"The Plainsman"

[davec2]

I have had this cut out advertisement in my files since the 1970s some time.  I am not particularly fond of half stocks or percussion guns, and I'm sure that this particular rifle would be a rather low end reproduction, but the shape and slender outline appealed to me back then for some reason.  Anyone ever own one of these ?

[Dan'l 1946]

I believe that these became available in the  early 1970s. They came in .38 or .45 caliber and in plain or fancy versions. The only one that I personally shot was accurate and reliable. It was said that Cecil Brooks helped with the design, but maybe not. They were made in Italy(Pedersoli?) and were fairly expensive for the era.
                                             Dan

[CARROLLCO]

I acquired one last year at a moving sale for $75. It was missing a tang and lock screw. I thought it was a long rifle that had been skillfully made into a half stock. Mine is in .45 caliber and is a bit muzzle heavy.  I'm having a problem with the set triggers (too hard a pull) that I haven't sorted out yet. I thought it was a steal at that price.

[Dan'l 1946]

You bought it right. The basic rifle was around $250 in 1970 dollars and the engraved version was $70 or $80 dollars more.
                                                     Dan

[Levy]

I remember that the design originated with Cecil Brooks too.

James Levy

[davec2]

I've never seen one or know of anyone who owned one.  Just wondered how common they were...or were not.

[Ky-Flinter]

From the picture that is a nice looking rifle.  I've never seen one or even heard of it before now.  The ad picture states Cecil Brooks "created this rendition...."

-Ron

[smokinbuck]

You're memory is right. This was a Cecil Brooks design and he was sent to Italy to supervise the first rifle's construction, prior to production.  I've had a couple over the years and found them to be more attractive (?) Than accurate.
Mark

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have a rifle strikingly similar to it.  It has a European walnut stock, a polished but case hardened percussion lock, the trigger must be set to fire the rifle, a brass under-rib, and I re-barreled it years ago with a 7/8" Green Mt. barrel, opening up the channel a little to replace the metric tube.  The original had extremely poor rifling, almost like it had two sets of grooves:  one straight and the other, twisted.  The lock did not have a fly, but I added one as the rifle has single stage set triggers.  My daughters both grew up with this rifle and it is a keeper.  I have admired that ad all my adult life.

[George Sutton]

I owned one years ago and it was a good shooter just a little too light. A young lady ended up with it and last I knew she was spanking everyone with it. Mine was .38 cal.

Centershot

[Dan'l 1946]

Taylor,
          The rifle shown in the ad is the engraved version. They offered a plain version, too, and the lock may have been case colored on the standard rifle.
                                          Dan

[Hawken62_flint]

Here is a little tidbit handed down to me by a long time builder from Ohio, who spent some of his younger years in Cecil's shop.  When Cecil went to Italy to supervise the making of the Plainsman, he told them that he wanted a fox squirrel engraved on the cap box lid.  Those of you who have an engraved version of this rifle, look close at the fox squirrel and you will see that the face looks like a fox, as the Italians didn't know what a fox squirrel actually looked like, and they put the fox face on the squirrel body.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Dan:  mine has a hardened lock but is polished bright.  It has wonderfully stayed bright all these years, and through a handful of owners.  I'll take some pics of it today and post them.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

As you can see, this is the plain model (unengraved).  But it is a keeper for certain.  And a piece of Contemporary Longrifle history.

[mattdog]

I had one of these in the shop a couple of years ago.  I did some clean up on the lock to negate neglect.  It was a fine enough though inexpensive gun.  I didn't know I was working on a classic.  When the customer asked what I thought it might be worth I thought I was being kind when I said "oh, maybe a couple hundred bucks"  I think he was dissapointed with my apraisal.  Maybe he had a right to be.

[Hungry Horse]

 Yikes! Two hundred and fifty bucks in the early seventies. No wonder you hardly ever see one. I got my first Christmas bonus at work in the early seventies. It was 200 bucks, and I was delighted when my new wife told me to buy something I really wanted. I bought a CVA mountain rifle kit, and a Dixie gun works York flintlock rifle kit, and got change back. Granted it wasn’t much change, but I did get some.

Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Some years back, Taylor did some work on my longrifle. It is kind of a flint version of this rifle, Dan.

[Hawken62_flint]

Smokinbuck is correct. Cecil Brooks designed this rifle and they flew him to Italy to supervise the initial builds. I own 2 of these,  one plain and one fancy. I haven't shot either one of them. At one time, Cecil was taking them and rebarreling them and signing his name on the barrel and reselling them. I had a guy try to sell me one for $2500 saying it was built by Cecil. When I went to look at it, it was an Italian one that Cecil had rebarreled. I passed. I bought them as a keepsake as I had met Cecil and talked to him several times. He was a fixture at the Association of Ohio Longrifle Collectors show in Marietta each spring.

[Leatherbark]

Yes, I remember lusting after the 38-caliber model to go with my 51 Navy back in the 70's so I could use the same size ball.  But I could only afford a $79.95 CVA Kentucky 45.

Bob

[BigSkyRambler]

Further to my post, this is a good read. Seems mine may be Plainsman rifles rebarreled by Brooks. Rest if gun just so-so.




high quality album

[jbigley]

Back in the late '70s, I traded for a .45 caliber Plainsman with a FLINT lock. Don't recall what I traded -- probably another muzzleloader. I lost it later on. That was the only flint Plainsman I've ever seen, and was a nice rifle. (Not as nice a Daryl's flinter, but nice enough). Wish I still had it.
--JB