The bests of British

A period of intense development for the British gun trade in the 1800s brought advances that would change the face of gunmaking - and shooting - forever

- Written by Donald Dallas

THE BRITISH sporting gun is revered throughout the world on account of its best quality, function and style: a restrained elegance that makes each one a joy to behold as well as to use in the field. They evolved during the 19th century into the shotguns we know today.

Flintlock fowling pieces and sporting guns (usually single-barrelled) were built in large numbers in the 18th century, all to a very high quality but completely different from the best British guns that were to follow. These guns were elegant, often silver mounted, but had long barrels, were mostly full-stocked and the flintlock mechanism was unreliable. They were used for sitting or walked-up game, certainly not driven game — a sport not possible with this type of gun. In the last decade of the 18th century these guns began to change: they became more compact, smaller and far more akin to the dimensions of the modern gun. And, above all, they became reliable.

In the early flintlock guns a vent on the side of the barrel fired the main charge. This side vent with slow-burning blackpowder meant ignition was erratic. In 1787 Henry Nock, the London gunmaker, fitted a chamber to this vent to ensure that detonation took place right in the centre of the charge. This Nock breeching was rapidly adopted, as ignition was more certain, even and predictable.

However, it was two brothers, John and Joseph Manton, around the turn of the 18th century, that were responsible for creating the fine British gun we are familiar with today. They refined the flintlock to make it easier to handle and as dependable as a flintlock can possibly be. As mentioned, it was reduced in size to almost the same style and dimensions as modern guns. Lay a Manton double flintlock circa 1800 alongside a brand-new Purdey and they will look remarkably similar. The Manton brothers also concentrated on best quality only, creating the finesse of the best British gun that has continued to this day.