Jonathan Ferguson (Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England, United Kingdom, Europe, Earth, Solar System, Orion Arm, Milky Way, Local Group, Virgo Cluster, Laniakea, Universe, Multiverse) never disappoints.

@Jawad_Muhammad

5 ай бұрын

I’m sad he didn’t say his intro 😂. But you said it for him!!! 👏🏽

"Good Lord, we have two of those!" is the most British museum-curator response ever.

Lovely! Bland was really pushing close to the Thorn design.

For the non-americans in the audience: C&R refers to the US government's "curio and relic" list. A list of guns that can be transferred easier due to their collectible status. As to the fouling of cylinders on revolvers. It is pretty common for soft-cast lead ammunition to leave small amounts behind on the face of the forcing cone, adding friction to the action. An even slightly poorly timed cylinder can increase this effect to the point that it can jam the revolver after only a few shots.

@ZGryphon

5 ай бұрын

Addendum: It's also the name of the special class of federal firearms license which makes the list relevant (formally the 03 FFL, "Collector of Curios and Relics", as opposed to the 01 class held by dealers). If the buyer doesn't hold an 03 FFL, guns on the C&R list are subject to the same transfer rules as everything else. (Technically it's not _just_ the list; any firearm becomes C&R-eligible 50 years after its date of manufacture, regardless of whether its model is specifically mentioned in the document.)

@jacklurcher5813

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for that, I was wondering about the C&R reference.

@AsbestosMuffins

5 ай бұрын

thought foulings problem is the unburnt powder that gets blasted into the mechanism. most black powder revolvers have grooves cut into the pins to help allow that crap to build up before it jams

Love that this is a friendly, "Oh, don't worry pal, I've got one around here somewhere..." with the excellent folks at C&Rsenal.

Thanks Jonathan and team, that is a really interesting follow up to the C&Rsenal video. From an engineering standpoint, I quite like the look of Bland's revolver influenced mechanism. There can be a lot to be said for using proven designs as opposed to inventing new ones just for the sake of it.

@F1ghteR41

5 ай бұрын

I'm not sure I fully understand how it works. It seems like the hammer strikes the same place every time, in what way is striker connected to the cylinder? Why does the cylinder move horizontally along its axis (akin to the gas-sealed revolvers) even before it gets struck by the hammer? Is it just incidental to the movement of the hand (or the pull, if you prefer)?

@Build_Secrets

5 ай бұрын

I couldn't see in the demo, but would think, that the striker is offset on the cylinder, such that it is aligned with only one barrel. Then each trigger pull rotates the cylinder, to line the striker up with the next barrel. The hammer strike forces the whole cylinder forward, including the striker.

@PobortzaPl

5 ай бұрын

Why go clever way when you can go proven way?

The internet is usually a cess pool but its great in the ability to build a knowledge base, one video lacking some information spawns other videos that fill in, and still others that help create a full picture. Thanks Jonathan and Royal Armouries (so hard to type Armouries like that) Armories! hah!

1) Premise 2) introduce all the guns 3) breakdown/tour of each gun as you narrate their story

Dream Video Series: Jonathan, Ian, Mae, and Othais

I do like it when channels respond to each other like this.

Very neat, so cool to see the Lancaster rivals! Also excellent pan shots, lighting is much improved!

I think having the four independently-sprung strikers might give you the best chance of the next barrel firing if one barrel doesn't, because it could be a striker or a striker spring that is broke. I have read a book about SBS operations in WWII in the Aegean, where someone is posted to a unit raiding the Greek islands who carries what might have been one of these in a big holster. It doesn't end well: if memory serves he was injured, captured and murdered as a "commando" when he was just a naval rating who got posted. It's the sort of firearm you might give to someone who knew more about tying knots than shooting pistols. According to Prof. J.E. Gordon, British skill at tying knots was what did for Napoleon and his Spanish ally. (I paraphrase slightly, he actually thought 18th and 19th century naval capability was largely dependent on the quality of rope used by a particular navy. This in turn probably depended on having the expertise to choose the right "cable" out of a bewildering variety of different types manufactured for different parts of a ship's rigging. Steel-cored cable was very difficult to splice and sailors hated it, but there were some places where you simply had to use it. If you didn't get your sailors to use the right stuff, you probably lost the battle before the first shot was fired.)

This is fabulous. Very informative and detailed. I would watch these styles all the time. Great bit of history. Thanks did sharing.

A marvellous episode, perfectly using the collection to its strength. Fascinating variation with such a niche concept. Thanks for making as sharing!

