Barrels and Breeches

Medium: Steel engraving

Artist: C. J. Muckersie

Engraver: J. Rapkin

Dated: c. 1860

Image Dimensions: 8¾" x 11" (22.23cm x 27.94cm)

Price: £60.00

This mid-19th-century technical engraving details the metallurgy and structural manufacturing of Victorian firearms. The print serves as Plate III from The Book of Field Sports, published in London around 1860–1863. Masterfully engraved by J. Rapkin from an original illustration by C.J. Mackersie, this work visually documents the varied grades of iron and specialized welding techniques used by British gunsmiths to prevent catastrophic barrel failures during ignition.

The upper portion of the plate displays highly realistic textured renderings of six distinct barrel types, highlighting their unique grain patterns and construction methods. It depicts premium choices like Stub Damascus and Stub Twist, which utilized recycled horseshoe nails mixed with steel for superior strength. These are contrasted against more economical grades, including Charcoal Iron, Threepenny Iron, Twopenny Iron, and the simulated pattern of “Sham-Dam” (imitation Damascus).

The lower register shifts focus to the breech architecture crucial to early percussion firearms. It includes clear mechanical diagrams of a standard Breech Plug & Nipple alongside cross-sections of proprietary “Patent Breeches” engineered by legendary gunmakers Wilkinson and Greener. This rare technical document offers deep insight into early industrial metallurgy and remains an excellent acquisition for arms historians, antique print collectors, or display in a study or library.