William Ellis Metford (1824-1899)

G.T. Teasdale-Bucknell in his book "Experts on Guns & Shooting" (1900) referred to William Metford as the 'father of the match rifle' and 'the father of modern rifle-boring.'

William Metford worked closely with the Bristol gunmaker George Gibbs, the manufacturer of the Gibbs-Metford muzzle loading match rifle and the later Farquarson-Metford breech loading rifle.

The photograph to the right is from 1878.

• The 2000 yard Competitions - In 1865 the NRA instigated the first of two competitions held at the extreme range of 2000 yards. The rifle designed by William Metford and manufactured by George Gibbs was the only successful one.
• Metford & Bullet Alloys - W.E. Metford's correspondence with Sir H. Halford provide a fascinating insight into the experimentation conducted by these gentlemen in the pursuit of accuracy.
• Obituary: William Ellis Metford - (Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 140, 1900, UK).
• Memoir of William Ellis Metford - This Memoir was privately printed in May, 1900. It was written by H. Brunel, C.E. and Major the Hon. T.F. Fremantle.