularly formidable in broken or wooded country parts of chambersticks .
The British Army had no riflemen of its own to provide a similar harassing and protective screen oriental gated tea tables . Several of the German states, however, included Jaeger regiments, armed with the rifle, in their forces aztec “art deco” rectangle vase . The British Government therefore made inquiries and succeeded in persuading the Landgrave of Hesse to hire a body of his troops antique furniture deutch . The solution, however, was not a happy one 17th century french fashion . The peasant conscripts in the Hessian regiments were largely untrained, and the rifle with which the Jaegers were armed was of very poor quality, and did not stand comparison with the Pennsylvania rifle early 19th century upholstery fabric . It had a short barrel, rifled with six or seven grooves, and an oversize•bullet which was driven in with mallet and ramrod antique console dresser . Its rate of fire was only about one shot a minute, as compared with the two or three shots of the Pennsylvania rifle 16 century chairs caved . It was, in point of fact, very similar to the old original rifles which the Lancaster Valley settlers had brought with them from Germany antique queen anne style burr walnut coffee table .
Captain Hanger, already mentioned as the author of To 111 Sportsmen, was himself an officer in one of the Jaeger regiments; and one of the best rifle shots in England art deco antique dresser . The appreciation of the American rifle which he gives in his book is therefore worth quoting staffordshire flatback fakes . He says:
`I never in my life saw better rifles (or men who shot better) than those made in America antique armchair ardwood anglo . They are chiefly made in Lancaster, and in two or three neighbouring towns in that vicinity, in Pennsylvania de coene art deco . The barrels weigh about six pounds two or three ounces, and carry a ball no larger than thirty=six to the pound; at least I never saw one of a larger caliber, and I have seen many hundreds and hundreds 19th century side tables . I am not going to relate anything respecting the American War, but to mention one instance, as a proof of most excellent skill *of an American rifleman difference between secretaire y bureau a cylindre . If any man show me an instance of -better shooting, I will stand corrected antique british chairs .
`Coloncl, entry dressing table .now General Tarleton, and myself, were standing ,a few yards out of a wood, observing the situation of a part of the enemy which we intended to attack candelabra empire style reproduction . There was a rivulet in the enemy’s front, and a mill on it, t6 which we stood directly with • our horses’ heads fronting, observing their motions antique mantel french clocks 1800 hundred candle set . It was an absolute plain field between us and the mill—not so much as a single bush on it saxony flowers 1700s . Our orderly-bugle stood behind us, about three yards, but with his horse’s side to our horses’ tails kuba rugs prayer . A rifleman passed -over the mill-dam, evidently observing two officers, and laid himself down on his belly, (for it is in such positions they always lie); to take a good shot at a long distance tripod antique folding pie crust table . He took a deliberate and cool shot at my friend, at me, and the bugle-horn man antique dutch coffee trestle table 17th century . I have several times passed over this ground, and ever observed it with the greatest attention and I can positively assert that the distance he fired from, at us, was full four hundred yards antique dealer furniture iron louis xvi .
`Now observe how well this fellow shot sofa carved top rail . It was in the month portuguese trestle tables .
of August, and not a breath of wind was stirring antique bureau writing desk . Colonel Tarleton’s horse and mine, I am certain, were not anything like two feet apart, for we were in close consultation how we should attack with our troops, which lay 300 yards in the wood, and could not be perceived by the enemy lion paw dining room table . A rifle ball passed between him and me; looking directly to the mill, I evidently observed the flash of the powder greek designs and motifs . I directly said to my friend “I think we had better move, or we shall have two or three of these gentlemen, shortly amusing themselves at out expense antique hot water plate warmer .” The words were hardly out of my mouth, when the bugle-horn man, behind us and directly central, jumped off his horse and said “Sir, my horse is shot bureau plat charles boulle .” The horse staggered, fell down, and died lion claw dining table antique .’
In spite, however, of entering upon the American War without any riflemen or rifles at all, the British Army very shortly acquired the best and most revolutionary rifle in the world walnut gaming table with pillar legs . Its inventor was Captain Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Highlanders oak drop leaf gate leg side table . Ferguson commanded the Light Infantry company of his regiment antique brown staffordshire . One of the finest rifle shots in the Army, and convinced of its value as a military weapon, he had designed this rifle to prove his theories gustov klimt chairs . The whole of his company had been equipped with it, probably at Ferguson’s expense, and then trained as a rifle unit carpets oriental .
The great advantage of the Ferguson rifle was that it could be fired at a greater speed, not only than any other rifle, but also than any smooth-bore musket berkey & gay antique chest of drawers lion design . It was a breech-loader, and it was the ingenious loading mechanism which was responsible for its high rate of fire chicken coop shelves .
A plug, a little larger than the bore, was screwed into the barrel behind the chamber and passed from underneath the stock right through to the top, where it fitted flush with the barrel walnut ball claw gateleg table value . When this plug was closed it formed the breech-piece scandinavian wood furniture maker’s marks . It had twelve to fourteen rapid twist threads instead of a single screw thread jan van mekeren . The lower end was attached to a lever which formed the trigger guard english ironstone”, staffordshire . Swinging the trigger guard round laterally for three-quarters of a turn lowered the plug J inch and opened the aperture for loading: the top surface of the plug being now flush with the lower surface of the barrel leopold stickly table 1959 . The bullet was then dropped into the aperture and rolled forward by canting the muzzle downwafds till it touched the lands of the rifling, and the powder poured in behind it antique silver roll top warmer . Pulling the trigger guard back again closed the breech, and the rifle was ready for firing art deco representative artist . The pan was primed by a separate operation after the closing of the breech antique red leather upholstery chair with arm .
The barrel was short compared with Brown Bess, being only 35 inches long edge simplicity tub chair . The bore was 15, and the breech chambered to take a bullet of the same dimensions vintage buttterfly dropleaf tables . The bullet was -thus tight-fitting but not oversize pictures of antique tables and chairs . The rifling consisted of 8 deep grooves, twisting for about three-quarters of a turn in the length of the barrel furniture 19th century . There was a leaf back-sight which was adjustable for ranges from ioc, yards to Soo yards moser antique glass . The bayonet had a flat, single-edged sword blade 25? inches long reproduction mochaware .
