Author Topic: Bucks County Rifle; Hexagon Barrel (Read 4228 times)

Bill Wilde · « **on:** May 23, 2018, 12:14:13 AM »

I got to handle and photograph this local gun back in 1980. It has since gone "underground". Fantastic rifle but what made it most unique is that the barrel was hexagon and not octagon! Thoughts?

rich pierce · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2018, 02:30:53 AM »

Wow. Great looking Bucks county gun.

mark esterly · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2018, 02:36:25 AM »

that percussion bucks county just don't look right to me

JTR · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2018, 03:50:29 AM »

Any more pictures.

D. Taylor Sapergia · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2018, 04:11:38 AM »

That's a first for me!

rich pierce · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2018, 04:29:44 AM »

Quote from: mark esterly on May 23, 2018, 02:36:25 AM

that percussion bucks county just don't look right to me

Cause it has a hexagon barrel, cause it was converted to percussion, or something else? Looks Verner-ish in architecture to me. Furniture is right, box is right, carving is right for Bucks County.

Lucky R A · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2018, 01:33:51 PM »

Well it would be about 20% less work to pound out 6 flats rather than 8. The barrel inlet would be simpler---now why didn't it catch on? The general architecture seems on for the school. The hardware is like that used by Verner et all. I like the transition from barrel to tang. I suppose if you had to offset one of the sights to regulate the barrel it would really show up in relation to the straight line of the of the two top flats. Another mystery of history....
Ron

Bill Wilde · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2018, 03:37:27 PM »

Sorry everyone these are the only photos I took with my trusty Kodak Pocket Instamatic back then. I've tried to locate the gun through my only contact with it but he can't find out what happened to it.

Bigmon · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2018, 04:09:25 PM »

I remember when I was in my early teens we found some old mine bits, and not knowing any better, thought they might be old barrels! They have just six sides also.
Hey, maybe we were right?
That rifle's butt is great

Big Wolf · « **Reply #9 on:** May 24, 2018, 03:52:30 AM »

Looks like a John Shuler.

Steve-In · « **Reply #10 on:** May 24, 2018, 05:43:56 PM »

I wonder if someone might have re-barreled it at some time long ago. Things happen in some machine shops on weekends sometimes. It would be a LOT easier to bore out the original barrel then to bore and rifle a solid bar.
Nice looking rifle otherwise. The conversion looks correct even if the new hammer is ugly.

Buck · « **Reply #11 on:** May 24, 2018, 07:00:59 PM »

Big Wolf,

That was the 1st thing that crossed my mind when I saw it, not Verner.

Buck

Lucky R A · « **Reply #12 on:** May 25, 2018, 04:43:43 AM »

I am kind of wondering why Big Wolf and Buck have dismissed Verner as a possible maker. Personally I do not think it is done by either Shuler or Verner. There are only two known signed Verner rifles, both use the same hardware as this gun. Shuler most frequently used the tombstone final on the butt plate and trigger guard, although not always. There were quite a number of Bucks Co. makers who did not sign their work and all worked in a similar style, so there are a whole cast of unknowns out there. I am open to your ideas and reasons for dismissing Verner...

JTR · « **Reply #13 on:** May 25, 2018, 05:30:47 AM »

Too bad the patchbox engraving isn't visible to any degree. From the few Bucks Co rifles I've seen, and the one I own, it seems the engraving is all a bit different, and attributable to individual makers. Same with the carving to a bit lesser degree, but they all seemed to have a little personal touch they used a lot.
The carving details are close matches to those on my Weiker rifle, but the thumbnails on the trigger guard and butt plate aren't, and the side plate is not a match either. On the other hand, my rifle is attributed, and not signed.

I'd bet someone here, or someone that used to be here knows the whereabouts of this gun!

By the way, I have a non Bucks Co rifle with the same style not so handsome percussion hammer conversion on it!

John

mark esterly · « **Reply #14 on:** May 25, 2018, 06:01:18 PM »

Cause it has a hexagon barrel, cause it was converted to percussion, or something else? Looks Verner-ish in architecture to me. Furniture is right, box is right, carving is right for Bucks County.

agreed on all points. i just can't wrap my head around a bucks as a percussion. seems to ruin the looks to me.

JTR · « **Reply #15 on:** May 25, 2018, 06:09:09 PM »

Quote from: mark esterly on May 25, 2018, 06:01:18 PM

i just can't wrap my head around a bucks as a percussion. seems to ruin the looks to me.

Sort of like a flint Bedford. They look better as percussions!

Buck · « **Reply #16 on:** May 29, 2018, 07:47:57 PM »

Lucky RA,

It was my first thought. I've seen both of the Verners, 1 in hand and the other with my nose almost pressed up against it. Was just my 1st impression not a dismissal of Verner.

Buck

Hlbly · « **Reply #17 on:** May 29, 2018, 09:05:17 PM »

Those old jack hammer bits had an air hole drilled down the center. I would look at this barrel very carefully.

Lucky R A · « **Reply #18 on:** May 30, 2018, 12:11:30 AM »

Thanks for the input Buck, I have built several copies of Dave's Verner after photographing and measuring it at his house. I have handled Bill's Verner and plan at some point to build a copy of it. The architecture of this gun is similar to the Verner examples. perhaps more so Bill's which seems a small bit slimmer than Dave's. There are just so many Bucks Co. makers who did not sign or only initialed their work that is hard to make good attributions. Eric Armstrong has made this school and its makers a life long study, and ran into a lot of dead ends. Too bad we do not have detailed photos of this interesting piece to really assess it. Ron

Buck · « **Reply #19 on:** May 30, 2018, 02:34:25 AM »

Ron,

Funny I handled Bills also, that's a great gun. Dave's I didn't, but a great gun also. I tend to lean towards Bill's as it isn't as "shiny" as Dave's. This rifle reminded me of a couple of Al R's Shuler rifles.

Buck

jdm · « **Reply #20 on:** May 30, 2018, 04:18:20 AM »

Buck , If I remember right one of Al's is the gun marked A.P. . I believe that is the correct initials.

Eric Kettenburg · « **Reply #21 on:** May 30, 2018, 04:44:11 AM »

Yes one is AP. No identification for that guy as yet. Interesting rifle.

Buck · « **Reply #22 on:** May 30, 2018, 08:37:54 PM »

Jim,

Al has several that I have seen, I can't remember all of them and I don't remember the AP initials.

Noel

jdm · « **Reply #23 on:** May 30, 2018, 09:28:33 PM »

There are pictures of the rifle Marked A.P. in the K.R.A. bulletin. There are also a couple of pics of the Jacob Daub. As others have stated I wish the pictures that started this post were better for easier comparison
K.R.A. Bulletin Spring 2012

Lucky R A · « **Reply #24 on:** May 31, 2018, 01:56:27 PM »

The article in the KRA bulletin was written by Eric Armstrong. As I said above Eric has made an extensive study of the Bucks Co. makers. He has a good photographic collection of many of the Bucks Co. guns. He has photos of the AP rifle and perhaps can post som. I will contact him and alert him to this thread...Ron

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Author Topic: Bucks County Rifle; Hexagon Barrel (Read 4228 times)

Big Wolf

Steve-In