I have always had a fascination with schuetzen rifles and the schuetzen vereins that once flourished in my area. The American Midwest was a hotbed of schuetzen activity from a little before the Civil War until World War I. I live about five miles from where the shooting park of the "Princeton Schuetzen Gesellschaft" (Princeton, Illinois) once stood. I also own a 14 1/2 lb. percussion schuetzen rifle made by one of the founding members. It is signed "C. Schoettler- Maker- Princeton, Ills" on a silver shield inlaid into the side of the buttstock.
I have twelve original schuetzen rifles by Illinois makers and two by Iowa makers. All but two are "bullet guns" rather than roundball. Round ball guns were definitely the exception rather than the rule. Also, every one of these rifles has some form of elevation adjustable, tang-mounted, peep sight. I can't say that I've ever seen one that did not. A v-notch, open sight is simply not part of the schuetzen tradition (at least in this country), let alone a non-adjustable one. About half of the rifles I have, also have a windage adjustment on the rear sight. These sights are fascinating in and of themselves, hand-made and no two alike, unless made by the same gunmaker.
If you would like some further reading on the subject, The American Percussion Schuetzen Rifle, by John Hamilton & Tom Rowe is excellent. The pictures in this book are the best quality I have ever seen in any gun book. At least eleven of my rifles are pictured. I notice details in these pictures that are not obvious when looking at the same rifles hanging on my own wall. Rifles are pictured according to geographical origin, with sections on "The East"; "The Midwest"; and "The Far West". There is also a wealth of information on the origins of schuetzen vereins in the United States, where they were located, and details about what went on there.
