Author Topic: Appropriate Trigger Guard?  (Read 1710 times)

Offline Ky-Flinter

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Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« on: July 07, 2020, 11:19:11 PM »
A while back I posted a fowler here for discussion (here's a link to the original discussion https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=58226.0).  The trigger guard on the gun is iron and a bit crude, and does not match the the rest of the gun.  Do you have any suggestions, or especially pictures of original trigger guards that would match the brass furniture?

Here's the current iron guard.



Here's the butt plate and thimbles on the gun.







Proof marks and touch mark show the barrel was made by Richard Wilson of London, or his son, and was proofed in London no later than 1812



Thanks for your help.

-Ron
« Last Edit: July 07, 2020, 11:23:34 PM by Ky-Flinter »
Ron Winfield

Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun. -Nate McKenzie

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2020, 11:43:50 PM »
 Any rather plain English brass fowler guard would be a likely choice. But, finding one in brass rather than some modern bronze alloy might be harder than you think. Sand cast guards are usually much closer in composition to the originals. Years ago Dixie sold a set of hardware marketed as blunderbuss hardware that was nice yellow brass with an acorn finial on the triggerguard that made nice chiefs grade tradegun fittings.

 Hungry Horse

Offline jdm

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2020, 01:14:24 AM »

This is an English import lock on a Bucks county fowler I have.   1790 -1800  time period.



JIM

Offline Robert Wolfe

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2020, 01:43:55 AM »
I would think that trigger guard is original to the piece based on how well it fits. Likely a parts gun and the builder did not have a brass trigger guard handy so hammered this one out.  I hope you're not looking to swap it out.
Robert Wolfe
Northern Indiana

Offline Tanselman

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2020, 08:46:27 AM »
I tend to agree this appears to be the gun's original guard. If it had an earlier brass fowler style guard, there should be two small empty pin holes where the earlier guard was attached with pins through the stock...similar to how the ramrod pipes are attached. However, this guard is anchored with wood screws going through the guard's front and rear extensions, and I cannot see any indication of old pin holes from an earlier guard [we need a view from the side of the guard to see any mounting pin holes]. I would leave the iron guard on the gun as its original guard...unless you can find old mounting pin holes to indicate it, in fact, had an earlier brass guard.  Shelby Gallien

 

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2020, 03:02:56 PM »
If a parts gun, then another question is, what sort of guard was likely paired with this barrel and buttplate?

I’d vote for a guard with an acorn finial. Just to get things started.
Andover, Vermont

Offline JV Puleo

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2020, 05:08:24 PM »
Any rather plain English brass fowler guard would be a likely choice. But, finding one in brass rather than some modern bronze alloy might be harder than you think. Sand cast guards are usually much closer in composition to the originals. Years ago Dixie sold a set of hardware marketed as blunderbuss hardware that was nice yellow brass with an acorn finial on the triggerguard that made nice chiefs grade tradegun fittings.

 Hungry Horse

I have one of those trigger guards, loose in my box of odd parts for guns I never made. It's yours if you want it.

jp

Offline Ky-Flinter

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2020, 08:24:28 PM »
JP,

Thanks for the generous offer.  Actually I just sold the gun, but the new owner may want the guard.  I will call his attention to this thread and your kind offer.

-Ron
Ron Winfield

Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun. -Nate McKenzie

Offline jdm

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Re: Appropriate Trigger Guard?
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2020, 01:54:58 AM »
All trigger guard were not made exactly artistic. This is on  an other wise nice Bucks county fowler. It looks   to have always been on it.


JIM