In 1776 Ferguson with his company, all volunteers, was ordered to America early 17 centurey gateleg tables . While the men were preparing to embark Ferguson gave a demonstration of the rifle’s capabilities antique walnut dropleaf tables . The demonstration was reported by the Innual Register of June 1776 as follows:
`On the 1st of June, 1776, he made some experiments at Woolwich, before Lord Viscount Townshendj Lord Amherst, General Harvey, D6ragliers, and several other officers with the rifle gun on a new construction, which astonished all beholders http://antcollectors.com/antique-furniture/art-deco-cabinets-and-sideboards-british-walnut-sideboard-burled-maple-console-french-commode-french-side-cabinet-british-sideboard-british-display-cabinet-british-side-cabinet . The like had never been done with any other small arms open and closed dressing table, satinwood, english c, 1800 . Notwithstanding a heavy rain and the high wind-, he fired during the space of five minutes at the rate of four shots a minute, at a target two hundred yards distance chippendale cutlery . He next fired six shots in one minute, and also fired (while advancing at the rate of four miles an hour) four times in a minute furniture ecole de nancy . He then poured a bottle of water into the pan and barrel of the piece when loaded so as to wet every grain of powder, and in less than half-a-minute he fired with it as well as ever, without extracting the ball tall sheffield corinthian column . Lastly, he hit the bull’s-eye lying on his back on the ground, incredible as it may seem to many, considering the variations of the wind and the wetness of the weather vernacular scottish . He only missed the target three times during the whole course of the experiments british sideboards .’
Ferguson’s company sailed for America as an independent corps of riflemen anc clad in rifle green antique drop leaf table wooden hinges . Ferguson himself carried instructions authorizing him to select men from various regiments for training and incorporation in his command pier table empire . The Commander-in-Chief, Sir William Howe, did not, however, take kindly to this new force, and it does not appear that Ferguson was allowed to have much success in obtaining recruits silver apostles spoons .
The corps went into action for the first time at Elk Head on the 25th August 1777 gateleg drop leaf mahogany table . It then covered the advance of Knyphausen’s division to Brandywine antique table wooden hinge drop leaf . During this advance Ferguson, -with three of his men, was apparently carrying out a reconnaissance beyond the British encampment at Kennett Square, when the chance of changing history came within range of the Ferguson rifle paris antique pine dining furniture . The small party heard the sound of horses’ hooves approaching, and dived into cover at the edge of a wide clearing brass skimmer antique . Soon afterwards there rode into the clearing two mounted officers rare tureens . One of them was dressed in a uniform of blue and buff with, on his head, a large headdress described by Ferguson in his notes as a ‘remarkable cocked hat’ “desk”+”antique” . The antique 1920 art deco period pieces walnut china cabinet and buffet .other officer was a Frenchman in Hussar uniform art deco furniture cylinder . To fire, as Ferguson said afterwards, would have been like shooting a sitting grouse; and he and his men remained quietly watching until the pair finally rode off dressing table with porcelain figures . In a report written later, and contained in the Public Record Office, Ferguson said that, dutch walnut cabinet . ‘as I was within that distance at which in the quickest firing I could have lodged a half dozen balls in or about him before he was out of reach george 11 pier gilded table . rectangular dropleaf tables . mahogany chippendale drum table . but it was not pleasant to fire at the back of an unoffending individual who was acquitting himself truly of his duty so I let him alone’ examples of 19th century pennsylvania furniture .
Some time later a wounded American soldier, who was being treated by the British, said that on the day concerned his commanding officer had told him that General George Washington and a French officer were in the neighbourhood jacobean display cabinet . This would include the ar eawhere Ferguson had lain concealed palissy patterns . Other American wounded confirmed that the description given of the uniform of the two officers italian room art-decoration . agreed with that worn by Washington and his French officer in attendance faience porcelaine cri……france .
Ferguson heard of these statements confirming the identity of the man he had spared when he too was lying in hospital after jupe round dining table . the amputation of his right arm ltd edition catteau .
For Ferguson’s unit had been badly hit at the battle of Brandywine trestle library table . In addition to its commander, forty out of its effective strength of eighty had been killed or wounded what kind of base is most stable for drop leaf table? . Whilst he was on the sick list the rifles were withdrawn from the remainder of the company and muskets issued instead antique oak games table . On his return to duty an angry Ferguson had the rifles brought out of store and reissued deco rocket cabinet . The reconstituted rifle corps did gallant service at Stony Point, Long Island, Harlem, White Plains and Dobbs Ferry meissen marcolini group . A particularly valuable characteristic of the Ferguson rifle was that the pattern of breech mechanism allowed the firer to load it lying down decorative spindle legs from antique card table . This made it much easier to remain concealed, and on at least one occasion it resulted in an attack by a far larger American force being defeated william kent staffordshire .

Tags: antique paper, anything, approach, armour, army, boggy, bullet, c. 1660, Captain Hanger, china cabinets, china tea sets, command, decoration, dining room table, double pedestal, dusty tracks, English, etc., factor, fiddle silverware, fiddleback rat tail spoon, figured walnut davenport desk, figurines staffordshire fine ceramics oriental man, fine bohemian china czechoslovakia, fine bohemian china made in czechoslovakia, finest quality earthenware staffordshire antique vase, finials - brass - 19th century beds, finmar chair, finmar chairs, finmar furniture, finmar valuation, first guns, five leg antique table, five legged antique table, flame mahogony antigue ogee chest of drawers, flanders danish furniture, flat silver antique cutlery near london, flat strip, flatware silver pistol set, flemish antique dresser, flemish furniture with an eagle emblem, freedom of movement, Furniture, furnitures+centretable.desighn, future art patterns, gate leg fold over card table, gate leg small table, gate leg tables pie crust oak, gateleg, gateleg drop leaf table, gateleg table hinge sizing, gateleg table imperial, gateleg table of turned oak, gateleg tables, gaudi inspired dining room sets, gaudi wood moulding, ge art deco wood clock, gebruder bing arts nouveau copper kettle, gelderland antique spoon, General Tarleton, genuine receipt for making the famous vernis martin, george 111 library table value, george 1v cabinet making, george bullock cabinet maker, george chest drawers scottish, george davidson pearline pressed glass valuations, george elmslie antique chair value, george hunzinger turned knob rocking chair, george i antiques bedside tables, george iv, Germany, Gunmakers, gunsmiths, horse shoe, horse shoes, i/2 round three tiered table with brass castors, improvement, jean dunand, Lancaster Valley, mandrel, oak, pillar legs, porcelain, pot, rent, Russia, shoe nails, shot, solid tube, suitable quality, table, William, world, worn out horse

The screw barrel has already been mentioned in connection with a pistol which first became popular in the reign of Charles 1. A rifled version of this `turn-of}’ pistol was produced in the Civil War to meet the demand for an accurate and hard-hitting short-range weapon. The barrel unscrewed at the breech, and the charge and ball were put into the chamber. The pistol took a very heavy charge, and the chamber .was about the same size as that of the modern bolt-action rifle. The walls of the barrel were specially thickened to withstand the force of the discharge. It has been suggested that these pistols were designed to penetrate the heavy armour which still appeared in the form of helmets and back and breast plates. An account which is given later in this chapter would seem to support this view.