Thank you for sharing the incredible collection of your museum with the KZread world❤

Happy Christmas to the greatest British museum firearms and artillery caretaker of all time🥳🎅🏼🎄🎁🎈💝🇬🇧

Hey Jonathan, Great Video as always! If you ever do another video on SCI-FI movie guns, maybe you can tell us a bit about the COP 357 Derringer seen in BLADE RUNNER! To me, it seems like it might be a slightly more modern descendant to these great old guns!

@titanscerw

5 ай бұрын

Except that one sux ... these worked very well.

My favorite type of content: my favorite youtubers gushing about how awesome each other is

Jonathan; could you carry on in this theme by showing the precursor Sharps 4-barrelled pistol and its copies ? Thanks from rural South Australia !

Great video Jonathan! I was lucky enough to visit the Royal Armouries collection at the Tower of London a couple months ago and hoping to get back soon to see the collection in Leeds!

JF has come a long way with his presenting, great videos thank you 🙏

The Lancaster pistols are my favourite. I just love break-action weapons.

1:15 I appreciate the honesty. 10:30 I'm not sure I follow. It seems like the hammer strikes the same place every time, in what way is striker connected to the cylinder? Why does the cylinder move horizontally along its axis (akin to the gas-sealed revolvers) even before it gets struck by the hammer? Is it just incidental to the movement of the hand (or the pull, if you prefer)? 13:27 The author ought to be an unimaginable gun geek - to know of such obscure designs before the internet was a real achievement.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

The hammer strikes the same place, yes, but the firing pin is fixed on the face of the drum, so it strikes each primer in turn as the drum is turned. It moves forward slightly because here there are no cartridges loaded to prevent that happening. The pawl exerts some forward pressure as the trigger bears upon it. The drum is sprung, so it returns rearward once the pressure is relieved.

@F1ghteR41

5 ай бұрын

​@@jonathanferguson1211 Ah, I see, thank you. Is it possible to see how exactly is the firing pin fixed to the cylinder? Is it pinned, is it welded, is it milled from the same piece as the cylinder?

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

It isn't unfortunately, not without fully stripping it. Based on its wedge shape though, I suspect it's part of the cylinder/drum. @@F1ghteR41

@F1ghteR41

5 ай бұрын

@@jonathanferguson1211 I see, thank you. It would be an interesting turn of events to find the firing pin replacable, because that would mean that this idea first emerged on a _'topsy-turvy-not-a-revolver'_ before it made its way to revolvers proper by the late 1880s, hence my question.

Loved this! Thanks for sharing

Great content, my friend!

I can see why the Martin has such an easy to remove panel, that is a pretty complex mechanism. needs to be good an accessible for keeping lubricated I'd imagine.

C&Rsenal is a wordplay between "Arsenal" for a storage space of weapons and the US gun legislation category for collectible guns ("Curio & Relics") that are exceptions to some restrictions for more recent models of firearm. Think of "Oldtimer" / Historical car number plates/registrations in some countries that include lower tax rates and more lenient technical inspection rules than for daily driver models from more recent years.

@88porpoise

5 ай бұрын

Yeah, he knows that. That is why he said Americans would understand it.

@DSlyde

5 ай бұрын

​@@88porpoise yes, he knows that, but lots of people watching don't and might want to have the joke explained.

@3Dant

5 ай бұрын

Thanks, I had no idea what that meant!

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

Yes, I should have explained :) @@DSlyde

Excellent video 👍👍

Another Great Video Jonathan 💯 Thanks 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

Love your videos Jonathan.

Really interesting thank you

Love the choice of the collective noun.

Eight legged freaks was a good movie

You're the best Johnathan. Does the Royal Armouries have a bullpup FAL? As I understand the original design of the FAL was a bullpup in .280 to compete with the EM rifles, and I've seen one picture of a soldier holding one / a mock-up of one but can't find anything else about it. British bullpup is right up your alley Jonathan so I'd love to hear what you have to say on it. Absolutely love your work Jonathan.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

You are too kind... The FAL (originally called the Carabine Universelle) was not originally a bullpup - we have a slightly rough and ready video on the original form titled "How did NATO change this gun's design? The Experimental FAL with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson". The first iteration was in 7.92x33mm, then .280 like ours. All were conventional layout. They produced a bullpup at British request in 1950 that's pictured in my book but you can also find the image via Google (it's the one captioned 'FN .280 AUTO CARBINE SHORT MODEL'). It was included in the US Lightweight Rifle trials but went nowhere. The Aussies later played around with bullpupping the FAL. Sadly we don't have either in the collection, just an original print of the photo.

