The lock is marked Partridge. Fifty cal. rifle. This came out of a cabin in Wisconsin. The same family had a ninety-nine year lease on it . The lease was up in the late eighties or early nineties. Mice had chewed the wood on the top of the comb by the butt plate .
Comments:
It's nice to see a Schuler rifle that isn't a swivel breech gun. This gun is a pleasure to behold. Best of all is that the owner has elected to leave it in its rafter/attic condition, and do nothing to it. Seems that this one was a western trails gun, at least it went as far as Wisconisin. The patchbox is very nicely engraved and is the only adornment on an otherwise plain rifle. It was important to someone since they placed it in a protected area for preservation. Just wondering, is it still loaded?
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I love these well worn, heavily used rifles that still show their original character despite a few missing bits and pieces. This is a great Schuler study piece with its full patchbox, engraved details, and pleasing architecture. Thank goodness the owner saw the gun's beauty as an unrestored piece and preserved its originality for later generations to appreciate. I particularly like the heavy, eight groove rifling and the slightly unsophisticated but original engaving on the patchbox. For educational purposes, this is a fine and well marked rifle for the museum.
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I agree, it's a fine example as is, and no doubt well used in its current form.
The broken out wood and few missing pieces, the cut back barrel, percussioned lock and period wrist repair add up to an excellent example of what a well used utilitarian gun went through back in that time.
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It's one of those rifles that make you say, "If only this could talk!" I agree, it's nice to see a Shuler rifle with only one barrel and nice architecture.
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Again, an interesting rifle but most noteworthy in my opinion is that this rifle was made in the Shuler shop by Samuel, not John. There were at least four Shulers of different generations working in Liverpool and although not uncommon, part of the reason we are seeing a typical single barrel is the fact that Samuel Shuler was the maker. Both John and Samuel made single barrel rifles but it is not all that common to see a Samuel Shuler swivel (I am not going to say never because I am sure he made a few).
