Coolest Barn Gun/Schimmel Ever!

[flinchrocket]

cshirsch, any idea where that gun was made?

[cshirsch]

cshirsch, any idea where that gun was made?

I really don't.  It's rather unique.

[flinchrocket]

Thanks, for some reason I really like the looks of that rifle.

[Mike in Oz]

I'm really liking the pictures/history on this thread so far!

[Brent English]

Here's a pretty plain Jane original flint.  McKean was a PA maker that worked well into the percussion era.  I had another much later percussion gun by him.  From what I could tell he was active into his 70's and maybe even early 80's. 

[galudwig]

Wonderful rifle! Do you know what part of PA he worked in? Unusual to see double-set triggers on a plain rifle; especially with the front one so flat & wide like that. I like them though!

[WESTbury]

Brent--That is a great looking "barn" rifle. You, apparently, have a better class of barn in your neck of the woods than we do around here.

What is the barrel length and caliber? Do you have a close-up of the lock?

Thanks for sharing.

[oldtravler61]

  Brent maybe it's my computor but the picture shows like the name on the barrel has been remarked ? Just curious as all. Fine looking rifle.
Oldtravler

[WESTbury]

  the picture shows like the name on the barrel has been remarked ? Just curious as all. Fine looking rifle.
Oldtravler

I feel that "remarked" may, very unintentionally imply "changed". If anything, the signature may have been somewhat "refreshed", which is not an uncommon occurrence at all.
It does not change the fact that the rifle is a great looking piece with fine and deep, untouched patina on the barrel. As Oldtraveler emphatically states, it is a "fine looking rifle".

[Brent English]

I think it's about a 40 caliber.  I have it put away right now and don't have the barrel length, but it appears uncut.  The Ashmore lock shows no sign of reconversion. The signature is quite strong and may have been freshened when the the stock was "over cleaned" before I got it.  The signature on the later percussion gun I had by McKean was quite a bit weaker, but the signature was exactly the same.  I can't imagine somebody forging the signature, as it's not a high end gun, nor was McKean a well known maker.   What info I have on McKean indicates he was from Wilmington County, Pa, which is very near the Ohio border.  The later percussion gun had a lot of Ohio touchpoints.  He lived 1753-1849, a ripe old age for those times ( and these ! )

[WESTbury]

Brent--Great photo of the lock. Original flint.

Thanks for posting the additional pictures!

[Dobyns]

There is no "Wilmington County" in Pennsylvania. 

[Brent English]

There is no "Wilmington County" in Pennsylvania.

Sorry, cut and paste error.   Meant to say: "Wilmington Township, Lawrence County".  I'm pretty sure you'll find that.  Good catch !

[cshirsch]

This rifle came out of West Virginia and originally belonged to a man named Otho Bean. 

[redheart]

Brent & cs,
Thanks for posting these great rifles !

[Smokey Plainsman]

Greetings Redheart,

There are images of some plain vanilla guns, including one that resides with me, in a thread titled Rarity of “Poor Boys”?:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=52062.0

Kevin

I made that thread. *blushes*

[redheart]

Smokey,
Thanks, I went back to revisit you're thread and enjoyed it very much.

[Clowdis]

Not a Poor boy or Schimmel, but I'm the current caretaker of a plain working rifle from the Deep River NC School that was collected in Arkansas by Ray McKnight.

Proof that you don't need brass and silver to make a good looking rifle. Thanks for the photos!