These rifled ‘turn-off’ pistols were full-length cavalry holster weapons. In the cavalry tactics of the period, the discharge of pistols at the enemy formed the preliminary to the normal shock action. That little is heard of rifled pistols after the Restoration may be due to the alteration in cavalry tactics. Marlborough, for instance, would not allow his cavalry to use pistols in a set-piece action at all.
The demand for privately manufactured arms led to the names of some of the gunmakers of the period becoming famous for the standards of design, workmanship and precision of their firearms. William Upton of Oxford, for instance, was perhaps the best known of the suppliers of arms to the Royalist army. The Royalist headquarters was in Oxford throughout most of the war so that Upton was well placed to meet the requirements of the King’s officers. He made pistols and carbines, both rifled and smooth bore, and his arms were known for their quality.
Another famous maker of firearms was Harman Barne of London. He was gunmaker to Prince Rupert and made one of the earliest known breech-loading magazine rifles. Six shots could be fired in succession from this remarkable weapon, and one movement of a lever which formed the trigger guard successively loaded with powder and ball, primed the pan, closed the pan cover and cocked the lock.
Although Barne’s rifle was far too expensive and complicated in manufacture for adoption as a millt4ry firearm, it is worth describing, since it was the first conception in England of present-day requirements in a hand-operated rifle. It was nearly 25o years, however, before Barne’s ideas were incorporated in the personal firearms of the British Army..
In appearance the rifle was similar to a finely made flintlock piece of the period, save for some additional bulk round the lock. There are no obvious mechanical complications. Its mechanism is best explained by the method of loading, which is as follows:
(a) The rifle is held in the left hand, vertically with the muzzle upwards and the barrel towards the body.
(b) With the right hand the trigger guard is turned to the right and upwards.
(c) The movement of the trigger guard turns a cylindrical breech block. This passes vertically through the barrel, and is drilled through with a hole which is in line with the bore of the barrel when it is in the closed position.
(d) The trigger guard also moves a powder measure, from its normal position below and in front of the trigger. This measure normally communicates with a powder magazine which is in a hollow in the stock below the lock, and is thus filled with powder when the rifle is held vertically. As the measure moves a spring flap closes its aperture, and a similar flap closes the opening of the powder. magazine. When the trigger guard has turned through i 8o degrees the flap on the measure strikes the front of the lock plate, opens and allows the powder to pour down a channel which runs inside the plate to an aperture on the right of the barrel. The movement of the breech block has brought its central hole into the line with this aperture, and the powder runs into it.
(e) Meanwhile the other end of the breech-block hole ,has received a bullet from the bullet magazine. This is a tube containing six bullets communicating with an aperture in the left side of the barrel. Through this a bullet is fed into the breech block before the powder is introduced.
(f) The trigger guard is now reversed to its normal position. This movement actuates links on the inside of the lock plate which move the tumbler of the lock to full cock, and close the pan cover. At the same *time a small portion of powder for. priming is dropped into the pan.
The rifle is now ready for firing; the very complicated process of loading, cocking and priming a flintlock weapon having been performed by a to-and-fro movement of the hand, in the same way as with a modern bolt-action rifle.
J. N. George, in his English Guns and Rifles, is of the opinion that this rifle was made for .Prince Rupert himself; and he considers that support is given to this supposition by the stamped impression on the butt, of a capital ‘R’ and the figure ‘3; which might well be the Prince’s initial and the serial number of the weapon in his private armoury. Since Barne was a London gunsmith (the gun is inscribed ‘Harman Barne, Londini), George points out that if he made this piece for the Prince it must have been Wore the start of the Civil War, since London was, throughout, in the possession of the forces of Parliament.
Edmund Nicholson of London provided the same type of arms for the forces of Parliament as Upton did for the Royalists. He too was known as a maker of fine arms, and he was still making guns after the Restoration.

By about the middle of the seventeenth century the calibre of the various types of firearms had become more or less fixed, and there was little change during the whole of the time that muzzle-loading arms remained in use. These dimensions -were: x2-bore for a musket, with i42 bullets to the pound; 16-bore for a carbine, with 20 to a pound bullets; and 20-24 bore for a pistol, with 34 bullets to the pound. Muskets and carbines were fitted with fore and back sights until the reign of James II, but pistols had no sights.
The pike remained the standard shock weapon of the infantry
FIG. 47. RAPIR HILTS.
Prow the Tower Zrmotwy, London.
and was the complement of the musket, until the adoption of the bayonet. In 1645 its length was 15 feet, but this appears to have been increased to x 8 feet a short time later. The best steel was used for the heads, and the staves were of well-seasoned ash. From the head downwards they were protected for 3 or 4 inches with iron plates to prevent the heads being cut off by the swords of the cavalry. It was behind the protection of these long pikes that the musketeer retired when he had to go through the lengthy process of reloading his weapon.
