AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: Levi Garrett on October 04, 2023, 03:06:52 AM
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Looking for thoughts and opinions on this rifle. Recently purchased it and I’m thinking Upper Susquehanna. Am I in the correct school or am I way off course? I’m certainly not an expert and I’m hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can help identify it. About the only thing I can say for certain is that it’s about .31 caliber. Thanks for your input, RLG
(https://i.ibb.co/RhXg5qL/IMG-1750.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hXGgqSp)
(https://i.ibb.co/c8QqfVW/IMG-1751.jpg) (https://ibb.co/X5tH0Mn)
(https://i.ibb.co/pfry0mr/IMG-1752.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7nN4Y9N)
(https://i.ibb.co/Jmcw6R2/IMG-1753.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bQ6MwgL)
(https://i.ibb.co/RpVVDXS/IMG-1754.jpg) (https://ibb.co/FbjjDQW)
(https://i.ibb.co/bWCFbSN/IMG-1755.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xCBYFpz)
(https://i.ibb.co/jT9Wp41/IMG-1756.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CzpMr0T)
(https://i.ibb.co/ZMbCjCV/IMG-1757.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JsSP1PK)
(https://i.ibb.co/ByLJYTs/IMG-1758.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PcxyV1C)
(https://i.ibb.co/PtjnyKK/IMG-1759.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6NwxSzz)
(https://i.ibb.co/GM7c1s0/IMG-1760.jpg) (https://ibb.co/M1nMj8s)
(https://i.ibb.co/mR3W7Ss/IMG-1761.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fXsw7QR)
(https://i.ibb.co/xqNFJrS/IMG-1762.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XxqYSGZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/RN1BxKq/IMG-1763.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C6qMkyf)
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Well, your gun has about the strangest forestock inlays I've ever seen. I can see why you think this might be upper Susquehanna with the softly curved comb, "somewhat similar" lock bolt washer, and curled front trigger, but I don't recognize this hand.
Shelby Gallien
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I am not familiar with PA rifles but in case you have not seen this our LIbrary has a fairly goo amount of upper Susquehanna info and photos: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=512.0
Dennis
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Well, your gun has about the strangest forestock inlays I've ever seen. I can see why you think this might be upper Susquehanna with the softly curved comb, "somewhat similar" lock bolt washer, and curled front trigger, but I don't recognize this hand.
Shelby Gallien
Thank you Shelby, you were one of the experts that I had hoped would respond. It may never be identified and that’s ok, it was an inexpensive piece and I found it pleasing to my eyes and that’s why I purchased it.
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I am not familiar with PA rifles but in case you have not seen this our LIbrary has a fairly goo amount of upper Susquehanna info and photos: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=512.0
Dennis
Dennis thanks for your input. I have been a member here for a few years. Although I don’t post very much, I have looked through most of the information on this wonderful site. Not a day passes that I fail to check in here!
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Whatever it turns out to be, I think that gun is wicked gorgeous and I would not have been able to walk away from it if I saw it for sale! The forestock inlays, are those aluminum? I know some later Ohio guns started using aluminum for inlays as it was a very precious metal for the time, more valuable than silver. I was also wondering about the extra sight dovetails? At first I thought that it may have had a double front sight like you see on some Southern guns, then I saw the extra dovetail near the breech? Any insight on this would be appreciated.
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I wonder if this gun may have had an early sight tube, or a primitive scope of some sort. Although it shows no sign of a rear elevation device. At this early stage of scope development many gunsmiths had their own mechanism for elevation, that may have been nothing like we are familiar with. Just a thought, love the gun, it’s a great head scratcher.
Hungry Horse
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Whatever it turns out to be, I think that gun is wicked gorgeous and I would not have been able to walk away from it if I saw it for sale! The forestock inlays, are those aluminum? I know some later Ohio guns started using aluminum for inlays as it was a very precious metal for the time, more valuable than silver. I was also wondering about the extra sight dovetails? At first I thought that it may have had a double front sight like you see on some Southern guns, then I saw the extra dovetail near the breech? Any insight on this would be appreciated.
Frozen, With the extra dovetails I was thinking the barrel was shortened, especially the rear one but I somehow feel unsure about that. The barrel is only 36 1/2’’ and it has four evenly spaced pins. The inlays were described as silver when I purchased it and I believe they are.
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I wonder if this gun may have had an early sight tube, or a primitive scope of some sort. Although it shows no sign of a rear elevation device. At this early stage of scope development many gunsmiths had their own mechanism for elevation, that may have been nothing like we are familiar with. Just a thought, love the gun, it’s a great head scratcher.
Hungry Horse
HH, you may be on to something because the dovetails surely confused me. Thanks for your thoughts!
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Levi,
Can you provide a photo of the rear entry pipe? I'd like to see if its a 2 piece with a pin - if so then it's definitely a river gun.
Buck
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Buck, here’s the photo that you requested plus a shot of the muzzle. RLG
(https://i.ibb.co/nzWDPP8/IMG-1767.jpg) (https://ibb.co/86hjYY4)
(https://i.ibb.co/hykNMkH/IMG-1774.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mGmKBmt)
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RLG,
I do not see any evidence of a pin or rivet. It’s probably safe to say it’s not a Susquehanna / River gun. Samuel Baum Rifle #3 (in the Susquehanna presentation) has a photo of the rear entry pipe, in review you'll notice the pin in the rear entry pipe - trademark of that school. Thanks for sharing your rifle, it’s a nice piece.
Buck