Author Topic: A nice old gun came in the shop  (Read 3176 times)

Offline WKevinD

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A nice old gun came in the shop
« on: April 19, 2023, 12:15:25 AM »
Someone dropped a relic today for "cleaning" so he could hang it on the wall. I am fascinated by the carving and general style of the piece. It's missing most of the fore stock and has definitely been reworked a long time ago. The (present) barrel is a 20 gauge octagon to round smoothbore But I believe the gun was originally built as a rifle. I presume early, German built with a    2 1/8" wide buttplate and a strong cheekpiece.
Here are some pictures:
Kevin













PEACE is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.  Thomas Jefferson

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2023, 12:35:28 AM »
Cool beans man.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline mr. no gold

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2023, 03:26:57 AM »
Heck Yeah!! Nice old Cherman gun and well worth the admiration and improvement. Good for your client for wanting to put it up on the wall. Thanks for letting the rest of us have a look at it.
Dick

Offline Daniel Coats

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2023, 03:40:13 AM »
More pictures please.
Dan

"Ain't no nipples on a man's rifle"

Offline John Cotterall

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2023, 05:16:15 PM »
Thanks for sharing these high results pictures. I am knew to building and especially carving. See up close that this original flintlock doesn’t have perfect carving is actually encouraging. Would you say this piece is “transitional “? It looks to my eye similar to a Yaegar.

Offline Tom Currie

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2023, 05:18:34 PM »
Really cool. Thanks for posting. What do you guys think for a date ? 1750s ish ? Looks for sure like walnut to me. Can' t wait to see more pics.

Offline HSmithTX

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2023, 10:13:39 PM »
Very cool, thanks for sharing.  the carving is fascinating.

Potentially (probably) dumb questions,  what makes you say it was likely built as a rifle? Early, guessing that's first half 17th century? 

Offline rich pierce

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2023, 10:16:21 PM »
Very cool, thanks for sharing.  the carving is fascinating.

Potentially (probably) dumb questions,  what makes you say it was likely built as a rifle? Early, guessing that's first half 17th century?

The cheek piece and guard sort of lean it toward being built as a rifle in my view. Not definitive.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2023, 12:05:58 AM »
I have a german gun that has an oct/rnd barrel. it is a 1/2 stock. It has a cheek piece and a rifle trigger guard, and a square toe. The bore is smooth, except for the last 2" at the highly flared muzzle. It's probably a boar gun.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2023, 12:07:32 AM »
Thanks for sharing these high results pictures. I am knew to building and especially carving. See up close that this original flintlock doesn’t have perfect carving is actually encouraging. Would you say this piece is “transitional “? It looks to my eye similar to a Yaegar.
Transitional from what, to what?    This is a European gun, not colonial American. The carving quality is pretty common.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline rich pierce

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2023, 12:34:14 AM »
I have a german gun that has an oct/rnd barrel. it is a 1/2 stock. It has a cheek piece and a rifle trigger guard, and a square toe. The bore is smooth, except for the last 2" at the highly flared muzzle. It's probably a boar gun.

Same here, almost. Mine has traces of straight rifling and the barrel is octagon all the way. Wait - maybe kinda close.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2023, 12:58:55 AM »
 So was the tang screw made like that, with a left right slot? Looks like it would have to of been taken out a LOT If that is wear. Neat "Workman like" carving.

  Tim C.

Offline WKevinD

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2023, 04:01:56 AM »
I'll take and post more pictures tomorrow. I took a close look at the barrel today, it fits the stock too well to have been added or changed as mike had stated cheek piece, squared toe at the butt plate, rifle trigger and guard, halfstock but probably broken stock.
I'm a fan of the effortless appearance of the Jaeger style carving.
Kevin
PEACE is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.  Thomas Jefferson

Offline Bill Paton

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2023, 08:14:55 AM »
Mike,
With respect to the guard and cheek rest issue, in my study group of 23 jaeger doubel barrreled wender guns, three have both barrels smooth bored, are half round, have no rear sights, fixed front bead or blade sights, flat toes, and appear to have been made originally as wender fowlers. All three fowlers have cheek rests and raised grip-rails on their guards like jaeger rifles. Curiously two of them are made with double set triggers (with no rear sights, mind you)!!! The 20 other guns have at least one rifled barrel.

Bill Paton
« Last Edit: April 21, 2023, 03:54:20 AM by Bill Paton »
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Offline John Cotterall

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2023, 05:44:24 PM »
Thanks for sharing these high results pictures. I am knew to building and especially carving. See up close that this original flintlock doesn’t have perfect carving is actually encouraging. Would you say this piece is “transitional “? It looks to my eye similar to a Yaegar.
Transitional from what, to what?    This is a European gun, not colonial American. The carving quality is pretty common.
Sorry, I missed the part about it being a German piece. I was asking about it being transitional from Yaeger to American Longrifle. I thought it was American made piece.

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #15 on: April 20, 2023, 06:01:46 PM »
"Transitional" is a poor term for colonial American rifles. "Early" is much more descriptive.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline WESTbury

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #16 on: April 20, 2023, 06:09:57 PM »
I'll take and post more pictures tomorrow.

Please include a photo of the entire sideplate. Thanks!
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
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Offline WKevinD

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #17 on: April 20, 2023, 10:40:15 PM »
Some additional pictures.
My rural internet is super slow so these take a while to upload.

Kevin








upload image


PEACE is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.  Thomas Jefferson

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2023, 11:48:00 PM »
Looks about like mine only mine is ugly.  Same sling set up, same 1/2 stock treatment,  same sinle ram pipe. I think yours was always a 1/2 stock too. Most anything with an oct to round barrel like that was 1/2 stocked and could have been straight rifled.
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline Seth Isaacson

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #19 on: April 21, 2023, 12:35:43 AM »
Definitely seems to be original half-stock to me. I've seen several like that. They are neat guns.

I am the Lead Historian/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 WKevinD

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #20 on: April 21, 2023, 01:01:39 AM »
Now that's an eye opener! I thought with that goofy pipe spacing it was a reworked and repaired rifle, Seth your picture looks like it's first cousin. Thanks.
How long is the barrel on the one in your picture?
Always learning something, showing me why I shouldn't assume...

Kevin
PEACE is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.  Thomas Jefferson

Offline Seth Isaacson

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #21 on: April 21, 2023, 04:10:39 PM »
Jacob Koch of Vienna c. 1679-1702. 46 1/4 inch part octagon, 16 gauge.
I am the Lead Historian/Firearms Specialist at Rock Island Auction Co., but I am here out of my own personal interests in muzzle loading and history.
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Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #22 on: April 21, 2023, 05:17:55 PM »
I'll throw these up so the similarities can be seen.









NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #23 on: April 21, 2023, 05:21:07 PM »
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Offline Pukka Bundook

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Re: A nice old gun came in the shop
« Reply #24 on: April 21, 2023, 05:40:02 PM »
Mike,
Mine looks like it's from Saxony, but carving is very like yours.
I also thought cut down, but since then have seen a good few like this.
You can usually see a few on Bolk's website, but normally high end versions.

Mine is more middle of the road with a most awful conversion to percussion!

It looks later, say the 1770's yet the barrel according to Stockel is mid 1600's.








one of the forened treatment. Horn, but somewhat broken.



« Last Edit: April 21, 2023, 05:47:51 PM by Pukka Bundook »