Your thoughts and opinions on this rifle

[Levi Garrett]

Looking for thoughts and opinions on this rifle. Recently purchased it and I’m thinking Upper Susquehanna. Am I in the correct school or am I way off course? I’m certainly not an expert and I’m hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can help identify it. About the only thing I can say for certain is that it’s about .31 caliber. Thanks for your input, RLG

[Tanselman]

Well, your gun has about the strangest forestock inlays I've ever seen. I can see why you think this might be upper Susquehanna with the softly curved comb, "somewhat similar" lock bolt washer, and curled front trigger, but I don't recognize this hand.

Shelby Gallien

[Dennis Glazener]

I am not familiar with PA rifles but in case you have not seen this our LIbrary has a fairly goo amount of upper Susquehanna info and photos: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=512.0
Dennis

[Levi Garrett]

Well, your gun has about the strangest forestock inlays I've ever seen. I can see why you think this might be upper Susquehanna with the softly curved comb, "somewhat similar" lock bolt washer, and curled front trigger, but I don't recognize this hand.

Shelby Gallien

Thank you Shelby, you were one of the experts that I had hoped would respond. It may never be identified and that’s ok, it was an inexpensive piece and I found it pleasing to my eyes and that’s why I purchased it.

[Levi Garrett]

I am not familiar with PA rifles but in case you have not seen this our LIbrary has a fairly goo amount of upper Susquehanna info and photos: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=512.0
Dennis

Dennis thanks for your input. I have been a member here for a few years. Although I don’t post very much, I have looked through most of the information on this wonderful site. Not a day passes that I fail to check in here!

[Frozen Run]

Whatever it turns out to be, I think that gun is wicked gorgeous and I would not have been able to walk away from it if I saw it for sale! The forestock inlays, are those aluminum? I know some later Ohio guns started using aluminum for inlays as it was a very precious metal for the time, more valuable than silver. I was also wondering about the extra sight dovetails? At first I thought that it may have had a double front sight like you see on some Southern guns, then I saw the extra dovetail near the breech? Any insight on this would be appreciated.

[Hungry Horse]

 I wonder if this gun may have had an early sight tube, or a primitive scope of some sort. Although it shows no sign of a rear elevation device. At this early stage of scope development many gunsmiths had their own mechanism for elevation, that may have been nothing like we are familiar with. Just a thought, love the gun, it’s a great head scratcher.

Hungry Horse

[Levi Garrett]

Whatever it turns out to be, I think that gun is wicked gorgeous and I would not have been able to walk away from it if I saw it for sale! The forestock inlays, are those aluminum? I know some later Ohio guns started using aluminum for inlays as it was a very precious metal for the time, more valuable than silver. I was also wondering about the extra sight dovetails? At first I thought that it may have had a double front sight like you see on some Southern guns, then I saw the extra dovetail near the breech? Any insight on this would be appreciated.

Frozen, With the extra dovetails I was thinking the barrel was shortened, especially the rear one but I somehow feel unsure about that. The barrel is only 36 1/2’’ and it has four evenly spaced pins. The inlays were described as silver when I purchased it and I believe they are.

[Levi Garrett]

I wonder if this gun may have had an early sight tube, or a primitive scope of some sort. Although it shows no sign of a rear elevation device. At this early stage of scope development many gunsmiths had their own mechanism for elevation, that may have been nothing like we are familiar with. Just a thought, love the gun, it’s a great head scratcher.

Hungry Horse

HH, you may be on to something because the dovetails surely confused me. Thanks for your thoughts!

[Buck]

Levi,

Can you provide a photo of the rear entry pipe? I'd like to see if its a 2 piece with a pin - if so then it's definitely a river gun.

Buck

[Levi Garrett]

Buck, here’s the photo that you requested plus a shot of the muzzle. RLG

[Buck]

RLG,

I do not see any evidence of a pin or rivet. It’s probably safe to say it’s not a Susquehanna / River gun. Samuel Baum Rifle #3 (in the Susquehanna presentation) has a photo of the rear entry pipe, in review you'll notice the pin in the rear entry pipe - trademark of that school. Thanks for sharing your rifle, it’s a nice piece.

Buck