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Unusual Side Hammer Rifle

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Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
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Hello All,
I just picked up an unusual over/under , side hammer rifle from Gunbroker. It has a .40cal rifled barrel and a .45 cal smooth bore, 24" in length. Judging by the shape of the stock and the metal work, I would say this was made right around the civil war time frame. The seller has said that there are no marking that he can find. I cannot wait for it to be delivered so I can start my research. All the information I have is what I have told you. The only time I have ever seen a rifle like this was in a museum and that is why I am picking your brains for information.

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Wow!.. An over/under mule ear. That's really neat... never seen anything like it. What really catches my eye is the dual ramrods.....

I'd say you have something special there.... :thumbsup:
 
Great find. if you ever it off I sure would like to see
the inside of the lock. how the triggers work the
spring set up ect.
 
It looks like a Lefever and Ellis New Your rifle/shotgun combo. Check this out on google.
 
he said both barrels are rifled. 40 and 45 cal.[/quote]
That is unusual, to have one barrel ( rifled ) in .40, and the other barrel ( rifled ) in .45
Can you imagine the confusion after a hard days work at the cider mill and trying to reload that gun, especially if loose balls are rolling around in your pouch???I have a hard enough time as it is, and I don't work at a cider mill, I work at a near by cannabis plant ( factory )
They're legal here in Canada.
Fred
 
Ok So I received the rifle today and tore it down. I immediately noticed a separation between the two barrels so I have to address that. It looks like the solder separated from the barrel. Should I fix it or leave it?
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I also notice that the lower barrel is a re-purposed barrel. You can see the plug where the bolster was and the dovetail was filled in. I talked to the gentleman who sold me the rifle and we both agree that this may have been a prototype and that's the reason for a re-purposed barrel. I also see a lot of file marks on the metal. The finish of the metal also suggest that this was a test model.
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The The triggers are setup in a neat arrangement.
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I also need to replace the cups on the hammers.
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No surprises with the wood. The usual cracks, splits and such.
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I can't wait to get this rifle up to speed so I can get it out to the range.
 
I can see the two thin flat springs sandwiched between the mainsprings and the lock plate but fail to see how they act on the sears, is there a tab on the side of the spring to engage the sear? I would have to guess the compressed mainspring (as the piece is cocked) doesn't also compress the sear spring enough to render it ineffective. Also, does the lock have half cock notches?

A very interesting and ingenious gun. Well thought out but with rather crude workmanship like someone may have been trying some ideas to see if they would work without having put a lot of time into the project in case it didn't.
 
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