There was no standard sword for either cavalry or infantry during this period; but for most of it the most popular weapon was the rapier, which had been introduced from the Con-tinent in the sixteenth’ century. It was a long, very light sword, generally with a rup protection below the quillons, or cross-piece, and often with a knuckle guard as well. The use of the rapier was so universal that even pikemen were equipped with it, though it was far too long for effective use in battle by a man who was already encumbered with a heavy pike.
A vivid description of the use of the various weapons of the Civil War is contained in a contemporary account by Richard Atkyns, a junior Royalist officer of Horse. He says:
`When we came within 20 score yards of the enemy, we found about Zoo dragoons half musket shot before a regiment of horse of theirs in two divisions, both in order to receive us. At this punctilio of time, from as clear a sunshine day as could be seen,, there fell a sudden mist, that we could not see ten yards off, but we still marched on; the dragoons amazed with the mist, and hearing our horse come on; gave us a volley of shot out of distance, and disordered not one man of us, and before we came up to them, they took horse and away they ran.
`I waited upon Prince Maurice, and presented him with a case of pistols, which my uncle Sandys brought newly out of France; the neatest that I ever saw, which he then wanted.
`When I came to the top of the hill, I saw Sir Bevill Grinvill’s stand of pikes, which certainly preserved our army from a total rout, with the loss of his most precious life: they stood as upon the eaves of a house for steepness; but as unmovable as a rock; on which side of this stand of pikes our horse were, I could not discover; for the air was so darkened by the smoke of the powder, that for a quarter of an hour together (I dare say) there was no light seen, but what the fire of the volleys of shot gave.

Tags: antique shop, armour, barne, Battle, bolt action rifle, breast plates, breech, british army, british soldier, bullet, calibre, carbines, cavalry, Charles, charles 1, dimension, discharge, dukes round extending dining table, dumbwaiter 2-tier table with number stamped on it, duncan fife roll top desk, duncan phife chippendale table and chairs, duncan phyfe antique furniture, duncan phyfe drop leaf gate leg, duncan phyfe drop leaf table, duncan phyfe drop leaf tables, duncan phyfe drum table, duncan phyfe harp, duncan phyfe or traditional, duncan phyfe rectangular table, duncan phyfe table identification, dutch antique silver cake spike, dutch egyptian art deco plate marble back, egyptian inlaid quartette tables, egzotik furnitures in amsterdam, eighteenth century campaign bed, elaborate chamber pot, elegant 18th century sofa, elements of art in designing the home, elements of wiener werkstatte style, eliel saarinen for johnson, eliel saarinen furniture johnson bed, eliel saarinen wood inlay furniture, elizabeth jacobean, elizabethan chairs, elizabethan court cupboard, elizabethan period furniture, elkington candelabra, elkington silver candelabra, ellefant heas table base, elm chairs georgian antique, emil galle signture, emile galle display cabinets, emile galle wood, emile galles signature, emille galle fakes, empire 1840 card table value, empire antique fiddle back dining chair, empire bureau dresser, empire library tables and rectangular and mahofany, empire lion head arm settee, empire revival settee, empire sofa with porcelain casters, empire style oak cabinet sideboard, enamel handled cutlery, end tables form card table?, engl?sh ant?que bedroom firnuture, England, england antiques "blue and white" rington, englesh silverware apostles, english 1940 walnut veneer display cabinets, english "art nouveau" dressing table, english 1800 inlaid sideboard, english antique 16th 17th century mahogany reproduction, english antique close-nailed box trunk, english antique tin glazed, english antique walnut veneer cabinet, english art deco dressing table, english bedroom tables, firearms, flintlock, guard, Gunmakers, harman, Harman Barne, holster, instance, J. N. George, James, James I, James II, London, marlborough, measure, musket, musketeer, Oxford, pistol, pistols, powder, prince rupert, range weapon, reign, royalist army, screw barrel, seventeenth, sword, William, William Upton, workmanship

MUSKET AND PIKE
An attempt to produce some order in the manufacture of firearms had an odd terminological result. In the army of Piedmont, before the battle of Moncontour in 1569, there were so many sizes of bore amongst the arquebuses that ammunition supply became a difficult problem. To overcome this 7000 arquebuses were ordered of one calibre, and referred to as ‘harquebuze de calibre de Monsieur le Prince’. The type of arquebus which was made to comply with this order had a bore of 10 or 11, weighed 12 pounds and had a barrel length of 42 inches. It became so popular that its use on the Continent became very widespread, and it appeared in England during the last quarter of the sixteenth century.. The original cumbersome reference had been contracted by the soldiers to `Calibre du Prince’, and later simply to ‘Calibre’. This became anglicized as ‘Caliver’, and in 1578 the Tower of London had 7000 of them in store. They were matchlocks, rather. heavier than the previous pattern of arquebus, and about four feet ten inches in overall length. Eventually the term came to mean any firearm which was light enough to be fired without a rest. ‘Arquebus’ was then frequently applied to cavalry wheel-lock arms.
In 1595 the Trained Bands were ordered to exchange their bows for calivers and muskets, and by this time calivers formed part of the armament of every English infantry unit. In fact, in a levy for Ireland of the following year, the ’shot accounted for half the infantry, and of these three-quarters were armed with calivers and only one-quarter with muskets. The days of the caliver, however, were numbered; for, unlike the musket, its shot was too light to pierce heavy armour.
The musket was actually earlier in origin than the caliver, having been invented in about 1546, though its adoption in England was somewhat slow. It was, essentially, an improved form of matchlock arquebus, with a greater g rane and accuracy and firing a heavier
rang
It had a barrel 4 feet long, a bore of 8 or io, and was designed to penetrate the heaviest protective armour. Its weight was 2o pounds, and it was consequently necessary to support the barrel on a forked rest. The first type of musket seems to have been too cumbersome to use for anything except siege warfare, and the Duke of Alva has been stated to have been the first to adapt it for use in the field, in his campaign in the Netherlands in
1567. By the time of the Civil War the musket had been considerably lightened, and it was possible to use it without a rest.
In one respect the musket was destined to achieve undying
FIG. 41. A MATCH-BOX.
fame; for its name came to denote any shoulder firearm, and even ‘rifle’ is merely a shortened form of ‘rifled musket’.
