Charles Slotterbeck drilling San Francisco patented1868

[George Sutton]

I remember seeing a thread on Slotterbeck guns. I have a drilling made by Slotterbeck 12 ga over 36 cal. Patented in San Francisco in 1868. If anyone is interested.

[mr. no gold]

Sure! Post them. Us California guys are interested. There was a pretty lively gun trade out here on the west coast for a half century or more. Knives, too.
Thanks, Dick

[Hungry Horse]

 I own two guns built by Charles Slotterbeck, a double rifle with a sight tube, and an early unmentionable single barrel with a tube scope. Both were built in Lakeport. I am negotiating with the owner of a single barreled, scoped, muzzleloading target rifle, by Charles Slotterbeck, built in San Francisco as we speak. I’m hoping to add it to my modest collection. I collect California made guns, primarily muzzleloaders.

  Hungry Horse

[George Sutton]

[George Sutton]

I guess there are other American made drillings out there but this is the first one I've ever seen. The front trigger fires the right shotgun barrel as well as the rifle barrel. Pretty unique.

[mr. no gold]

That is a fine gun! You're correct in saying that there are not too many home grown drillings around. The American market did not seem to be interested in guns having more than two barrels and even those are relatively uncommon. Thank you for posting the great photos.
Dick

[George Sutton]

I didn't know it but apparently Mr. Slotterbeck held the patent on American drillings.

[Hungry Horse]

 I don’t know about that, but he did hold patents on several gun related inventions. One is a double set trigger, with many features of the German Schutzen trigger used in Europe. I can tell you Charlie had an inquisitive mind, and was a master machinist, and rarely produced guns that were identical. By the way, this is the first muzzleloader by his hand I have seen that is dated.

  Hungry Horse

[Hungry Horse]

 The fact that this guns date indicates its a patent date, leads me to believe that Charlie may have indeed held a patent on drilling style guns in America.
 This gun represents the early  California style Charles Slotterbeck guns. The straight angle checkering, and more robust stock architecture only reinforce and support the early 1868 patent date.
 Later guns, primarily built in Lakeport California have slender architecture, lack any kind of a cheekpiece, and have a bit of perch belly to the buttstock. They also exhibit a slender “splinter forearm” with a single barrel wedge. They are incredibly barrel heavy, and poorly balanced, which tends to make me think they were intended to be shot off of a rest.

  Hungry Horse

[Levy]

Somewhere back in my foggy memory, I've seen patent drawings for the Slotterbeck drilling.  I've not seen very many American percussion drillings listed anywhere and fewer for sale.  I did purchase one about a year ago made by Charles Stuart in Binghamton, NY.  It isn't as fancy as your Slotterbeck gun and has no wooden forearm, but steel tubes soldered on either side of the rifle barrel for rifle and shotgun rods.  14x14x approx .36.  The rate of twist in the rifle barrel is fast.  James "Sparkleberry" Levy

[OLUT]

Somewhere back in my foggy memory, I've seen patent drawings for the Slotterbeck drilling.  I've not seen very many American percussion drillings listed anywhere and fewer for sale.  I did purchase one about a year ago made by Charles Stuart in Binghamton, NY.  It isn't as fancy as your Slotterbeck gun and has no wooden forearm, but steel tubes soldered on either side of the rifle barrel for rifle and shotgun rods.  14x14x approx .36.  The rate of twist in the rifle barrel is fast.  James "Sparkleberry" Levy

Levy has a better memory than I do, but my notes indicate that Charles Slotterbek ( note  that this spelling is used on both the patent and on the illustrated gun) got the 1868 patent 84,224  for his specific arrangement of the trigger, spring, sear, and hammer. As stated previously, a few makers made this type of drilling with an under hammer for the rifle barrel ..... I have a not-so-fancy gun of this type by Barry C Wood of Painted Post, NY

[George Sutton]

I looked up the patent for this Slotterbek and learned that the German patent system did not get started until 1877. So this American drilling is potentially the earliest patent in existence.

[Curt J]

There was a fairly prolific Illinois gunmaker named Edward Kline, in Henry, Illinois, who was making drillings as well as three-barreled rifles and three-barreled shotguns in the 1850's. His advertisements regularly mention these. There is one of his drillings hanging in our county museum. The biggest difference between his and Slotterbeck's is that Kline's guns used the trigger guard as a mainspring for the lower barrel.

[Daryl]

I guess there are other American made drillings out there but this is the first one I've ever seen. The front trigger fires the right shotgun barrel as well as the rifle barrel. Pretty unique.

George, do you know if the .36 bl. has a round ball or slug twist?

[Hungry Horse]

My guess would be, that the rifle barrel will have a gain twist, designed to shoot slugs. Charlie usually marked his rifle barrels gain twist, and often Wart Steel. But those stamps are small, and possibly due to the quality of the steel, not stamped very deep.

  Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Nice crown on that rifle bl.

[Marcruger]

There was also the Hollenbeck/Three Barrel Gun Company/Royal Arms firm from West Virginia that made drillings.