Dating a J.P. Gemmer half stock rifle

[Gemmer]

I am attempting to get a better idea of when my J.P.Gemmer rifle was made. My understanding is that after Mr Gemmer bought the Hawkin shop in 1862, for a period of time, he continued to make rifles with the Hawkin name. Some time afterwards he then marked his firearms as J. P. Gemmer . Does anyone know the time frame when the Gemmer name was used on his percussion rifles?

[Mtn Meek]

Seems Gemmer was producing Hawken style rifles and sometimes stamping them with “S. HAWKEN” concurrently with his Dimick look-a-like rifles marked with “J. P. GEMMER”.

Horace Kephart purchased an unmarked NOS Hawken rifle from William Albright’s store around 1896.  He took it to one of the old Gemmer gunsmiths who confirmed its origin.  Kephart wrote about extensive shooting tests he conducted with the rifle.  Kephart also wrote that Gemmer still “had several of them [Hawken rifles] in stock left over from the original lot.  Some were branded ‘Hawken’ and others were not.”

It’s clear that Gemmer was making Hawken style rifles right up until there was no more market for muzzleloaders.  The same was probably true for the Dimick style rifles he marked with his name.

Your rifle could have been made anytime from 1865 to 1880 plus.

[Bob Roller]

This is the general opinion and it was told to me by the late and missed Tom Dawson
in the late 1960's.There is a Hawken marked rifle in the St.Louis Museum that is said
to be the last rifle made by Sam Hawken. Tom questioned that claim and wondered if a 90
year old man could really have made it or is it a Gemmer marked with the Hawken stamp.
The high level of workmanship was what raised the question.
We were in St.Louis in 1972 while my wife and two small boys ages 2 years and 6 weeks old
were visiting with Tom's wife and family.
I still have a hooked breech that Art Ressel gave me that came from the Gemmer estate
and Art also showed me pictures made by X-rays that he used to assure that no reproduction
cast breech plugs had a flaw that could be a threat. I wonder if anyone does that now and I have seen
some pathetic breeches,most with poor threading of the nipple seat.

Bob Roller

[Gemmer]

Thank you both for your reply's