Attic condition percussion longrifle on social media

[rich pierce]

Signature is interesting. Not my gun. Guy is looking for who made it and where.

[Jacob_S_P]

What state was the attic in?

[Mike Brooks]

What state was the attic in?

Dirty?

[rich pierce]

What state was the attic in?

Wet. New Jersey wet.

[Jacob_S_P]

Ha ha. Wet. Dirty.
New Jersey huh? I'd say that rifle got dragged north and probably against it's will. I only go to NJ begrud.

[rich pierce]

We lived in NJ 1976-1990. We enjoyed it. Caught a lot of fish, trapped a lot of muskrats, got some deer, and was close to Dixon’s. It’s warm and humid though and supposedly this rifle survived a flood. Maybe “cellar condition” is more accurate.

[JTR]

Long ago I bought a great, but beat up Dickert rifle, that had come out of a New Jersey attic.

[Tanselman]

It's hard to see small details in the posted images. It would help to see closer pictures of the lock bolt washer, tang, guard & triggers, and rear pipe. One possibility, although a swag, is Samuel Switzer. He was born in PA, worked as a gunsmith in NY in the 1840s, then moved to Fountain Co., IN, in the 1850s. The reasoning behind this possibility is the good lines of the rifle (PA exposure), but also the lock bolt washer that's a NY perc. era style. However, I've never seen his earlier engraved initials/signature, just his much later stamped signature out here in the Midwest. May not be your man, but his background matches the style, and his NY years "kind of" match the lock bolt washer, in the 1840s he was close to NJ where gun was found, and the initials fit. So now someone needs to find a better fit!

Shelby Gallien

[Mike Brooks]

Long ago I bought a great, but beat up Dickert rifle, that had come out of a New Jersey attic.

Nifty. Another nice carving example some guys could use for inspration.

[Taylorz1]

Wow I like that Dickert a lot. Im heading for my copies of ROCA to see but I think some unique features for him.

[Curt J]

The signature sure looks a lot like the "S S" of Samuel Smith.  He was born in Pennsylvania in about 1801 and was living in Ohio by 1832. He had moved to Astoria, Fulton County, Illinois, by 1850. He was a farmer and gunsmith, with a shop on his farm, about three miles west of Astoria. He was a fairly prolific maker here in Illinois. All known rifles are maple fullstocks. He died while still in business on September 4, 1872. There is an example of Smith's "S S" signature on page 395 of my book, Gunmakers Of Illinois, 1683-1900, Vol. II. The architecture of this rifle is also quite similar to known Samuel Smith rifles. What was it doing in New Jersey? I have no idea, but everything has to be somewhere.