Durs Egg (1745–1822) was a Swiss-born British
gunmaker,
[Campbell, Gordon. "Egg, Durs." ''Grove Art Online.'' 22 October 2008; Accessed 9 November 2022. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7002071882 .] noted for his flintlock pistols and for his company's production of the
Ferguson rifle
The Ferguson rifle was one of the first breech-loading rifles to be put into service by the British military. It was designed by Major Patrick Ferguson (1744–1780). It fired a standard British carbine ball of .615" calibre and was used by the B ...
.
Egg was apprenticed in
Solothurn
Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains.
The town is ...
and Paris before establishing his own business in London in 1772. He was a contemporary of
Joseph Manton
Joseph Manton (6 April 1766 – 29 June 1835) was a British gunsmith. He innovated sport shooting, improved weapon quality and paved the way for the modern artillery shell. Manton was a sport shooter and a friend of Colonel Peter Hawker.
Gun ...
,
Jean Samuel Pauly
Jean Samuel Pauly (1766 – c. 1821), born Samuel Johannes Pauli, was a Swiss inventor and gunsmith of the early 19th century. Parish records show that he was baptised in Vechigen near Bern, Switzerland on 13 April 1766, the son of Johann Pauli ...
, and the uncle of
Joseph Egg.
In popular culture
A pair of Durs
duelling pistol
A duelling pistol is a type of pistol that was manufactured in matching pairs to be used in a duel, when duels were customary. Duelling pistols are often single-shot flintlock or percussion black-powder pistols which fire a lead ball. Not all fin ...
s are the subject of the mystery novel ''
The Judas Pair''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egg, Durs
1748 births
1831 deaths
People from Basel-Stadt
Gunsmiths
Swiss emigrants
Immigrants to the Kingdom of Great Britain