J&W.H. Moll rifle

[DarryH]

I had a customer bring in a gun today.
The barrel is marked J&W.H. Moll    Allentown PA    2246
The barrel is 32 inches.
Length of pull to rear trigger was only 12 inches
percussion
Small patchbox
half stocked
bird holding a small banner on the lockplate
octagon barrel
looks to be 45 caliber
Stock was very dry, devoid of any finish, with a glued crack and a pin thru another crack.
wooden ramrod
No finish on barrel and evidence of lots of past rust.
Bore actually looked pretty good.

I see a father and son in business from 1770's and father passing in 1833.
That dates the gun pretty close.

Can anyone add any more info on the maker?

I am pretty sure the gun has been cut down.
no endcap and front sight in a different position.
the curved but has a brass plate. Does not look to be shortened so maybe made for a smaller person???

Thanks all.
Good Shootin!!
DarryH
Nebraska

[JCKelly]

Three Western Pennsylvania percussion rifles in my house have 12-1/2" pulls, all with deeply curved buttplates and none made for children.

Several rifles, & one l-o-n-g fowler, with shallow buttplates tend to have 13 - 13-1/2" pulls, one Schroyer attributed with 1.63" wide butt does have 14-1/8" pull.

[OLUT]

Lots of info is available on the MOLL family. John Moll III and his son William H. Moll were in business according to Gardner's "Small Arms Makers" from about 1848 to 1876 in Allentown. I have an earlier gun by John III (about 1840) with a deeply curved buttplate and an original 11 1/2 inch pull. Although I am 6 foot 5 inches tall, it fires well from my arm.
   John Moll III was born in Allentown in 1796, succeeded his father (John Moll, Jr.) in the gun business in 1824, and died in 1883

[davebozell]

Eric Kettenburg also has a great deal of information on the Moll family as well as other gunmaking families in the same area on his website.