ALR Museum Gunsmith: A. H. Chapin...Earlsville,NY Cost $16.00 in 1854

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

A wonderful  percussion typical of New York upper gunsmithing in 1854. Very unusual to have the family provenance so well documented as well a bit of the family genealogy and history.

Here is Chapin's gun that belonged the Chauncey Buell of Hudson County, New York.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=202.0

Hurricane

[rich pierce]

Terrific gun and provenance.  There was some mighty nice work done in NY in the 1830's-onward.

[T*O*F]

The lock is marked "Steele & Warren/ Albany".

A light bulb just went off.  In the gunbuilding section in the thread on "Thoughts on Old Guns" I show a simple smoothbore.  In that thread, I said the lock is marked

Warranted
Steel
Albany

However, I went back and examined the lock on that gun.  It says
WARR (rest unreadable)
Steel  (rest unreadable but there is a partial character after the L)
Albany

I wonder exactly how the lock on this gun is marked and in what order.  I believe now that both locks are by the same  maker and how they are marked might indicate age.  Any thoughts?

[Steve Collward]

TOF:
  Vol. 4.  of the NYS Firearms Trade (Swinney/Rowe) cite that "Steele & Warren, Albany 1830-late 1838 or early 1839)"  were "...wholesale hardware dealers..."  The entry also states that there is "No evidence has turned up to indicate they made guns..."
   I would think there little doubt that your lock is a Steele & Warren lock.
Hope this helps.
 

[T*O*F]

Steele & Warren, Albany 1830-late 1838 or early 1839)"  were "...wholesale hardware dealers..."

Steve,
I also found a listing for Warren & Steele, lockmakers.
What I was wondering is if the transposition of the names would be a mode for dating a lock, IF in fact they were stamped/engraved with the names in two different orders; ie
Steele & Warren
Warren & Steele

[Curt J]

A very nice rifle with great provenance. This one has all of the typical New York details one would expect in that period, fishbelly stock, and a single trigger made of brass. Nicely signed, too!