@Lankythepyro

5 ай бұрын

​​​@@jonathanferguson1211thank you for your response! I've been commenting on Royal Armouries videos (and Forgotten Weapons videos) for quite some time trying to get information about the bullpup FAL, so I'm glad I was able to catch your attention :) I'll have to catch that video. Though if the Royal Armouries don't have a bullpup FAL then I cannot imagine who might, if there's a surviving specimen at all. I'm also quite fond of this pistol, and not least of all because my last name is Lancaster.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

The team are normally good at catching them but if you have queries the contact form on the website is the way to go. @@Lankythepyro

What a pleasant surprise. I've had a book (entitled "The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Guns") for years now, and the entry for the United Kingdom in the pistols section is the Lancaster (specifically titled Lancaster Oval Bore). Such a unique firearm, to be completely honest.

I find items, not just firearms, with people's names in them really neat. Because it is just a bit of someone's history that would otherwise be completely forgotten. Not important in the grand scheme of things but someone's name at least gets remembered. I do not know, just a bit of a human element.

@ChibabaDave

5 ай бұрын

Makes you wonder how many were destroyed by ludicrous handgun ban

@Oldtanktapper

5 ай бұрын

One of my favourite tools is a little hand vice that I bought at a market years ago. Stamped H Brindley, 1941, from back in the days when a bloke made his own tools as part of his apprenticeship. Still works as well as the day it was made, still got his file marks on it, and still in regular use.

Fascinating video! My late godfather just missed out on buying one of these in the lat 60's and always regretted it

I know there was no slight meant, but I heard "This is very much a response to the C&Rsenal video, where I've gone to CHECK THE NATIONAL FIREARMS COLLECTION!" 😂😂

Johnathan, you have to coolest title!

Now c&rsenal has to release an addendum on their video. Well, it’s a good problem to have

@skeven0

5 ай бұрын

nah the episode needs to get a rework and get a * next to its episode title

And the thumbnail is top. What a great movie :)

This definitely solves cylinder gap and powder residue concerns. Black powder is awful to clean. And self loading pistols at the time were mostly in the territory of tiny calibers and unknown reliability

I love these videos and always want more. I’d love to see a video the double triggered tranter. Apologies if you already have a video on this but I can’t find it if you do 😅

Any chance you have 6-shot Bland lying around, also?

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

Sadly not!

3:43 Braendlin Armoury Company... any relation to Francis Braendlin of the Albini-Braendlin rifle fame?

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

The very same!

The problem with C&Arsenal's name is that C & A is indelibly linked in my mind with the defunct clothes shop where the "C" and "A" were printed on the front and back of knickers so that stupid people would know which way 'round to put them on. And of course the term "Cake and Arse Party" used to describe something that has not gone according to plan.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

Fortunately it's C&Rsenal. Not C&Arsenal. Otherwise I'd now be stuck thinking "cake and arse party" every time (might still happen mind).

@stamfordly6463

5 ай бұрын

@@jonathanferguson1211 It's not my fault I'm mentally dyslexic. Honest guv.

This is obviously John Williams pistol. When he wasn't writing movie music, he was shooting this gun.

Do you have or have you seen a .577 version? I am very curious how big of a pistol they would be, much more in line with a “howdah”.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

That's the thing - these really weren't Howdah pistols in any meaningful sense. The term got applied to them relatively recently because they look big, manly and Victorian :) The Lancaster was available in two-barrel .577 form - the one in our earlier video on the Thorn/Lancaster is that calibre. But it's not .577 Snider or anything, it's .577 x 1 5/8 inch so much less powerful than any howdah pistol. I haven't seen the Martin or Bland in .577.

@thespecialbru

5 ай бұрын

@@jonathanferguson1211 Oh! I didn’t realize it wasn’t .577 Snider and it’s a custom shell instead. That makes sense, pistols at that size are absurd. I was curious about media’s effect on the naming of these pistols, I was familiar with the Lancaster some years ago and then saw it as the Howdah in BF1.

@stephenkissinger4434

5 ай бұрын

Most of them are even shorter than 1 5/8", since according to David Cooley's analysis of the Lancaster company books 88 of the 90 2-barrel large frames were chambered for .577 Rev. The .577 x 1 5/8" was a one-off custom build for a customer (S/N 8407), and the last 2-barrel large frame was a smoothbore chambered for 20 gauge 1 3/4" shells. The 1893 Lancaster catalog had their ideal .577 C.F. as a 450 grain bullet over 28 grains of powder, which would correspond to Eley's 1" case .577 Rev (case lengths varied from 0.7" to 1.2"). For the 4-barrel Lancaster, the most common chamberings are .476 or .455, accounting for 570 of the 690 for which the cartridge is known. Of the remaining 120, 62 were in .380 Long and 28 in .380 Short, with nothing else reaching double digits for production.

