Author Topic: British Rifle  (Read 951 times)

2victor2

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British Rifle
« on: March 07, 2023, 10:20:27 PM »
I know this is not American rifle but my dad had this old rifle in his closet. It’s in kinda bad shape, but was hoping you gentlemen might have a little info.
It’s 58”long, the barrel is 43 1/2” and is hexagon. It’s around .60 caliber. The barrel is marked London.
It’s also marked F Locy. The stock has a pewter tip that’s also maker marked. There’s no marks on the lock. Any info would be helpful.

Marc Brooks.


















Offline Seth Isaacson

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2023, 10:34:24 PM »
The gun looks very American, and the barrel may have been recycled from a British gun. The barrel is octagon. The barrel markings on the upper left flat at the breech are British Ordnance proofs.
I am the Lead Historian and a Firearms Specialist at Rock Island Auction Co., but I am here out of my own personal interests in muzzle loading and history.
*All opinions expressed are mine alone and are NOT meant to represent those of any other entity unless otherwise expressly stated.*

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2023, 11:06:24 PM »
Hexagonal means 6 sides...octagonal is 8 sided.  This is a recurring mistake a lot of folks make and it is unfortunate, because it demonstrates indifference to detail at the least. 
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline Mattox Forge

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2023, 11:10:05 PM »
Marc,
That is a very American conversion of parts or possibly all of some sort of British ordnance gun. You said it is a rifle. Is the bore actually rifled? The fact that it has Ordnance proofs on it is intriguing. I don't know offhand of an English Ordnance small arm that had an octagon 43-1/2 inch barrel. The trigger guard looks like it is a modified English Ordnance type guard. Can you post a photos of the left and bottom views of the gun, and a top view of the butt, so that we can see the details of the trigger guard, the side plate, and the top of the butt plate?

Mike
« Last Edit: March 07, 2023, 11:15:01 PM by Mattox Forge »

Offline Seth Isaacson

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2023, 11:43:53 PM »
Trade guns ordered by the government in the early 19th century for Native Americans would have been Ordnance proofed.
I am the Lead Historian and a Firearms Specialist at Rock Island Auction Co., but I am here out of my own personal interests in muzzle loading and history.
*All opinions expressed are mine alone and are NOT meant to represent those of any other entity unless otherwise expressly stated.*

2victor2

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2023, 05:43:23 AM »
Here are a couple more pics. The inside of the muzzle looks smooth.












Offline JV Puleo

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2023, 07:09:29 AM »
This gun is a lot more interesting than meets the eye. I think it's actually Belgian with fake British Ordnance proofs. There were a lot of complaints about this at the time but identifying them is nearly impossible since the marks were easily faked. The salient feature here is that there is no British Ordnance gun that would have a long octagonal barrel...

I've seen one other...a pair of pistols that also had Liege proofs. Those proof marks were only used on arms made for the Ordnance Office...the GR was referred to as "the King's Mark" and identified it as crown property.


Offline Daryl

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Re: British Rifle
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2023, 07:48:13 PM »
Looking inside the muzzle, I can almost see a couple land/groove corners, about an inch back from the muzzle.
These would be n the 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock positions, relative to the front sight (brass) being at 12 o'clock.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V