WITH MATT LIMB // MUZZLE-LOADING
Mike was using he acquired at the end of last
year, an 11-bore, double-barrel percussion gun by
the world-renowned Birmingham gunmaker
Westley Richards. He also has certified proof from
the makers, plus an extract of the original maker’s
ledger, that it was manufactured in 1841 as a
stock gun for their London agent, The Bishop of
Bond Street. William Bishop was then located at
170 New Bond Street, London, and this address
is still visible on the top rib. The gun is in amazing,
I would say almost original, condition. Weighing in
at 8lb, the gun is ideal shooting 1¼oz (36g) load,
which is perfect for a day’s game shooting. But on
clays, it is equally at home firing 1^1 / 8 oz load of
No.8 shot.
Standing with Mike, admiring the
workmanship of the gun, which at almost 180
years old certainly qualifies as an antique, started
me thinking. Is there any other man-made item
that would stand the test of time and still be in
such good condition and in full working order for
its original intention after over 150 years? The only
thing we could think of was a timepiece; a
well-made pocket watch from the same era may
well be the only other antique still functional for its
original purpose.
As the first stand got underway and the
clays started flying, I looked on at the great
variation of guns being used; some were single
barrel and some double, the most common were
percussion cap, and generally ranging from 16- to
10-bore. But is there a difference between
shooting with black powder and a muzzle-loader
than with the modern nitro shotgun? It was a
discussion that several joined as they waited for
their turn to fire. The general sentiment was that
percussion muzzle-loaders show little, if any,
difference to shooting with nitro. Being
cylinder-bored, out of necessity, the effective
range may be the only difference due to the
inevitable spread of shot, but to about 30 yards,
this is not any great problem.
But shooting clays, muzzle-loading with
black powder is different to nitro. Maybe not
in the technical aspect of shooting but certainly
in the experience. The difference is you do not
stand and stuff cartridges into the chamber –
there is an enforced break after one or two shots.
You then go back to the table to reload and
there is time to chat and share your
knowledge and experiences, which,
as Mike admitted, makes for a relaxed
and pleasurable day. Even stood
on the sidelines, this was obvious
and came over strongly – it
was certainly a very social and
enjoyable experience for
everyone involved.
As I made my way around the
stands with a varying challenge from
the clays, I became aware of someone
shooting something a little different – it was a
flintlock. One of the founding members of the club
and still very active is Bev Keeble and, apparently,
it is not unusual for him to shoot his flintlock.
Again, his interest came as a young boy, this time
being brought up on the family farm when he took
a shine to several old non-functional muzzle-
loaders. Today, Bev is more likely to be found with
a muzzle-loader than a modern nitro gun, be that
shooting clays or game.
His flintlock dates back to about 1810, again a
London manufacturer, this time Alexander Wilson,
and in its day it was described as a fowling or
sporting gun, to separate it from a musket. Towatch a gun over two centuries old, manufactured
as the Peninsular Wars were coming to an end
and before the Battle of Waterloo, still knocking
clays out of the sky as well as any modern
shotgun was highly gratifying – as was the
distinctive flash, fume of smoke and bang when it
was fired.
Another person I spoke to was Cath, who had
travelled some distance for the day. Chatting with
her, it was a similar story of coming from the
traditional nitro shotgun to black powder, and
again after visiting a country fair and meeting theGoing on a shooting day with muzzle-loaders
is more about the guns than the clays!Matt marvels at these stunning antiques
that still function after centuries of useGET INVOLVED
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