ID Maker of rifle from Blair County

[jimspina]

Hello all,

This rifle was owned by Mayberry Dodson of Blair County PA and given to his grandson in 1941. He gave it to his son in 1960 and he sold it to me in 2002. It came with the original shot bag and powder horn.

The barrel is 42 1/2 in long and it is a Goucher lock. The maker's initials are J S separated by a star. Overall length is about 55 in. - 41 caliber

Could be Sell or Stoudenour or ?

Many thanks,

Jim Spina

[chubby]

Jim, there are a lot of Bedford, Co. looks in your gun. jmo Chubby

[wildcatter]

Looks like Jacob or Tobias Snyder/ Snider to me.

[Nate McKenzie]

Here is my Tobias Snyder for comparison.  http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=25859.0

[Mark Tyler]

Jim, you have a Jacob Snider rifle.

Mark Tyler

[Mark Tyler]

We will have a display of George Fay, Jacob Snider and Tobias Snider rifles at Baltimore next week. Last year the OWR-CSA newsletter published article on Jacob Snider. Back issues are available by contacting Bill Vance (PM me for contact information).

Mark

[wildcatter]

I would like a copy of the article on Jacob Snider.  PM Sent.

[Dphariss]

The barrel and other parts may have been restocked.
Yeah people hate to hear this, but rifle barrels were not just thrown away like trade gun barrels and broken rifles were even traded back to the whites from the natives (seen the story of "Old Blackfoot" in "Firearms of the American West 1803-1865"). This barrel was reworked at least twice, once at Bents Fort and again at St Louis.

The initials look like something one would see on a Golden Age rifle. The stocking looks like 1840s-70s.
Dan

[Mark Tyler]

The barrel, patchbox, buttplate, sideplate, eagle inlay, triggers and trigger guard are 100% Jacob Snider made circa 1842-55 in Hopewell and/or Liberty townships, Huntingdon/Bedford County, PA. This area along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River is also known as the "Woodcock Valley".

However, the stock architecture is not typical of Jacob Snider rifles. I would need to examine the rifle closer to determine if it is original or a later re-stock.

[eddillon]

Jim,
Do you have more detailed photos of the engraving and patchbox details?  Good engraving and patchbox photos are as important as the architecture photos.  BTW, it is a very nice rifle.
Ed

[Dphariss]

To clarify since there seems to be some confusion.
Old Blackfoot was  the name given to a broken rifle that was traded from the Blackfeet indians. It then ended up at Bents Fort and used there are a match rifle. It was traded again and the new owner took it to St Louis where it was half-stocked and other work done and it was carried by the new owner in his travels in the west. This is in the book cited in my previous post.
I used this to illustrate that rifle barrels were not thrown way.
The story of the John Thomas rifle is another illustration. It was apparently partly destroyed before being captured. Hanger took it back to England and circa 1802 it had the lock changed, the foestock replaced and the barrel straightened and "leaded" by Durs Egg. Then put into service for recreational shooting (I assume) by Prince George.
I feel the rifle here has a barrel that is older than the stocking. Not uncommon. There is a Dickert in one of Whisker's books that is a very obvious restock of a Dickert marked barrel. The quality of the engraved initials tells me that the person that cut them was more artistically talented than the person the did the stock shaping.

Dan