Swivel breech rifle

[davebozell]

Here are Don Stith's swivel breech photos (and a quote from the previous post):

My photography skills are not great but hope you enjoy them. Wish I could find more A Daniels rifles.  In addition to his good work he serial numbered his pieces. The swivel is No. 17. I also have number 217 which is a single barrel percussion rifle by him.

[Don Stith]

Dave
Thanks for posting the photos. Hope the others enjoy seeing them
Don

[jdm]

Very Nice!!I have a soft spot for full paneled  flint  swivel's. They are somewhat of a rare item.  I'm not sure where A. Daniels worked. It puts me in mind of my Daniel Boyer swivel. Berks County ( 1800-1810 ).  It's pictured here under the swivel  breech section.
Great toe plate with the inlays  on yours ! Daniels went the extra mile. Is your single barrel rifle as fancy?

[sqrldog]

Don
Thanks for sharing pics of your swivel breech flint rifle.  Great rifle I like it a lot.Tim Cosby

[Shreckmeister]

 Now that's a beautiful swivel. Personally my favorite type of rifle. Bill Patton's gonna like that one

[Bill Paton]

Rob is right! Bill Paton (pronounced “Payton”) really likes this one!

The fore stock is made of one piece of wood with two barrel inlets in it, so I call it a “full stocked” swivel breech and only talk about “panels” when I see a rare swivel rifle with the barrels fastened directly together and right and left wood panels applied to the channels on either side of the conjoined barrels.

This one fascinates me with the moon inlays coordinated along the side plates of the box, the triangular inlays on the flat toe between the toe plate and trigger guard, and the inlays on the cheek side of the butt stock. I really want to see it in person for my double rifle study!  Thanks for posting these.

Bill Paton

[Joe S.]

pretty cool rifle,like the moon's around the patch box also.Always wonder what was the builder thinking when he puts stuff like that in his work.

[Longknife]

Don, Could you give me a little info about this fine piece?,,, Barrel length? Barrel couture and caliber? And most of all, weight? I have a SB kit to build and its rare to get a fine one to study....Thanks, Ed 

[Don Stith]

The rifle weighs 9 lb 10 oz.  The barrels are 37 1/2 " long and .390 bore dia They are straight taper being .775 at breech and 690 at muzzle

[Shreckmeister]

So she's a delicate flower of a swivel breech.  Makes her even better.

[Majorjoel]

A very nice rare beauty there Don! I like everything about it's decoration and find the silver upper wrist oval separated by the barrel tang a most ingenious way to include this inlay on a long tanged rifle.    Thank you for sharing!     

[Eric Kettenburg]

Great taste Don!  There are not a lot of pieces with extensive inlaying that really grab me but I have to say, this one really kicks some butt!  That's a fantastic rifle.

[Mike Brooks]

I'm diggin' this one. I really like the series of silver moons on either side of the patch box. Lots O' work went into that gun back in the day...I can't imagine.

[Big Wolf]

This is a really nice rifle, that patchbox with the unusual treatment with the upper and lower side panels is something to see!

[JCKelly]

A beautifully crafted rifle.

My apologies for being the one to bring this up, but might it not be a contemporary rifle?

[jdm]

JCKelly, You might want to enlarge the pictures on your computer and take a better look at them.

[JCKelly]

I did

The corners of the barrel flats, breech area, everything is too sharp. No pitting.

Stock contour about lock-plate and wrist is too smooth and rounded.

That brass inlay on the foretock appears held by brass pins, not iron. Although I cannot really tell with available photobucket stuff, even enlarged on my computer

There are just too many inlays and the styles do not look 19th century to me

Amen

[Eric Kettenburg]

When you get into some of these later pieces, it's obvious that a fairly large number of them were used very little if at all.  I can think in particular - on a close (to me) regional level - of quid a few Conrad Horn rifles, which look like they were just completed yesterday. 

A lot of these later guns were very likely 'status' guns built for guys with money who really had no need to use them.  I don't think this denigrates them in any way, because the gunmaker put just as much work into it regardless of who was writing the check.  Actually, it's a huge benefit to have piece like this out there, because it enables us to have a better understanding of what expectations were presented at the time of purchase.

Anyway all b.s. aside, it's just a cool a** piece.  Frankly I think Don should send it to me as some kind of tax write off so I can go whack a deer or two with it.  Or ideally, a couple of turkeys, if I can hold steady enough.

[Don Stith]

 It is not for sale so just enjoy it.  The pins are all iron. I only know the history for 60 years.  Thirty of those in my safe.  The previous 30 on a wall in a lawyers den. The Doubting Thomas types really discourage the average collector from sharing his treasures.

[mbriggs]

Amen to that.  Too many critical comments about rifles never studied in person on this site lately.  Makes a person  not want to post here.

Thanks Don for sharing with us.

Michael  Briggs

[WadePatton]

Thanks for sharing the rifle.  It will be added to my collection -of pics that is.

[PPatch]

A beautiful swivel breech Don. A knock out in fact, I really like it.

dave

[Shreckmeister]

I did

The corners of the barrel flats, breech area, everything is too sharp. No pitting.

Stock contour about lock-plate and wrist is too smooth and rounded.

That brass inlay on the foretock appears held by brass pins, not iron. Although I cannot really tell with available photobucket stuff, even enlarged on my computer

There are just too many inlays and the styles do not look 19th century to me

Amen

There are many examples of Adam Daniels work floating around in the hands of collectors.  So don't get hung up on what your expectations of
what a 19th century rifle should look like.  If Don Stith says it's an original, then you can bank on it.  This is typical Daniels work.

[JCKelly]

I am sorry that some are offended at my looking closely at their rifle.
How polite must I be to disagree?
Good to know that the pins are iron.
This Uncouth Doubting Thomas also has a rifle about which he is unsure. One might say I know its history back to 1924, nevertheless it sure looks unused.
Here it is

Added missing "mg]" on end of URL Dennis

Added missing "mg]" on end of URL Dennis
It was shown in Dillin. I like it, it gets me in touch with My Inner Ten-year Old (first read Dillin Spring 1951)

Now I know no one wants to hear me say this, but the front sight on that swivel breech looks rather too high, to me, than would be found in the 19th century

There is no point in listing what I might regard as my qualifications. Now & again I see a contemporary rifle offered, or sold, as an original. A few years ago Collectors Firearms had a fine flint rifle which they did honestly label as being from, I believe, the 1920's. maybe later, don't recall, but before 1940.  Never before knew that any 20th century guys made flintlock rifles before WWII.  One reason I am not so positive about the age of my Dillin rifle.

With respect I do choose to disagree with you all.

[lexington1]

A fake, for sure. Just to put your mind at ease you can sell it to me 

Seriously, a superb example of a flint swivel breech that I for one would be over joyed to have in my collection. One of the nicest I've seen. Thanks for sharing!