One of the disadvantages of the matchlock was the match. In very wet weather it was liable to be extinguished. To give some protection a ‘match-box’ was introduced. This was a tube of pewter, latten or tin, about a foot long, with holes in the side to let in aif.
It was this difficulty with the .match which was responsible for the development of spark ignition. The first substance to be employed for this purpose was pyrites; a mineral which included a combination of iron and sulphur. The mechanism in which it was used was known as the ‘wheel-lock’, and was invented in Nuremberg about 1517. A fragment of pyrites was held in contact with a steel wheel which had a serrated

FIG, 42. WHEEL- LOCKS.
Top: A Wheel-lock Carbine, Elizabeth I. Bottom: A Wheel-lock Dag, Edward VI.
edge. The wheel was rotated by the release of a powerful V-spring attached to the lock plate. The resulting stream of parks was directed at the priming powder.
The spindle of the wheel had a square end, and the lock was set by fitting a key, or spanner, to the spindle and winding it in a clockwise direction. This pulled a short chain of about three links round the spindle, and tautened the spring. After a three-quarter turn a scear (spring catch), which was fixed on the inside of the lock plate, engaged a slot on the wheel.
The flash-pan was then primed and closed. The bottom of the pan, however, was pierced to admit the top of the wheel. The piece of pyrites, which was held in a clamp at the head of the cock, was next lowered on to the top of the pan cover. Assuming it to have been loaded, the weapon was now ready for firing.
Pressure on the trigger drew back the scear and released the spring, causing the wheel to revolve. An ingenious device then caused the pan cover to open. A cam attached to the wheel spindle struck an arm which was connected to the pan cover. This opened the latter, permitting the pyrites to fall on the wheel. The pan cover was then held open by a spring catch.
The wheel-lock was, as may be imagined, an extremely
FIG. 43. WHEEL-LOCK DAGS.
expensive firearm to make, particularly when compared with the simple matchlock. Its adoption in England was consequently slow, and it never became a general issue to the infantry. It was a very useful lock, however, for a horseman. The management of a matchlock on horseback was a difficult feat, for the match had to be kept alight and any adjustments made to it with one hand.
The first single-handed firearms were intended for the horse soldier. These were the dags or tacks, the forerunners of pistols. The first dags were, in appearance, small arquebuses with wheel-locks. In 1544 they were introduced into England as a cavalry weapon.
The wheel-lock, also known as a firelock, suffered from two disadvantages; the first was the expense, and the second the weakness of the pyrites, which was liable to break into pieces. The demand for a sound and inexpensive method of spark transmission led to the introduction of the flintlock. The name originally given to this new mechanism was ’snaphaunce’. This was derived from the Dutch snaphaan, meaning a pecking fowl, and referred to the pecking motion of the cock.
The sparks in the flintlock were produced by striking a piece of flint against a case-hardened steel plate, with serrated ridges on its face. The flint was held in- a clamp at the top of the cock. The ’steel’, against which the flint was struck, worked on an arm which was hinged to the lock plate and held in position by a V-spring. To fire the weapon the cock -was drawn back, thereby compressing the main spring, which in turn actuated an internal tumbler connected to the cock. The scear engaged the tumbler and held the cock in the fully open position. The steel was then lowered towards the rear of the piece and on to the lip of the flash-pan; bringing it within range of the cock. Pulling the trigger drew back the scear, thereby releasing the cock; with the result that the flint struck the steel, directing a stream of sparks into the pan. This last was uncovered, during the forward movement of the cock, through a tumbler actuating a steel link which thrust against the lower part of the pan cover.
This type of flintlock was complicated and still fairly expensive. It was little used in England, though some of the troops ordered to Ireland in i58o are said to have been armed with it. On the Continent, however, it was in common use for a long time. In England it was superseded in the first quarter of the seventeenth century by the so-called ‘English lock’ flintlock. This was a much better and simpler weapon than the original snaphaunce, and the mechanism remained basically the same for all future flintlock firearms.
In the English lock the steel and pan cover were combined in a single piece which was called the ‘hammer’. This consisted of a hinged pan cover which worked upon a screw set in the lock plate and held in either the open or closed positions by a V-spring. The steel, or striking surface, rose approximately at right angles in a curve from the free end of the cover. When the cock was released the flint hit the steel, causing a shower of sparks, and at the same time pushed the whole member back on the hinge, so uncovering the priming powder to the sparks. The firing mechanism was practically the same as that of the snaphaunce, but the weapon could be put at safety by raising the cock half-way and leaving the pan
FIG. 44. AN ARQUEBUS WITH SNAPHAUNCE LOCK.
closed. This “half-cock’ position was achieved by providing a notch on the tumbler in which the scear engaged.
On some English locks there was an additional safety device. This was a catch on the outside of the lock plate which engaged in a notch on the cock when it was in the `half-cock’ position. This type of safety-catch was called a dog-catch and locks so fitted were known as doglocks.
Although the term `snaphaunce’ seems to have been applied originally to those flintlocks with separate pan covers and steels, it appears to have been soon used, in the early seventeenth century, to denote all flintlocks.
The difficulty of managing a matchlock on horseback has already been mentioned. Nevertheless in about I 53o a modification of the arquebus was produced for this purpose. It was called a ‘Petronel’ or ‘poitrinal’, names derived from the French and signifying that the weapon was intended to be fired from the chest. It was shorter than the arquebus but of a large calibre, and, on account of its weight, was carried on a broad shoulder belt. As a matchlock it was a fairly impracticable weapon, and later -versions were fitted with wheel-locks.
Another horseman’s firearm was the dragon. This was something between a petronel and a pistol. Traditionally it had a. dragon’s head at its muzzle, and it is supposed to have given its name to the French Dragons (Dragoons), first raised by Charles de Cosse, Marechal de Brissac, in 1600. Of the later and similar English troops, Markham, in his Souldier’s
FiG. 45- PETRONELS.
