Shotguns and Rifles
Manton had been using the rifles and shotguns of his day for several years before he decided to improve on modern designs. It was in this field where he was first to make his fortune. Few guns of Manton's youth were rifled, and those that were tended to be expensive, slothful and brittle. Aged 29, Manton was to create a mechanism that allowed him to rifle a barrel with greater ease. He also refined shot design to create a wooden cup that allowed for faster reloading and greater accuracy; it is from this design that modern munitions are based.
Manton observed that people new to sport shooting tended to aim too low when firing at targets. Manton made the simple adjustment of making the front sight lower so that anyone aiming the gun would actually be shooting above where they thought they were, thus correcting this common novice error.
Shooters trusted Manton's guns above all others, this is evidenced by the fact that few, if any of his guns were legally tested by the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers. His octagonal barrels were simply inscribed with Jos'h' Manton and the tiger emblem.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Manton
Famous quotes containing the word rifles:
“I think that for once the Sharp’s rifles and the revolvers were employed in a righteous cause.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)