Antique Halfstock Back Action Percussion Rifle

[Leatherbark]

I was in the market for a shootable antique and found this rifle at Friendship a few weeks ago. I believe it is from the New England area but I'm just guessing. There are no markings except "35" stamped on the barrel, backside of the hammer, inside of the lockplate and the inside door of the cap box/patch box. There is some writing on the inside of the cap box lid, but I cannot make it out but figure it was the person who make the cap box.

The barrel is 32 inches long and is slightly over 1 inch and the breech tapering to 15/16ths at the muzzle. The rifle is 36 caliber and is a good shooter. The bore is excellent, so it must have been rebored. I have been using a .360 ball and a .010 thin patch and 30 grains of 2f Swiss. I had to replace the useless sights that were on the rifle with what is shown. Looks like the lock had some work in the past since there are allen screws holding the bridle in. I need to tighten up the hooked breech as it looks worn and the barrel has up and down movement.  I thought of installing a set screw to bear down on the hooked end of the barrel. Or installing a hard screw in the top of the barrel hook and filing it to fit tighter.

It seems to be of high quality back in the day. It has been misfiring on the first fall of the hammer even though the cap is all the way down. If you notice on one of the pictures of the hammer the nose has a copper insert that was battered into a cone shape instead of being flat where it hits the cap. I used an endmill and cut this insert flat again but could not get it entirely cleaned up because I was afraid of drilling to the end of it.

Any comments on who's style rifle this was?  I noticed a lot of similar rifles in Ned Robert's book on the cap lock rifle.

Thanks...........Bob

[okawbow]

Nice rifle, should be a good shooter. What is the weight? I’ve been researching my half stock and found out it was make in Broome county New York. Yours has similar fittings and patchbox, as well as stock shape. I would guess western New York/ Ohio/ Pennsylvania.

[DGB]

Sir,
I was the seller.
Cap box is marked: "JP Lovell"
from Boston.
Regards,
DGB

[Hungry Horse]

 This is a very interesting gun. Some of its features emulate the work of the Slotterbek brothers. The trigger guard is a style Charles favored a lot. The perch belly buttstock with the lack of a cheek piece was also common on guns marked Slotterbek. I am interested in finding out if there are any open tappings, or plugged hole in the barrel tang that might indicate a scope might have been mounted on it at one time?

Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

Nice old rifle. and those lock screws should be replaced.Does the trigger have to  be set before the lock will hold full cock?
Seeing these golden oldies in use  and back in the early 1950's that's about all there was and then the making of new ones started.
Thanks for showing us this one.
Bob Roller

[albert]

I would guess the copper that is in the hammer is a fired cap that is stuck

[Leatherbark]

That is what I thought at first glance. It definitely is a copper or maybe brass insert.  I drilled half of it out with an end mill to flatten the impact area.

Bob

[Leatherbark]

This is a very interesting gun. Some of its features emulate the work of the Slotterbek brothers. The trigger guard is a style Charles favored a lot. The perch belly buttstock with the lack of a cheek piece was also common on guns marked Slotterbek. I am interested in finding out if there are any open tappings, or plugged hole in the barrel tang that might indicate a scope might have been mounted on it at one time?

Hungry Horse

No tapped holes in the tang. Every main component has a Number "35" stamped on them.  The barrel, breechplug, stock, tang, lockplate, patch box, etc.

Bob