Acidence of 1645, says: ‘The last sort of which our horse troopes are composed are called dragoons, which are a kind of footmen on horsebacks, and do now indeed succeed the light horsemen, and are of singular use in all actions of warre. The armes defensive are an open head piece with cheeks, and a good buffs coat, with deeps skirts; and for offensive armes they have a faire dragon fitted with. an iron works, to be carried in a belt of leather, which is buckled over the right shoulder and under the left arms, having a turnill of iron work with a ring, through which the piece runnes up and downs; and these dragons are short pieces of sixteen inches the barrell, and full musquet bore, with firelocks or snaphaunces, also a belt with a flaske, pryming box, key, and bullet bag, and a good sword.’
In the heavy horse petronel and dag were succeeded in due course by carbine and pistol. The difference between a pistol and a dag is, however, not very clear. Weapons which we should normally call pistols were often called dags in England and tacks in Scotland in the early seventeenth, and, in the case of the latter, eighteenth centuries. Owing to their small size,. and consequent popularity as a personal weapon; pistols from very early days seem to  have expressed tastes in design and decoration of different gunsmiths. In addition, there have
FIG. 46. A DRAGON.
frequently .been fashions in pistol design which gunsmiths have met in their own particular style: To describe all the pistols which have been used in war would, therefore, be quite beyond the scope of the present work. Nevertheless there are two special types which must be mentioned. The first of these is the screw-barrel pistol. This had a cannon-shaped barrel ‘which screwed off so that the charge could be loaded direct into the breech  piece. These enjoyed a great vogue during the reign of Charles I and for some time afterwards. The second is -one of the most famous pistols, or rather -family of pistols, ever made.. This was the Scottish all-metal pistol, which, as far as is known, was first made towards the end of the sixteenth century. The earliest one on record was manufactured byAlison of Dundee. The principal difference between the Scottish pistol and others was that the stock was made of steel or brass instead of wood. The butts of the earliest models had a fish-tailed end, and they were sometimes made of wood encased in, or mounted with, brass or silver.
The early seventeenth-century carbine, according to a 1630 book on cavalry by Captain Cruso, was the same length as an arquebus but had a smaller bore. It was a flintlock, and it was slung from a shoulder belt by a swivel.
There were two disastrous expeditions during the reign of Charles 1, the failure of which was to some extent due to defective firearms. In the force sent to Cadiz, in fact, the majority of the firearms are said to have been either defective or useless. As a result of these deficiencies a special Commission under the Privy Seal appointed a select committee of gunmakers, arniourcrs, pikemakers and bandolier makers, `being the skillfullest and prime workmen of this land’, to undertake an investigation into the arms of the national militia and Trained Bands and to rectify any deficiencies. The London gunmakers mentioned as being on the Commission were Henry Rowland, Richard Burrowe, Thomas Addis, John Norcott, William Dawstin, John Watson and William Graves. These gunmaker members were temporarily vested with powers of proving and testing firearms.

Tags: ammunition, arm, armament, armour, arquebus, belgian art deco club chairs, belgian art deco pottery vase boch freres, belgian oak furniture "chippendale", bore, bows, british soldier, cabinet, calibre, caliver, cavalry, Charles, Charles de Cosse, combination, contemporary wooden art inlay chest, copeland parian art union, copper peat bucket antique london, copper red dish xianfeng, corner cabinet on handkerchief table, country commode joao v, country french antique walnut bobbin corner chair with , court cupboards, court cupboards tudor, crackle glazed monochromes, cream leather dining chairs and walnut legs, creamware antique markings, creamware for sale, creamware tureen, crescent glass nest of tables with wheels, crescent line furniture antique dresser, cumberland action table, cupboard bed haddon hall, cupboard designs cupboards for keeping documents, cupboard for chamber pot, curule bedside table, curved antique silver bedside table, deco oval motif furniture, deco secretary cabinet curved doors, deco wood & metal console, deco writing table uk, decoration, decoration art deco, decorative arts secessionist movement, decorative oriental chicken coop, decorative pedestals made in trinidad, decorchemont bowl, decos american, dehua procelain sculture, delatte nancy signature, demilune table chamber pot, demilune table with baize lined storage surface, denmark brass embellishments furniture decoration, dental epoxy plastic padding, depression glass cubist, derby porcelain chinoiserie, derby chinoiserie porcelain 18 century, derby figures antique, derby patch period porcelain, derbyshire, describing styles in art nouveau, design of late 19th century dining tables, design patterns for dressing table, designer desk chair stripped wood chrome, designer vases from czechoslovakia, designs for writing bureau secretaire, designs of pigeon in wooden doors, desk chair back feet, desk chairs 40s, desk haddon hall - vintage, desk that turns into a table antique, desk two drawer 1920, desk with scroll legs, deskey nesting table, deskey widdicomb, dessert plates antique cockerel on base fruit designs f, did the military issue le coultre watches to train engi, Edward, edward vi, Elizabeth, elizabeth i, England, English, firearms, flint, flintlock, four feet, Henry, infantry unit, Ireland, last quarter, London, manufacture, matchlock, mechanism, metal, monsieur le prince, musket, muskets, rane, seventeenth, silver, sixteenth, sixteenth century, snaphaunce, three quarters, tower of london, weapon, William

The German Super-Guns of the WWII

The German super-guns
The heaviest field equipments seen during the war were the German self-propelled howitzers generically known as ‘Karl Morsers’. These were of two calibres, 540-mm and 600-mm, mounted on the same type of carriage. Six carriages were made and the exact disposition of barrels between them is in some doubt; the carriages were numbered I to VI; Vehicle V was captured by the US 1st Army and found to have a 540-mm barrel, yet photographs captured later showed this same carriage to have a 600-mm barrel. It is probably safe to assume that three of each calibre were made. The date of introduction is also a little vague, but it seems fairly certain that the 600-mm version was introduced in 1942 and the 540-mm in 1944.
The carriage of ‘Karl’ was a simple rectangular box, divided into three compartments. The first held the Mercedes-Benz engine and transmission; the second carried the gun; and the third held the carriage raising and lowering gear. After driving into position on its tracks the engine was used to drive the lowering gear, which rotated the anchorages of the suspension torsion bars so as to allow the chassis to be lowered to the ground until the suspension and track were relieved of the weight. For long-distance moves the gun and recoil system were removed from the carriage, dismantled, and loaded on to spec,a -,a e•s, the carriage was then winched on to a special tank-transpor-er. For very long distances the complete gun and carriage assembly could be slung between two railway flat wagons by means of special trusses.
