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Author Topic: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle  (Read 3819 times)

Wihosa

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Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« on: April 05, 2018, 10:45:54 PM »
I have the Fleeger longrifle from the farm my dad grew up on in Western Penn. I wonder if there is anyway to know when it was made. I know John Fleeger owned the Allegheny Gun Works from 1835 until 1886 (pretty sure on the dates), so it could be anywhere from about 130 to 180 years old. Maybe someone can help narrow it down?
It has J.Fleeger engraved in script on the octogon barrel which is 38" long. It has a percussion lock, of which the hammer and plate are engraved. It has a double trigger (the first acting as a safety). The sight has a calibrated eyepiece. The butt is brass and it has a beautifully engraved brass patch box and an engraved name plate with the name W.Bryant (maybe sales records exist?). The stock appears to be curly maple and has a distinctive ledge or ridge on the left side below the name plate. It also had with it a powder horn(with still viable powder) percussion caps, balls and ball mold.
Dad said he had never seen it fired and said it was probably 150 years old. It was my understanding that most guns made after the Civil War were breech loading so this muzzleloader would be pre 1860?
Anyway, if anyone has info I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #1 on: April 05, 2018, 11:31:24 PM »
Bring it to the antique arms show in Harmony PA this August and there will be experts there on Fleeger. Or post pics here. Nothing in the description narrows it down. Sounds really nice
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Offline Seth Isaacson

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2018, 12:24:09 AM »
Quote from: Wihosa on April 05, 2018, 10:45:54 PM
It was my understanding that most guns made after the Civil War were breech loading so this muzzleloader would be pre 1860?
Anyway, if anyone has info I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Not necessarily. Long rifles have essentially been manufactured continuously since the colonial era. The certainly decrease in popularity after breech loaders became popular, but target shooting and hunting with muzzle loaders has remained a past time long after the Civil War.

See this recent post for example:
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=48564.msg481248#msg481248
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I am the Lead Historian/Firearms Specialist at Rock Island Auction Co., but I am here out of my own personal interests in muzzle loading and history.
*All opinions expressed are mine alone and are NOT meant to represent those of any other entity unless otherwise expressly stated.*

Wihosa

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2018, 01:16:55 AM »
Unfortunately I won't be going to the gun show in Penn, I live in Calif.








Maybe these pics will help. When I first started to research it I though the 'F'l in Fleeger was an 'M' but no one named Meeger made guns , but then looking closely I thought is that an Fl? Sure enough Fleeger made guns!
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Offline JTR

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2018, 07:23:00 PM »
I'm surprised no one commented on this one, as J Fleeger was a good maker. He was also a very good engraver, and the engraving on the cap box is no doubt done by him, as well as the side plate. No telling whether he made and installed the target sights, but a rifle in one of Whiskers' books shows a J. Fleeger with a tang sight, so maybe so. He carved his earlier rifles with full patchboxes, but kept up the fancy engraving work even on his later ones, like this one.
This rifle might have been fullstock originally, and a good close look might show what it was originally.
Consider that target shooting was the #1 sport in the US up to about 1900, and I think this gun was made about 1850-ish, so probably punched lots of targets!
The two triggers are not a 'safety' but are called set triggers. If they are still working okay, pull the rear one back until it clicks, and that sets the front one to a very light pull, or 'set' trigger. The small screw between them adjusts how much pressure it takes to trip. Set triggers were very popular on hunting and target rifles for many many decades and are not unusual.

Thanks for showing it,
John 
« Last Edit: April 07, 2018, 07:34:28 PM by JTR »
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John Robbins

Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2018, 05:46:48 AM »
 That particular flat trigger guard is common on western Pennsylvania guns from the 1860s. It's a nice Fleeger. I'd be curious how it made its way to the West Coast? Thanks for showing it
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Offline JTR

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2018, 05:33:57 PM »
Lot's of good guns have made it to the West coast!  ;D
And some gone back East again too.
John
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John Robbins

Offline Don Stith

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2018, 07:23:24 PM »
The Ford station wagon is a frequent conveyance for coast to coast travel
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Offline Buck

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2018, 10:29:21 PM »
Don,

They don't make those things anymore.

Buck :D
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Offline Shreckmeister

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #9 on: April 10, 2018, 07:37:59 AM »
There's 2 in every crowd😏
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Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.

James Grove

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Re: Manufacture date of my Fleeger long rifle
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2018, 02:36:48 AM »
My estimate (guess) would be made 1850 to 1870 based on the style and target sights.  That rifle is one of the best condition Fleeger's that I have seen.  I would say it was shot little and was well taken care of.  John Fleeger is well known for his high quality engraving.  He also made very plain rifles but always excellent workmanship.
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