New England Rifle--Missing posts

[WESTbury]

While we are on the subject of New England rifles, about a year ago I found that nearly 300 of my early posts had vanished. One of them was of a New England Rifle, posted in Sept. 2019. In any event, Mark Elliot had very kindly posted it in the Miller Library--New England Exhibits on Nov, 4 2019. Post below are a few teasers. Many more plus a Data Sheet are in the Library. Unfortunately, it is not signed, and very definitely, not for sale. None of the photos are not copyrighted, so use them freely.

[rich pierce]

Thanks for sharing - a real beauty!

[Dwshotwell]

Beautiful rifle. I’m trying to learn... what are the characteristics that identify it as a New England Rifle (other than being made in New England - beating the smartalecs to the punch!)?

[WESTbury]

Beautiful rifle. I’m trying to learn... what are the characteristics that identify it as a New England Rifle (other than being made in New England - beating the smartalecs to the punch!)?

Well, in addition to be made in New England and primarily, but not exclusively, from within a 100 mile radius of Worcester ( pronounced WOOOOSTAW by the natives) the furniture generally has some very specific characteristics such as the patchbox many of which have a rounded or banjo, head or come to a sharp point as is the case with this particular rifle, most but not all have cherry stocks, and a triggerguard with a small narrow rectangular projection at the front.

Not too much has been written about New England Rifles as they do not have the "mystique" of the Kentucky Rifle. Merrill Lindsay's book The New England Gun published in 1975 and a 1982 article by Donald Andreasen in Man at Arms Magazine, as well as a Spring 1981 presentation "Worcester County Gunsmiths 1760-1830" by Allen Thompson to the ASAC available on line, are about all that has been published. 
 

[Dwshotwell]

Thank you. Very interesting. I've read up a bit about NE Fowlers, but this is the first I've seen a rifle labeled as New England. I appreciate the insights.

[WESTbury]

It is just a gut feeling I have, after 40+ years of antique arms collection, that percentage wise (clearly not actual numbers) of surviving examples of New England still in original flintlock exceeds, percentage wise, Kentucky Rifles in original flintlock condition, as a percent of total numbers of rifles produced. Again, not actual numbers but percentage. In fact, the total number of Kentucky Rifles which have survived in their flintlock original, may exceed the total production numbers of all New England rifles.

Gird your loins and let the fur fly!!!!!

[JV Puleo]

I think I agree with that and that there is good reason for it....although only two of my rifles are in original flint but that is partly the result of not having much money and only being able to afford the conversions.

First, NE rifles are FAR less common than the various forms of Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifle. The late Bill Guthman posited, and I agree with him, that most NE rifles were made for use in militia rifle companies. All of the rifles I've seen that were originally flintlocks (and I have 11 or 12) are .54 caliber or larger. Most were made in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Outside Maine and some other parts of northern NE, there was nearly nothing to hunt with such a rifle like that. There are more woods and deer in NE now than there were in 1820. I have had at least one NE rifle with militia markings that was made as percussion. As such it must have pre-dated 1842 because that is when the militia was reorganized and the requirement that everyone belong to a company and provide their own arms was no longer enforced.


Kent, is your rifle named? I ask because I have one with the identical patchbox. On the barrel it's etched "W. Allen – 1817". I have not been able to pin down W. Allen although I'd guess he was a relative of Silas Allen. Also, the marking is partly on top of a filled-in dovetail so either the barrel was used previously or the marking was added later.

[Majorjoel]

Most New England guns I have encountered were smooth bored.  Only a couple actually had rifled barrels.  I do not know if the smoothies were once rifled and later altered for hunting use.  All were virtually identical in style with only a few differences in engraving and slight changes in shape to the two piece patch box heads.

Does anyone have answers regarding NE barrels?  Were a lot of them made as smooth bores vs rifled?

[WESTbury]

Kent, is your rifle named? I ask because I have one with the identical patchbox. On the barrel it's etched "W. Allen – 1817". I have not been able to pin down W. Allen although I'd guess he was a relative of Silas Allen. Also, the marking is partly on top of a filled-in dovetail so either the barrel was used previously or the marking was added later.

Joe,

My particular rifle does not have a signature on the barrel flat. I do agree with you that it has some definite Allen characteristics, possibly some Holbrook as well.

It took me thirty years to find this rifle, I was at the right place at the right time, for a change.

Kent

[WESTbury]

Most New England guns I have encountered were smooth bored.  Only a couple actually had rifled barrels.  I do not know if the smoothies were once rifled and later altered for hunting use.  All were virtually identical in style with only a few differences in engraving and slight changes in shape to the two piece patch box heads.

Does anyone have answers regarding NE barrels?  Were a lot of them made as smooth bores vs rifled?

This rifle has nice rifling still present, eight square grooves. Like the vast majority of New England rifles, it is .54 cal. I would imagine that many were smoothed bored at some point by their owners for bird hunting after their militia service expired. Precisely because of the hunting conditions as outlined very well by Joe. Also, it appears to have been retrofitted for a Lolly Pop rear sight, indicating use a target rifle at some point, so the rifling was retained.

My theory on the New England Rifles having .54 cal rifled barrels is as Joe pointed out, most were made for militia use. Thus, if those militia Rifle Companies were called to active duty, those units could have drawn ammunition from Federal Rifle Company stores as the U.S. Model 1814 and U.S. Model 1817 Contract Rifles as well as the Harpers Ferry M1803 and M1814 Flintlock Rifles were all .54 Cal.

[WESTbury]

I neglected to mention George Moller's 1988 book, Massachusetts Military Shoulder Arms 1784-1877 published by Andrew Mowbray Inc, when discussing published materials concerning New England Rifles.

[Shreckmeister]

It also bear similarities to this S. Allen piece.

[WESTbury]

Great looking rifle. I do like the Horse Headed patchboxes. Thanks for letting us admire it.