In the use of railway artillery Germany virtually had the field to herself. This class of weapon is really the prerogative of the Continental nation with a well-developed rail system by which it can readily deploy them to any front. In contrast, Britain and the USA, while possessing railway guns. used them solely as mobile coast defence units, since the problem of transporting two or three hundred tons of railway mounting across the Channel was not a trick to be undertaken lightly. Indeed, the British and American weapons were almost entirely relics of the First World War which had been in mothballs. 1940 saw a few more mountings hastily cobbled together from available spares and hurried to cover the Channel, just as in similar fashion American guns were mobilised and deployed in 1941. In 1944 reports from France indicated that heavy railway artillery might be of use in demolishing strongpoints to be expected in the final assault in Germany, and designs were hastily prepared by the Americans for a number of 16-inch guns, but within a few weeks it was seen that heavy artillery of this class had been rendered superfluous by the quality and quantity of air support available, and the demand was cancelled.
The German army had a vast range of railway guns from 150-mm upwards, but two were really outstanding and deserve closer examination. The first was the 28-cm K5(E)—Kanone, Model 5, Eisenbahnlafette —which became their standard super-heavy railway gun and was probably the finest design of its k;nd in the world. The basic arithmetic and paperwork had been done in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and work began on the gun in 1934. (It is worth noting that every German railway gun was designed and built by Krupp— Rheinmettal did design two, but they were never made.) First, a 150-mm barrel was produced for tests; it had been decided that to obtain the great range demanded, a conventionally rifled barrel was out of the question. A design was prepared with 12 deep grooves and having a shell carrying 12 ribs, or splines, to match. The theory behind this was that the engraving of a conventional copper driving band on the shell gave rise to very high pressure in the gun chamber; by using the spline and groove method to spin the shell, this resistance was removed, and the shell would step off more smartly, allowing a bigger propelling charge to be used without over-straining the gun. The 150-mm test barrel proved that the theory was right, and a full-calibre 280-mm barrel was built.
The mounting was a simple box-girder assembly carried on two six-axle bogies, with the front bogie slung so as to allow the front of the box-girder to be swung across it for aiming the gun. For large angles the whole weapon was mounted on a special portable turntable built at the end of a short spur of track laid at the desired firing point. Each gun was supplied with a special train which included wagons for carrying the turntable, light-antiaircraft guns for local defence, air-conditioned ammunition wagons, living quarters and kitchen for the gunners, and flat wagons to carry their entitlement of motor transport.
By 1940 eight of these complete equipments were in service, and production continued throughout the war, 25 being built in all. The German gunners called them ‘Slim Bertha’, but to the Allies in Italy one at least became famous as ‘Anzio Annie’.
With the 561-pound pre-rifled shell the gun could reach to 68,000 yards. A rocket-assisted shell was later developed which increased this range, with a certain loss of accuracy, to 94,000 yards. Finally, the Peenembride Research Establishment designed a 300-pound dart-like projectile which was fired from a special 310-mm smooth-bore barrel and which ranged to 170,000 yards. Although coming too late for general issue, these ‘PeenemOnde Arrow Shells’ were issued for troop trials in the field, and some were fired against the US 3rd Army at ranges of about 70 miles.
The second railway gun, ‘Gustav’, was the biggest gun the world has ever seen —the Krupp-designed 800-mm Kanone. The idea was conceived in 1937 of a pair of super-guns; they were of quite conventional design, except for their immense size. Too large to be moved in one piece, they were transported piecemeal in special trains and assembled at the selected sites by travelling cranes. When assembled, the mounting straddled two sets of standard-gauge rails, with 80 wheels taking the 1,350-ton weight. An armour or concrete-piercing shell of 7 tons was propelled by a 13/4-ton charge to a range of 23 miles, or a 5-ton high-explosive shell to 29 miles. The first equipment, ‘Gustav’, was proved at the Rugenwalde range in March 1943, in Hitler’s presence. The only record of its use was at the siege of Sebastopol; the gun was sited at Bakhchisary and fired some 30 to 40 rounds. One shot is recorded as having penetrated through 100 feet of earth to destroy a Soviet ammunition dump at Severnaya Bay. The subsquent history of the gun is unknown (it was presumably captured by the Red Army).
The second equipment, ‘Dora’. so far as is known, never left the proving ground, though what happened to it at the end of the war is a minor mystery (some ammunition and a spare barrel were found at Krupp’s proof establishment at Meppen near the Dutch border).
The detachment necessary to man. maintain, and give local protection to Gustav was 4,120 men strong. commanded by a major-general. The actual fire-control and operation of the gun demanded a colonel and 500 men, and the construction or dismantling of the weapon took between four and six weeks. A long-range ‘PeenemOnde Arrow Shell’ was developed for Gustay. but, so far as is known, was never fired. This was to weigh 2.200 pounds and range to 100 miles. There was also a proposition to mount a 520-mm gun on the same carriage to fire rocket-assisted shells and ‘PeenemOnde Arrow Shells’ to a range of 118 miles for cross-channel bombardment, but this never got past the drawing-board.
If it is accepted that it is not a good idea to tamper with a good gun design in the middle of a war, then the only way to render the gun more effective is to improve the ammunition, and this technique was frequently adopted during the war. And in no field is this seen to greater effect than in the battle against the tank. The reason for this is fairly self-evident: personnel targets remain more or less the same—once the anti-personnel projectile is perfected it can stay as it is. On the other hand, once a new anti-tank projectile appears, it is only a matter of time before the enemy put thicker armour on his tanks.
