Lancaster rifle

[Bill Weedman]

I found a rifle marked Drepperd Lancaster at the local gun show. All the Drepperd rifles pictured online are full stock but this one is a half stock with a 36 inch barrel. It appears to be a .46 smoothbore with a coned muzzle. Unfortunately the brass was cleaned and polished but for what I paid it was still a bargain. Does anyone have an idea about when this was made? The Drepperd family were making rifles for some time.

[Bill Weedman]

More photos

[Bill Weedman]

[Tanselman]

With the later style guard and oval cheekpiece, but still having a full patchbox, I'd guess it was made about 1845-1850.

Shelby Gallien

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If it were mine,I'd run a tight patch on a jag woen the bore to determine if in fact it is a smooth bore.  The rifle style with percussion lock and double set triggers screams rifle to me.  The coning at the muzzle may have removed the rifling far enough down the bore that it appears to be smooth bored.

[Bill Weedman]

I am cleaning it now and there is no evidence of rifling the length of the bore just a light pitting. I used a long (10 inch) expanding gauge and it measures .455 plus or minus a thousandth or two. I too expected rifling but coned and the condition of the bore?? The rifle is stocked in walnut and has a beaver tail cheek piece which I hoped would suggest age.