AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: Keb on July 27, 2012, 12:55:36 PM

Title: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Keb on July 27, 2012, 12:55:36 PM

A friend of mine has this gun and he is interested in finding out who "JMW" is, where & when this gun was made. I've no clue so I thought I'd ask here. This is all the info I have.

The stock is broke & repaired twice. One repair is older than the other.
The entry pipe looks familiar and seen on "Southern" guns.
The barrel is marked JMW on a "silver", (pewter?) inlay.
The lock is marked with the same engraved initials JMW but upside down (see pic #9 & 10).
It has one of those small cap boxes on the toe barely visible in pic #14.
Trigger guard & butt plate are brass. The rest is German Silver.
Single pull, double lever triggers
33" barrel
7 lands and grooves
.355 bore
barrel has a double taper.
.810" - at muzzle
.790" - 8 inches back
.820" - 12 inches back
.860" - 24 inches back
.860" at breech
15" trigger pull.

Thanks.

 1(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd000.jpg&hash=b9ed96caefc42e22aa8b41b7e5e245723b75e4e2)

 2(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd001.jpg&hash=98877054438ab6b5304a2edf44c2a54f9b4710f6)

 3(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd002.jpg&hash=266cd8edad7569f9ec67a2e0e3a489020691a6f9)

 4(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd003.jpg&hash=e1ecf1fb0fa865a58605d2abfd37efc8a1219e7f)

 5(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd004.jpg&hash=4f0edd0e89f3b8fc656ad198b92bbec346f2fd33)

 6(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd005.jpg&hash=c9d845873fa5cb30b6efb7b0daf14ed50831d24a)

 7(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd006.jpg&hash=cbc3a795b43b8a25b4f2d01655b2084a3bbdc7bc)

 8(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd007.jpg&hash=231ac4bce2ad9e34e1363449826c08223ef38c84)

 9(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd008.jpg&hash=2d1e4a20df2298ff96e41aceed8b602b9a3ae52a)

10(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd009.jpg&hash=32e4618a58e346ff682df9d09068c67257d2ecb4)

11(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd010.jpg&hash=55996ccf7e90d2533685dd09d2354c025bc4fa2b)

12(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd011.jpg&hash=0601676ea3f595e20f57929d67694606b917b7fb)

13(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd012.jpg&hash=5f84d0bcc563dd901f9b60d9332caffe8c322910)

14(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.choppix.com%2Fkeb%2FLloyd013.jpg&hash=bdea6d0bf865cbe41c0aa3fd64ceccfa901b4d1d)

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Avlrc on July 27, 2012, 10:20:40 PM

Looks Ohio/MO..A lot of gunsmiths names start with J and have last names with W....There was a J M Watts I think from PA...

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Keb on July 27, 2012, 11:34:25 PM

Have you seen Ohio guns with that kind of entry pipe?
Maybe it's not JMW. Maybe it's J Moore or something like that.

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Avlrc on July 27, 2012, 11:56:48 PM

The entry  does look NC...

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Mark Tyler on July 28, 2012, 02:43:28 AM

Quick scan thru Sellers yields:

J.M. Wright in Missouri
J.M. Wood (unlocated)
John M. Wilson in Illinois
John M. Whitney in Virginia
John M. Watson in Pennsylvania

I'm sure it isn't John M. Watson In Altoona, Pennsylvania. Not familiar with the others. 

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Mark Tyler on July 28, 2012, 03:20:35 AM

J. M. Wood is a NC gunsmith:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=89.0

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Tanselman on July 28, 2012, 08:21:10 AM

This rifle could easily be a Kentucky gun. The butt architecture is very much in the KY tradition, as is the rounded cheekpiece, slim wrist and long two screw tang. Triggers are also correct for KY. James Madison West (1815-1868) was born in KY and worked in Lewis (1840s) and Fleming (by 1850) Counties, Kentucky. By 1860 he was located in Pope County, Illinois. He died at Richview in Washington Co., Illinois. West was also a preacher for the American Missionary Association. Family tradition held that he "preached on Sundays and was a gunsmith during the week."   Shelby Gallien 

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Dr. Tim-Boone on July 28, 2012, 06:12:24 PM

Quote from: Tanselman on July 28, 2012, 08:21:10 AM

This rifle could easily be a Kentucky gun. The butt architecture is very much in the KY tradition, as is the rounded cheekpiece, slim wrist and long two screw tang. Triggers are also correct for KY. James Madison West (1815-1868) was born in KY and worked in Lewis (1840s) and Fleming (by 1850) Counties, Kentucky. By 1860 he was located in Pope County, Illinois. He died at Richview in Washington Co., Illinois. West was also a preacher for the American Missionary Association. Family tradition held that he "preached on Sundays and was a gunsmith during the week."   Shelby Gallien 

Sounds like a perfect match.... vocations I mean.... don't know anything about tese types of guns... nice piece of wood!!

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Habu on July 28, 2012, 10:25:01 PM

It doesn't look like the 2 J.M. Wright-built rifles I've seen, but 2 is an awful small sample . . . .

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Keb on July 31, 2012, 06:43:32 PM

Anyone have an idea of when this gun was built? 1840's? Later?

Anyone have an idea of where this gun was built? The entry pipe has me confused. If it wasn't for that, I'd say Ohio or Indiana - 1850's or 60's.

It's looking like JMW will be forever unknown.

Title: Re: Rifle signed JMW - Who?
Post by: Curt J on August 03, 2012, 06:24:27 AM

I agree with Shelby.  The Kentucky/Southern Illinois maker does seem like a good possibilty.