At the outbreak of war there were two types of anti-tank projectile: the armour-piercing (AP) shot, and the AP shell. The difference is basic. Shot are solid, with no explosive filling, and rely purely on their speed to smash through the armour and do damage inside the tank by their impact, the fragments of plate they knock off during penetration, and their own effect when they penetrate the plate and bounce around inside the tank. AP shells, on the other hand, have a small cavity filled with high explosive and are fitted with a fuse in the base. The shell penetrates, similarly to shot, by brute force, but the fuse is activated by the impact and, after a short delay to allow the shell to pass through the plate and enter the tank, the explosive is detonated, shattering the shell into fragments and adding to the shot-like damage already caused. On paper the shell is the better proposition, since there is the bonus of the explosive filling. But paper figures tend to be deceptive, and in fact the shot is probably the more practical projectile, because the high-explosive (HE) cavity weakens the shell, and the fuse is precariously supported against the hammer-blow of impact. Britain held firmly to the shot theory for anti-tank work, though many years of experience in producing AP shells for naval use was available. Several other nations preferred AP shell, bewitched by the HE bonus.
Most of the belligerents entered the war with a plain shot or shell and relied on throwing it hard enough to penetrate the opposing tanks. So long as the target was relatively lightly armoured this was successful; but, naturally, each side began to increase armour thickness on each succeeding generation of tank. The quick answer to this was to increase the gun charge or even the calibre, and thus throw the projectile harder, but there comes a time when the impact is too much for the projectile, and instead of piercing, it merely shatters on the outside of the target without doing any damage.
The answer to this was to protect the tip of the shot or shell with a softer cap, which tended to spread the impact stresses over the shoulders of the projectile, instead of concentrating them into the tip. This preserved the piercing action to higher velocities, and the gun was again winning the battle. The next move belonged to the tank designers who made their armour thicker, and so it went on until the projectile was once more shattering, cap or no cap. At this point the projectile designers were faced with a new problem: if it was futile to throw the projectile harder, might it not be possible to throw a harder projectile? And what was harder than an armour-piercing projectile? Tungsten carbide, a diamond-hard alloy, provided an answer, but it was about one-and-a-half times as heavy as steel, so that it could not easily be made into a projectile. Furthermore, it was expensive and in short supply.
The first application of tungsten to an anti-tank projectile was by the German army in their 28-mm Schwere Panzerbuchse 41, a weapon with a unique tapered barrel. The shot consisted of a small core of tungsten carbide held in a light alloy casing of 28-mm calibre. As the shot was fired down the gun barrel, so the calibre diminished and the light alloy casing was ground down, until it emerged as a 21-mm shot. This squeezing enhanced the velocity and changed the ratio of shot diameter to weight. The velocity reached was 4,000 feet per second, and, on impact with the target, the hardness of the core was impervious to impact shock and penetrated successfully.
About the same time—late 1940—a similar idea had been put forward by a Mr Janacek, a Czechoslovakian weapon designer working in England. While his idea was still under consideration, a specimen of the German weapon was captured in North Africa and flown home for trials: the idea was seen to be feasible. The British version was in the form of a taper-bore adapter to be fitted to the existing 2-pounder gun, together with a special tungsten-cored shot, known under the code name of ‘Littlejohn’, an Anglicised version of Janacek. The advantage here was that the adapter could be removed to permit firing normal explosive shells, but could be refitted quickly for the special shot, whereas the German design required a special pattern of high-explosive shell to be developed, a difficult feat in such a small calibre. The ‘Littlejohn’ attachment and its shot were not used in towed artillery, since by the time they were ready for service the anti-tank units were armed with 6-pounders, but it was used on 2-pounder and American 37-mm guns mounted in armoured cars.
To use tungsten in a conventional gun, a different approach was needed. The first attempt, for the 6-pounder, was the ‘AP Composite Rigid’ (APCR) shot, a tungsten core mounted in an alloy sheath of approximately the same dimensions as the conventional steel shot for the gun. By virtue of its light alloy content the APCR shot was somewhat lighter and thus had a higher velocity when fired. Unfortunately the ratio of weight-to-diameter was unfavourable, giving a poor ballistic coefficient or ‘carrying power’, and while the short-range performance was impressive, the velocity soon dropped, and at ranges over 1,000 yards, steel shot was just as good, sometimes better. Some German weapons were also provided with the same type of projectile, and one was designed for use in the Soviet 76.2-mm field gun which the Germans captured in large numbers and converted into an anti-tank gun. Unfortunately for them, by early 1942 the shortage of tungsten in Germany began to be felt, and in the middle of that year a ban was placed on the use of tungsten in ammunition; what scarce supplies there were had been earmarked for machine tool production, not for throwing about the Russian steppes. After strong remonstrations, the 5-cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun was specifically exempted from this ban, since at that time it was the only weapon capable of stopping a Russian T-34 tank, provided it was supplied with tungsten-cored shot.
Although the 6-pounder APCR shot seemed reasonably successful, it was not the ideal answer. The ideal, in fact, sounded ridiculous: what was wanted was a shot which in the barrel was large-calibre and light, so as to pick up speed quickly and leave the gun at high velocity, but which outside the barrel should be small in diameter and heavy, so as to have good ‘carrying power’ and keep up its high velocity for a long range. These two conflicting requirements were fused into one projectile by two British designers, Permutter and Coppock, of the Armaments Research Department. Even before the 6-pounder had received its APCR shot they were at work, and in March 1944 their ‘AP Discarding Sabot’ shot was provided for the 6-pounder. In this design, the tungsten core is contained in a streamlined steel sheath or sub-projectile; this in turn is carried in a light-alloy framework or ’sabot’ of the full gun calibre. On firing, this sabot holds the sub-projectile centralised in the bore and gives the whole thing the combination of light weight and large area which is wanted for velocity. But firing actually ‘unlocks’ the sabot, and as the shot leaves the gun muzzle, so the sabot is thrown clear, allowing the sub-projectile to race to the target at velocities of the order of 3,000 feet per second. Now, since the sub-projectile’s sheath is virtually a skin round the tungsten core, it follows that the weight is high in relation to the cross-section—the ideal condition for good carrying power and thus long-range performance. A similar projectile for the 17-pounder followed in September 1944, and one was under development for the 20-pounder tank gun when the war ended.

Tags: ammunition, anchorages, armour, ARMOURED, army, artillery, calibre, carriage assembly, carriages, chassis, czechoslovakia, defence units, first world war, german army, gunners, heavy artillery, Krupp-designed, long distance, mercedes benz, railway guns, red army, Shells, tank units, target, torsion bars, trusses, wagons, wwii