Pinfire cartridges were available in a large number of sizes for various types of weapon. They were quicker and easier to load than percussion weapons with loose black powder, percussion caps and bullet and they were also much more likely to fire reliably when wet. It became increasingly popular in Europe and large numbers of shotguns and revolvers (often called Lefaucheux guns after their inventor whoever the maker was), were manufactured from the mid-1850s until the 1890s. EC Hodges continued to make a good living as a specialist independent maker of breechloading actions commissioned by leading gunmakers such as Boss, Lancaster, Egg, Grant, Atkin, Rigby, Dickson, Purdey, Woodward, Army and Navy, and many others.ДЄfter Casimir's death in 1852, his son Eugene continued to market the pinfire design with great success. Other British gun makers including Lancaster, Blanch and Reilly were similarly inspired by French originals and improved pinfire breechloaders became the new type of gun which by 1857/8 every fashionable British prince and titled gentleman wanted to have. His first weapon of this new type was produced in 1853. Lang was universally credited to be the first established British gunmaker to produce pinfires in any numbers. The display of a Lefaucheux breechloading gun inspired English apprentice gunmaker Edwin Charles Hodges (1831-1925) to make an improved copy and persuade leading London gun maker Joseph Lang that this was the gun of the future.

It wasn't until the Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in London that breechloading guns were taken more seriously by British and American gun makers in particular. They owned muzzle-loaders of exquisite perfection, considered themselves the best engineers in the world (inventing the Industrial Revolution), and had a poor view of the French - the old enemy and an unreliable ally. They were prejudiced technically against a gun that 'broke' in the middle, despite the much vaunted benefits of breechloading. These improved pinfire guns grew in popularity in France and some were imported by British gun makers to overwhelming indifference on the part of the gun users there. The pinfire cartridge was greatly improved by the 1846 patent (number 1963) by Benjamin Houllier of Paris which introduced a base wad and effectively made the cartridge gas-tight which greatly improved the performance, and were cheap and clean shooting. This reduced the force of the charge and allowed powder residue and gas to escape. The cartridge used metal bases (often brass) with paper tubes which were usually loaded by the shooter or his staff but were not entirely gas-tight. These pins fitted into a small groove cut in the top of each barrel-end and made it easy to see if the gun was loaded. Though used before this, (as seen in surviving pinfire shotshells that lists the names of early gun makers he signed contracts with in 18,) in 1835 he was granted an addition to the 1832 patent for a new type of cartridge in which the cartridge's priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. These still used a separate percussion cap. This was fired by a separate percussion cap which was used on the still dominant muzzle-loading guns.Д¬asimir Lefaucheux of Paris decided in 1832 to patent a breechloader where the barrel hinged downwards to reveal the breech ends. French gun maker Henri Roux attempted to improve this cartridge in the 1820s but a constantly primed cartridge was felt by many to be too dangerous and many breechloading guns reverted to using an unprimed cartridge. This was for use in a shotgun with fixed barrels which was loaded by lifting a breech block on the top. The Swiss gun maker Samuel Joannes Pauly patented the first breechloading cartridge in 1812. Notice the pin protruding from the cartridge. By contrast pinfire cartridges were supremely convenient in that they could contain percussion cap, powder and shot in a neat pre-loaded package which was several times faster to fire and reload and was inherently safer.Дetail of a Lefaucheux M1858 pistol. The latter required a percussion cap, gunpowder and a projectile or charge be loaded sequentially and packed using wadding and a ramrod. Its history is closely associated with the development of the breechloader which replaced muzzle-loading weapons.

Invented by Frenchman Casimir Lefaucheux in the 1830s but not patented until 1835, it was one of the earliest practical designs of a metallic cartridge.

Description of each cartridge is listed on the image's file page.ДЄ pinfire cartridge is an obsolete type of metallic firearm cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. Selection of types of pinfire cartridges in order from 15mm, 12mm, 9mm, 7mm, 5mm to 2mm.

Lefaucheux revolver loading