Is it true, that remaining in stock pieces ( Restbestände) of this pistols had been used by irish cardrivers 1916 to 1923 with .410/36 ga shotgun cartridges as protection against ambushes. Was noted years ago in a german arms magazine.

The Lancaster design was reborn in the 1980's with the Hillberg .357 C.O.P the Lancaster's great great grandson

@itsapittie

5 ай бұрын

I almost bought one back in the day just because it was cool, but revolver technology had advanced such that the multi-barrel pistol was pretty much pointless. Apparently the COP lacked considerably in the reliability and accuracy departments so it's just as well I didn't buy one.

@j.robertsergertson4513

5 ай бұрын

@@itsapittie a wise decision! The accuracy is garbage at beyond point blank and the recoil isn't pleasant

Would you ever class these as 'pepperbox' pistols ?

@itsapittie

5 ай бұрын

All the "pepperboxes" I've seen were of a design wherein the barrels themselves rotated around a central axis. I don't think most collectors would consider these to be in the same family as pepperboxes. However, there's considerable ambiguity and personal opinion in the categorization of antique firearms, so perhaps some people would consider these pepperboxes.

@titanscerw

5 ай бұрын

Nope, these are four-shot pistols

@causewaykayak

5 ай бұрын

@@titanscerw Thanks for that. The encyclopedia of FW 👍🏼

@causewaykayak

5 ай бұрын

@@itsapittie Thank you. Most helpful. J.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

Good answer. The term "pepperbox" is surprisingly a period one, and they too clearly meant a rotating cluster of short barrels as you say. @@itsapittie

On "who did it first," might Hubert Biedermann's privilege be relevant? Four barrels, break-action (at least the one variant that we know was actually made), revolver-like mechanism to move the firing pin... And it's from the 1860s! (No link to the patent office this time, since KZread appears to have eaten my first attempt at posting this...)

Tbh, I think I'd rather carry a pair of these rather than a six-shot revolver. Jam-proof, robust, and if all else fails, I can use it as a club. Plus they do look cool....

If I had to pick a weapon to actually use in the real world then of course I'd pick a revolver, but that doesn't change the fact that I want a Lancaster BADLY. There is just some kind of something about them.

Maybe I'm missing something here, like the guns 2 more rounds. Why have a 4 when you can have a 6. Is that Martin Henry like rifle guys?

@somersethuscarl2938

5 ай бұрын

Because Officers. At this time they mostly did not carry long arms that was what the men did. Oh and of course not ducking because the men don't like that and it does no good.

Four full house rounds against five or six lower powered shots. No contest I would say.

@tenofprime

5 ай бұрын

Like they said in the assessment, it would reload faster than a gait loader. So if you need a reload it this would be more effective, once top break revolvers showed up they took over.

Royal armouries Super Hans

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

Ha!

I picture Hellboy using that gun

Me, it was me

they should be able to set to shoot all 4 cartridges at once, right? shooting it all four barrels at once is just for sinister purposes im sure. since that will not be wise.

@jonathanferguson1211

5 ай бұрын

There's no way to fire more than one chamber at once.

"we know even less about the Bland" Must be because it was just too bland to write about

Sea and arsenal

"An embarrassment of pistols"...is that a technical term for a group like "murder of crows"? XD

Showoff! :) Nice flex Jonathan, cheeky monkey you.

For those that don't know, the play on words for the name C&Rsenal is that, in the US, there's a license for weapons ownership called the "Curio and Relic" license. The legislation for the license states that the firearm has to be, "of special interest to collectors by reason of some quality other than is associated with firearms intended for sporting use or as offensive or defensive weapons." The firearm has to be, 1, made more than 50 years prior to the current date. 2, certified by the curator of a museum that exhibits firearms as curios or relics of museum interest. 3, Any other firearms that has the larger part of value by virtue of being novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. This, of course, is referred to a C&R weapon.

Am I right in assuming that a revolver relies on the cylinder being a close fit to the barrel? As far I can see, if the fit is bad then gas is going to fan out in all directions and power drops. If I am correct, what a bloody awful design. Sorry, but I'm an old stile engineer and what looks right is right and just relying on the puff the bullet gets coming out of its cartridge seems 'orrible'. They do their job, I suppose.

I'm deeply saddened by the fact that Lancaster pistols are not in Red Dead Redemption 2, at least in Read Dead Online. Missed opportunity to get real cash from weirdos like me...

Could it be that a designer copied what he saw without having access to the internals? e.g someone shows them the popular gun, designer goes home to sketch their own internals.

If there werent many sold, was the bland pistol not interesting to customers? /s