Manton, Master Gun Maker

[Cruzatte]

For your edification and amusement.

 

[Feltwad]

I am afraid the Mantons will have little interest in the States has their type of muzzle loading shooting is totally different
Feltwad

 

[Britsmoothy]

Good film.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[simonbeans]

Mr. Feltwad
I must humbly disagree with you Sir, although I speak not for others, for me the art of the Mantons have been an inspiration for many years. I have built 2 flint doubles with the attempt to emanate the style of Joesph Mantion, but most likely my attempt could be compared to a kindergarten child’s drawing of mom, dad and the dog. The Mantons were the finest of gun makers, IMHO.

 

[Feltwad]

Mr. Feltwad
I must humbly disagree with you Sir, although I speak not for others, for me the art of the Mantons have been an inspiration for many years. I have built 2 flint doubles with the attempt to emanate the style of Joesph Mantion, but most likely my attempt could be compared to a kindergarten child’s drawing of mom, dad and the dog. The Mantons were the finest of gun makers, IMHO.

Yes I do agree the Manton's both John and Joseph were the best in fact I have Manton guns and have restored several ,but when different ignitions by the Manton's and other top gunmakers are mentioned little is known in the States. this film is a good educational topic
Feltwad

 

[Whitworth]

Y

I am afraid the Mantons will have little interest in the States has their type of muzzle loading shooting is totally different
Feltwad

That's kind of dismissive to American shooters. So, as to gun innovators I'll see your Manton and raise you a John Moses Browning.

 

[Feltwad]

Y

That's kind of dismissive to American shooters. So, as to gun innovators I'll see your Manton and raise you a John Moses Browning.

Sir you have taken it wrong on several occasion I have mentioned ignition by Manton and gunmakers of the period such has tube locks, Patch locks , and others of which some members have not heard of .
Feltwad

 

[TFoley]

A number of years ago I was able to shoot two consecutive shots from a pair of Manton duelling pistols. They were owned by a collector who was able to shoot such things without recourse to having to register them to do it like us ordinary folks would have to - he was, of course, a registered firearms dealer. I was told that his father had bought them before WW2, and often used to 'practice' shooting them in the grounds of the officers' mess on the RAF stations on which he found himself from time to time over the course of the almost six years that he served. I recall their seeming lightness - a trick of artifice, as they weighed in the region of two pounds each. How well they came into the aim, and how crisp were the triggers. The roller frizzens made them seem as fast as any percussion pistol I'd ever shot. They were as different from any modern replica as a print is of the Mona Lisa from the reality.

Both shots - several minutes apart - were touching at 20 yards. I would dearly like to shoot the pair made by Mr Persons here on the forum - just looking at them makes me think that perhaps they would not be that much different from my memories of the real thing.

 

[TFoley]

I am afraid the Mantons will have little interest in the States has their type of muzzle loading shooting is totally different
Feltwad

Sir, I would respectfully point out that the poster of this well-known movie is from Kansas, and not Kirkby Lonsdale. Many of the world's top collectors and afficionado's of such firearms live in the USA, where there are often rather more spare funds to spend on such things. It is a fact that there were few, if any [and I'm prepared to be corrected] similarly innovative American gun-makers, and if this were to have been the case, their names seem to have been lost. In any case [forgive the pun] sets of duelling pistols by contemporary American makers are noticeable only by their absence.

I would also point out that much of American firearms inventiveness and innovation came about either at the very beginning of the adoption of mass-production methods, as with the Hall carbine, or because mass-production allowed of many prototypes to be trialled and tested before production proceeded. after all, Manton only made hundreds of guns, but Colt, Remington and Winchester made hundreds of thousands.

 

[Whitworth]

I

Sir you have taken it wrong on several occasion I have mentioned ignition by Manton and gunmakers of the period such has tube locks, Patch locks , and others of which some members have not heard of .
Feltwad

I saw that Joseph Manton video years ago. Came across a Joseph Manton shotgun at a Flea Market a few years ago. Informed the seller he needed to take it off the table, do a bit of research and re-price it accordingly. Every time I saw that seller afterwards I would call him Joe Manton and he would smile

 

[TFoley]

saw that Joseph Manton video years ago. Came across a Joseph Manton shotgun at a Flea Market a few years ago. Informed the seller he needed to take it off the table, do a bit of research and re-price it accordingly. Every time I saw that seller afterwards I would call him Joe Manton and he would smile

Not one of the famous Belgian members of the family, was it - I refer to 'J. Montan'?

 

[Whitworth]

Not one of the famous Belgian members of the family, was it - I refer to 'J. Montan'?

It was a quality piece, marked Joseph Manton. At the time muzzle loaders held little interest for me, his price was $400 as I recall . On the bright side I got a great buy on some Rolls Royce tools there that I put on EBAY and made a 5000+% profit on. Gold is where you find it. Must have been a connection to England there somewhere.

 

[Robby]

Totally! Gee, that's a lot.
Robby

 

[Whitworth]

Totally! Gee, that's a lot.
Robby

Yeah, $15 to $850

 

[Britsmoothy]

Looks like we are getting the usual denial and diverting tangent reply again folks.
Why don't we just enjoy the works of gifted men in stead of looking for a negative to crash the discourse?

I think a lot of my American friends would appreciate a fine Manton. After all they do enjoy a lot of walked up shooting of which was very popular when Manton was producing. Not all shooting was driven game.
In fact, if one is only really interested in an imperialistic view of the world from a small island maybe, just maybe this is not the place for you, sorry, I mean one!

 

[Feltwad]

In Manton's time there was very little driven game mostly walking up . also a type of game shooting known has Battue shooting . Enclosed are a couple of images of guns made by other gunmakers of Manton period
Feltwad

 

[PathfinderNC]

In Manton's time there was very little driven game mostly walking up . also a type of game shooting known has Battue shooting . Enclosed are a couple of images of guns made by other gunmakers of Manton period
Feltwad

View attachment 75225

View attachment 75227

Stunning!

 

[Robby]

Y

That's kind of dismissive to American shooters. So, as to gun innovators I'll see your Manton and raise you a John Moses Browning.

I'll raise you a Dave Person!
Robby

 

[flintsteel]

A near Manton. Here is my W.H. Wilson of London double made in the late flint era. My guess is it was built by Alexander Wilson, late of Manton. Has about every useful Manton feature imaginable. Gun is in immaculate original condition. Sixteen gauge and with very modern dimensions. Few realize the double gun had reached its pinnacle of development two hundred years ago and hasn’t changed since other than to breechloading. This gun exhibits incredible perfection in craftsmanship.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the endorsements but I am infatuated with British guns and the Manton brothers have been my heroes for a long time. With respect to the documentary, I am very aware of that history although I don't think Joe Manton would be wearing a peruke in 1800. While I would love to speak with John or Joseph, I really would like to spend time with their foremen, their setter uppers, their lock makers, their barrel finishers, and their engravers. Those are my real heroes. The nameless men and a few women who made it all possible. A remarkable thing about the Mantons is they were born, raised, and apprenticed in Grantham. So were John Twigg and Robert Wogdon. And they all have direct and indirect connections to one gunsmith, Edward Newton. One little market town produced so much talent, including Sir Isaac Newton.

dave