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Author Topic: The "story' behind the gun  (Read 6140 times)

loco219

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The "story' behind the gun
« on: January 21, 2011, 10:09:25 PM »
Getting into old Muzzleloaders is truly fun as I have found with the completion of my first antique rifle purchase. As I patiently wait for the Big Brown truck to arrive next week, the anticipation grows. I had a chance today to speak with some family members of the elderly gentleman who sold me the rifle. I am guessing that you rarely get a first hand account of a gun that you can deem as reasonably accurate, but they all shared the same story as to how the gun ended up in the family its entire life.  No one knows who bought the gun, as too much time has past since then, but they all know that it was on their farm near Reading Pa. The people who are in their seventies now were told the story by their grandfather. This gun "lived" in the barn, was well kept, and used to shoot just about everything. Sometime around the turn of the century the lock broke, and the gun was not repaired because more modern arms were available. Something like 50 years goes by, and the folks I am speaking to today remember playing with the rifle as children. It was used as a prop inside the barn to keep a door shut!  When in later years the farm was sold, the gentleman I bought it from took it from the barn because none of his siblings wanted it.


Does this view of the buttstock look like Reading lines ?
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loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2011, 10:09:42 PM »
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2011, 10:19:14 PM »
Are you planning on teasing us one photo at a time? :-\
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2011, 10:58:18 PM »
No ! Pickup the thread titled wedding band below, thats what started this whole drama when I was offered this gun. There are several pics in there, perhaps you would have some ideas.
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2011, 11:30:53 PM »
Ah, To me, it looks Berks or Upper Susquehanna.  Here is an Armstrong County gun that borrowed from that school and the architecture looks very similar.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2011, 11:31:51 PM by suzkat »
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2011, 11:51:27 PM »
I think you might be on to something there Kat. Can you post a pic of the opposite side of your gun? The cheekpiece on mine is well defined, but shorter than most.  Also, I'd like to see the sideplate on yours. Mine is a late Lancaster style sideplate, upper susq. is often football shaped or teardropped. Berks county is sounding hotter as to an origin.  8)  ( especially since I know it spent most of its life in a Reading barn )
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2011, 11:58:44 PM »
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2011, 12:26:00 AM »
Cheekpiece is a very similiar, sideplate not so much, but I think mine is converted from flint, yours looks like it was percussion from the beginning.  Is there a way to take the pics and put them side by side ?
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2011, 12:36:36 AM »
You could use an image editor to copy and paste them together.
I think the barrel is most interesting.   Can you post a picture of
the forestock"  I'd like to see a picture of the front sight. 
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2011, 12:42:28 AM »
Heres the best one I have

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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2011, 12:45:30 AM »
It appears that the last 6 inches or so of the stock was replaced and
the nose cap might not be original or placed as it was originally?
Like to see the front sight from the top.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2011, 12:47:13 AM by suzkat »
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2011, 01:26:48 AM »
I have to wait until it gets here for a better pic, these are from the former owner. He cannot tell me if there is rifling present, he is not a gun guy. It may very well be a smooth rifle.  The wood repair was there when he was a kid, 70 or so years ago.  My best guess is it was a late flint smooth rifle, used, used, and reused until it was not deemed worthy of any more repairs.  The lock is a Whitmore & Wolfe, Pittsburgh. It is their earliest type percussion, before they were partnered with other investors. It does not fit correctly by the pics, and I studied alot of pics of original percussion guns over the past few days, mine looks home brewed.
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2011, 04:03:44 AM »
Boy that stock and wood sure have the look of Shreckengost architecture.
They used Whitemore Wolf locks too.  Trying to remember if one of a collection I saw had a Oct to Rnd barrel.  Front sight will be a dead giveaway.
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

loco219

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2011, 04:40:29 AM »
Now I am even more pumped up ! What would it be about the front sight that would tell the tale ?
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: The "story' behind the gun
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2011, 05:00:04 AM »
He always tied the brass sight to the steel barrel by punching 4 circles
half across the steel and half across the brass and sometimes put
4 or 5 diagonal punches along the sides of the base of the sight.
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
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