Thomas Wilson’s Breech-Loading Rifle
OVER THE LAST 160 years the African continent has had the fortune to receive a wide range of firearms exported from Great Britain and Europe. Many were exports of well-known gunmakers from Birmingham, London, Liège, and Suhl, facilitated by their travelling and local agents. With the passage of time thousands of firearms would also become obsolete and in turn find a resting place in Africa.
As the rifles advanced from muzzle-loaders to breech-loaders, many people still preferred the simplicity of their trusted older weapons as on these there were no levers or hinges to be bent or damaged. Life in the bush or in humid jungle conditions brought its own problems, like sand and dust in South West Africa or high temperatures and humid conditions in the equatorial countries of central
