AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: backsplash75 on May 26, 2021, 07:34:02 PM
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Gents,
Another thread with a Virginia Gazette ad https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=66027.0 (https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=66027.0) reminded me of this one:
(https://i.ibb.co/Zc1tMKj/July-26-1776-Va-GAzette-grace-rifle.jpg) (https://imgbb.com/)
A spectacular recent return from the UK, the "G. Grace" rifle dated 1776 is pictured in John Kolar's article on American rifle accuracy in Man at Arms magazine Vol. 37, No. 4 (August 2015) but I don't see anything with the search function, has this rifle surfaced, why were no images of the box lid or lock included and does anyone know where it now is? In addition, he mentions the Dickert with a daisy box is pre Rev War. Any ideas how that was ascertained?
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https://news.artnet.com/art-world/winter-show-2024-2421030 (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/winter-show-2024-2421030)
(https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2024/01/winter-finer1-1024x690.jpg)
caption attributes this gun to Pennsylvania. Anyone know anything about this one?
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I’m skeptical. It just doesn’t look like it ought to with its age and I can’t recall a single lock on a Pennsylvania rifle of that era with the maker’s name plus the date. The lock seems very ornate. If it’s real I wonder why I never saw it or heard of it. I’m kinda fanatical about studying longrifles of that era. I’d love to see more pictures. If it’s real, it’s a real outlier, as some certainly are.
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Am I correct in understanding that it was a RIFLE LOCK that was stolen, not a complete gun :-\
Also gunlocks with the name GRICE and a date of 1776 would have been knocking about then. Just an initial thought.
As an aside and maybe just a coinsidence; the ad was placed on 13th. June 1776 which, as you all know, is the Feast of St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things ;)
Niall
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Niall,
Yep, stolen lock. I have yet to see a Grice lock that had a month and the date. I think the name is in fact, a cigar.
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https://news.artnet.com/art-world/winter-show-2024-2421030 (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/winter-show-2024-2421030)
(https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2024/01/winter-finer1-1024x690.jpg)
caption attributes this gun to Pennsylvania. Anyone know anything about this one?
This appears to have been made recently.
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I thought the same......and since Mike is always correct, I must be too....at least in this case 8)
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Looks like a lightly reshaped Chambers cock too, but that's not the only issue.
The funky filework is a little over-the-top. But who knows, I guess I'd like the see the rest of the rifle. But I'm officially raising one eyebrow.
Sincerely, Moe.
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https://news.artnet.com/art-world/winter-show-2024-2421030 (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/winter-show-2024-2421030)
(https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2024/01/winter-finer1-1024x690.jpg)
caption attributes this gun to Pennsylvania. Anyone know anything about this one?
This appears to have been made recently.
Looks like a lightly reshaped Chambers cock too, but that's not the only issue.
it is 100% a reconversion, the images in the older article I referenced above show a drum + nipple and no cock or hammer.
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If that is indeed the case, looking at the engraving carefully I would be inclined to believe that the engraving at the rear of the lock is one hand, and perhaps at the time of conversion to percussion someone got jiggy with it and decided to add a name and date (for some inexplicable reason, but perhaps a memorial etc) because that engraving doesn't really match up with the engraving at the lock tail. Then when it was reconverted someone tried to match up the better and more professional engraving at the lock tail and did a good job of it.
The excessive filework still is a bit odd - not clear on that.