Birmingham was for many years the centre of arms manufacture in England and in 1830, at the age of 14, Tranter was apprenticed to the gunsmithing firm of Hollis Bros & Company.
The partnership dissolved five years later, and Tranter is known to have had an extensive manufactory, together with sales offices, at 50 Loveday Street between 1854 and 1860.
Together with James Kerr, Tranter developed modifications to the Adams action and about 1853 he made the first of his double trigger, double-action revolvers.
His next model featured a rammer secured by a keyed peg on the frame and a hook on the barrel.
After 1856 he began production of his third model double trigger revolver, with a more streamlined frame and screw-secured rammer.
At the same time he developed his fourth model, a single trigger, double-action revolver based on the same frame.
He supplied weapons of every kind to the gun trade in general, including overseas markets.
Nineteen of those were for cartridge weapons including bolt-action rifles and machine guns, as well as his famous revolvers.
"[1] Tranter was a substantial property owner and a founding member of the Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd., of which he was a director in its early years.