breech loading rifle.

[tonyclarke]

hi everyone,
i have breech loading rifle that has a similar
mechanisem to the manton one which was posted on here a while back.the rife i have is a reproduction of james wilkes rifle of 1801,does anyone have a picture of the breech section they could post as i ca'nt find one anywhere.my rifle was proofed back in 1967 at the london proof house
for 65 grains and works fine so it proves the system is safe just a long winded way of loading.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Other unsuccessful British breech-loaders included Egg's pattern of c.1788, in which a stout pin running down through the action could be removed to set an automatic safety and allow the chamber to be withdrawn backwards. James Wilkes' submission in 1801, based on the Baker flintlock rifle, featured a detachable link-retained screwed plug on the left side of the breech-hardly innovative-while Hulme's rifle of 1807 had a vertical disc-type breech block actuated by a lever on the left side of the barrel.

http://www.archivingindustry.com/Militaryfirearms/contentintro.htm

Here's a Manton using a copy of the system:

The side of the breech fitted with its original iron screw-lever-- which unthreads to expose the breech, for loading: the Paktong bridle is screw fastened to a rectangular brass base. The system is reminiscent of a side-mounted "Ferguson" and is very similar to the design of breech-loading rifle made by James Wilkes (please see H. L. Blackmore's: British Military Firearms", pg. 145).

http://www.ambroseantiques.com/flongarms.htm

 

[tonyclarke]

thanks for the quick responce,on my rifle the breechplug is a replacement and i would like to return it to look like wilkes original but i cannot find any pictures of the staple and chain which stop the plug from being lost when the plug is unscrewed.i must admit i am tempted to replicate the manton style plug as it looks a lot tidier.it would be interesting to see a better picture of the manton plug as it must move up and down as it is being screwed in and out as it would bend the brass plate otherwise perhaps it is spring loaded in some way.