English Percussion Park Rifle

Further to David's post No.20 regarding Running Deer on Wimbledon Common in 1862, there are two iron deer targets on show outside the British NRA offices & Museum at
Bisley,believed to be the Lancear designed originals from from The Common. Some of the dents are quite surprising. Pretty impressive stuff for Lead bullets.
May be David has some Photo's in his records that he could Post.

OLD DOG..

British sporting firearms are at the tippy top of all recreational guns ever made. The late percussion and black powder express rifles are unbelievably beautiful, and functional. The most creative time in firearms development.

Feltwad and David,

The rifles you both share in this thread are beautiful examples! Delightful!
Thank you for sharing the photos with us.

Best wishes,
Richard.

HM Queen Victoria did rather well with a Whitworth rifle on one occasion.

Beauties! Thanks for sharing and a very informative thread.

Competition teams of the 1880 s approx.
Feltwad
Irish Team

English Team

One still in use...
My sons 1st deer age 11.

I have a similar rifle 12 bore by Isaac Hollis and Son. Well used and still in use P1020843 by Gordon Hazel, on Flickr Not much information on the net re loads for these rifles, I am sure there are people out there using them still.

This is a question for both Feltwad and David Minshall.

I have often wondered how popular back action locks were in English Rifles and Fowlers? I have read where back action locks were made to strengthen the stock by not taking out so much wood near the breech, but did back action locks really do that?

Any information you both would care to share would be most appreciated.

Gus

I think you will find that the back action lock which was patent by George Lovell in 18 30,s was most popular on the late percussion period which carried on into the pinfire and the early centre fire guns . I would say the main reason was that these locks would have been cheaper to make and take a lot of the bulk off the breech section of the gun .I would also say the breech and more so the wrist would have been more prone to breakage than the standard percussion side lock .
Feltwad
Nocks early patent back action locks

Late period percussion with Lovels type of back -action lock

I agree with Feltwad , particularly about less bulk around the breech area and weakening the wrist.

I would love to have an English sporting rifle in 54 caliber!
derrickman

Feltwad said:

I think you will find that the back action lock which was patent by George Lovell in 18 30,s was most popular on the late percussion period which carried on into the pinfire and the early centre fire guns . I would say the main reason was that these locks would have been cheaper to make and take a lot of the bulk off the breech section of the gun .I would also say the breech and more so the wrist would have been more prone to breakage than the standard percussion side lock .
Feltwad

Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply.

Is that the same George Lovell who designed the front action locks for the British Government at Enfield Lock?

OK, I thought the same thing about back actions locks when I worked on Sharps Rifles at the NSSA National Shoots. However, when it was often written just the opposite in other books, I wondered that it was not correct. Glad to hear I was not off on that.

Gus

Beautiful rifles gents!
Thanks very much.
Irish

derrickman said:

I would love to have an English sporting rifle in 54 caliber!
derrickman

Click to expand...

All it costs is money - go for it!!

TFoley,
I just sold two Shiloh Sharps so I'm ready. Haven't spotted anything readily available. Gun Works will start building a kit but it would take over a year to complete & I'd rather see it up front.
derrickman

GREENSWLDE said:

Further to David's post No.20 regarding Running Deer on Wimbledon Common in 1862, there are two iron deer targets on show outside the British NRA offices & Museum at Bisley.....

Click to expand...

I was at Bisley last weekend so took pictures of the iron deer targets now on display outside the NRA offices. Sir Edwin Landseer sketched the original design - some further background information can be found here.

David

I've heard that back-action locks are faster. Don't know if this is true, but they are definitely uglier. To my eyes, at least.