Seeking Information on JM Caswell firearm

[kent F]

I have a JM Caswell gun that I am looking to know more information about. the gun is 52" overall length and the barrel is measured at 3ft long. There are only a few markings on this gun which include ( JM Caswell ) (Lansingburgh) To my brief knowledge this is a New York gun. I would like to know how to preserve this gun... How to store it and possible oils to prevent rust that will not affect the value or the condition of the firearm. If anyone has knowledge of JM Caswell firearms and the history, I am very interested in this firearm .

Looking for information:
Time period this gun was produced
History of JM Caswell
How to preserve and storeage methods
Possible quick assessment of condition
what the gun is worth

 
























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[Hungry Horse]

Very nice gun. J.M. Caswell is one of the few smiths that made most of his own locks. I found a complete Caswell flint lockplate, with frizzen and spring attached, along with the hammer with top jaw and screw in a box of old gun parts in an old sporting goods store, years ago. I gave the owner seven dollars for the lot. I found a tumbler that fit the plate, and the hammer as well, and fully intended to make the internal parts to get the old girl running again. But, a collector stopped by one day to ask a question about a local gunsmith from the past, and spied the lock sitting on a shelf, and asked if it was for sale. I said it’s all for sale, if you got enough money. He asked how much, knowing he was likely to beat me down, I said a hundred dollars, he put the lock down, and moved on to other things, but as he was going to leave, he asked if that was my final price on that lock. I knew he was hooked at that point, and said I was pretty set on the price. He handed me a hundred dollar bill, and put the lock in his pocket. A few years later I ran into him a a gun show in Sacramento, and low and behold he had a complete Caswell rifle with my old lock in it. The gun as he got it had been converted to percussion in California, after having traveled across the country, and not by a qualified gunsmith either. The lock fit like a glove.

  Hungry Horse

[Shreckmeister]

Very nice example of his work. I've seen a publication on Caswell but can't recall if it was a KRA bulletin or where.

[ptk1126]

I have attached a copy of Lee Good's comments on Caswell from Muzzle Blasts in 1981. He calls him John (?) Caswell, but his name was James.


There was an article on Caswell by Ogilvie Davis in Muzzle Blasts in April 1967 with a picture of three Caswell rifles, along with a description of each and some historical info on Caswell. I will post photos of the article if desired (I think it is probably ok to do so as it is 50 years old ?), but the picture of the rifles isn't great as it is a xerox copy.

All the best
Paul

[rtadams]

11-27-17

Paul,

You should consider the following:

How long does a copyright last?

The term of copyright for a particular work depends on several factors, including whether it has been published, and, if so, the date of first publication. As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. For works first published prior to 1978, the term will vary depending on several factors. To determine the length of copyright protection for a particular work, consult chapter 3 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the United States Code). More information on the term of copyright can be found in Circular 15a, Duration of Copyright, and Circular 1, Copyright Basics

The work that you have copied is only 36 years old, "Muzzle Blast, March, 1981" as shown!

Best Regards,

Robert T Adams

[Brent English]

In regards to Mr. Adam's copyright comments, I'm sure while technically correct, the last thing we'll find the NMLRA doing is taking anyone on this forum to task for sharing information about a gunmaker that is the subject of the thread.  I do believe there are provisions for sharing information for educational purposes in non-commercial venues.  Perhaps a topic for an "Over The Fence" thread if needed.

Back to the gun.  I owned a similar Caswell a couple of years ago that was in worse shape and had been converted to percussion.  If it was as nice as this one I'd certainly have kept it.  All I'd do with it is wipe down the metal parts in a quality gun oil.  This would include pulling the barrel and lock out and doing the parts you can't see on those.  Do the same with a cleaning jag and wipe the bore.

Value: I got $900 for the one I sold. Yours is much nicer, and if I was looking to buy such a rifle I'd expect to pay at least two to three times that. Others will tell you its worth what someone would pay for it. I've never found those comments helpful.  So when someone asks for a number I'm happy to give one if I'm comfortable with it and have some basis for the evaluation.  I'm also interested in what others would consider the market value to be on your gun.

[CW Smokepole]

Kent- You'll see another post right below from Steve Collward up in NY- he references the Bookset of five volumes listing NY Gunmakers. About the only info on Caswell you might want after reading the multi pages might be his SS # and/or blood type- a computer-literate 12-year-old could find that for you in a heartbeat!
Illustrated in Vol. 1 in the Caswell section is my JM Caswell percussion half-stock. I've owned it since the 1960's, and found it up north in Ontario Canada.
Values? A minefield there.... as long as both buyer and seller are comfortable with the price asked, that's the price. Just last month, I had over sixty NY Rifles on the Auction Block with Poulins. Although I've studied and collected NY Rifles since the 1960's, had someone told me the prices they would actually bring at Auction, I would have happily said farewell to them while placing them on my burnpile! Should you decide to put your Caswell on the block for adoption, I'd certainly appreciate being advised- there's an empty slot right beside my Caswell half-stock !

[JCKelly]

For information on any New York maker, get thee The New York State Firearms Trade, by H.J. Swinney, compiled by Tom Rowe. There will never be another human being with such depth of knowledge in this subject as the late Mr. Swinney.

J.M. Caswell is discussed in Volume 1  A - C, pages 328 -352. "He was born in Connecticut on September 2, 1777 (?),"  Worked in Lansingburgh 1820 - 50-?

In the Troy, Michigan historical society are a number of letters, about 1850 - 1853, from JM Caswell, Jr to his cousin Solomon Caswell, regarding rifles JM had sent to him for sale in Michigan.

Yes, nice rifle.

[Brent English]

I found another JM Caswell in an antique store in Beloit Wisconsin this past weekend.  The patchbox is the same pattern as yours.  Stock architecture shares some similarities also, although the cheekpiece is a bit different.  Lock looks a little later than yours based on the pan style, the one in the antique store having a later water proof style pan that has unfortunately been converted to percussion.  Hard to see in the pictures but the stock has a lot of cabinet grade filler around the lock and other edges.  Whoever put the filler in did a nice job, but filler nonetheless. Stock was probably refinished at the same time and probably a lot of detail sanded away.  I include his well-worn price tag for reference.  I think this particular example is grossly overpriced based on it's condition.  He had about another dozen muzzle loaders and I thought they were all 2x to 3x above market.  Anyway yours is a pretty nice example !