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When Was This Rifle Made, And By Whom?

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Percussion

32 Cal
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Dec 26, 2018
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This is my dad's half stock percussion rifle. I've done a lot of research, but cannot identify the manufacturer of this rifle, nor when it was manufactured. The barrel is 33 inches, the bore diameter is 3/8 of an inch, and the outside-to-outside rifling diameter is 7/16 of an inch (though it almost looks like a square bore). Any help is greatly appreciated.

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About all I would guess is it was made by an individual gunsmith around 1850-1870 time frame. Often a name is stamped or engraved on the top flat of the barrel. It could be hard to see but rubbing it with a bit of oil on your finger may allow you to see it. Don’t use any abrasives! Check to see if it’s loaded.
 
Looks to have been a higher-quality piece when it was made - the double-set triggers say that. The back-action lock, I agree, says the time-frame mentioned above. It has much about its style that says 'plains rifle' to me. You say 'outside to outside rifling diameter' - do you mean the groove depth? 7/16th is about .50cal, which fits the genre. The design of the forend cap is very unusual, at least, to me it is.
 
There were tons of small gunsmiths there is little written about. Most every good sized town had a smith in them that mostly did gun repairs but turned out a few guns. This style in shape started about 1830. The type of lock became popular around the civil war, and guns like these would remain popular up till the 1870s and 80s
 
To my eye the rifle looks more Ohio than Plains. That style trigger guard is predominate in the Ohio style. The buttplate with distinct prong is also very Ohio. Not Vincent, but Ohio style in general.

I recall reading on the Ohio Collectors site about rifles made in Ohio using back action locks before the Civil War.

The tang appears to be long and Tennessee in style, based on what little of it is pictured. I think an argument could be made of some overlap in styles east of the Mississippi where major river routes sort of merge. This region isn't associated with any particular style.
 
About all I would guess is it was made by an individual gunsmith around 1850-1870 time frame. Often a name is stamped or engraved on the top flat of the barrel. It could be hard to see but rubbing it with a bit of oil on your finger may allow you to see it. Don’t use any abrasives! Check to see if it’s loaded.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, there is nothing stamped on the barrel. (We even removed it to check its underside.)
 
Looks to have been a higher-quality piece when it was made - the double-set triggers say that. The back-action lock, I agree, says the time-frame mentioned above. It has much about its style that says 'plains rifle' to me. You say 'outside to outside rifling diameter' - do you mean the groove depth? 7/16th is about .50cal, which fits the genre. The design of the forend cap is very unusual, at least, to me it is.

Yes, measuring from the outside edge of one groove (rifling) to the outside of the opposite groove is 7/16".
 
To my eye the rifle looks more Ohio than Plains. That style trigger guard is predominate in the Ohio style. The buttplate with distinct prong is also very Ohio. Not Vincent, but Ohio style in general.

I recall reading on the Ohio Collectors site about rifles made in Ohio using back action locks before the Civil War.

The tang appears to be long and Tennessee in style, based on what little of it is pictured. I think an argument could be made of some overlap in styles east of the Mississippi where major river routes sort of merge. This region isn't associated with any particular style.

My dad was raised in southwest Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh near the West Virginia border, and says some of his dad's family was from W. Va. Ohio is close, but he doesn't know if we had/have kinfolk over there.
 
(7/16 - 3/8)/2 = 0.3125" as your groove depth. That is considerably deeper than the depth of groove I would expect which would be 0.015 or slightly less. Are your measurements taken with a dial or vernier caliper? I would expect a groove to groove measurement to be 13/32".
 
My thinking is based on the routes of the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee Rivers coming together more or less in the same vicinity, and not far from St Louis. There Plains, Ohio, and Tennessee styles could have merged as they traveled down stream. To me, it would be very interesting to see what sort of rifles of known origin might have been made in that area.
 
I second the opinion on an Ohio rifle based largely on the style and furniture. The rifling is also common to Ohio rifles of which I have seen many and restored a few.
 
That's four-groove rifling, used by many gunsmiths of the day.

Have you checked the inside of the lockplate for a maker's mark ?
 
(7/16 - 3/8)/2 = 0.3125" as your groove depth. That is considerably deeper than the depth of groove I would expect which would be 0.015 or slightly less. Are your measurements taken with a dial or vernier caliper? I would expect a groove to groove measurement to be 13/32".

They were measured by eyeball and a ruler. Using a digital caliper, I see the outside to outside groove distance is .39 inches, and the bore diameter is .35 inches. That means the groove is .02 inches deep (.39 minus .35 is .04, divided by 2 sides is .02)
 
That's four-groove rifling, used by many gunsmiths of the day.

Have you checked the inside of the lockplate for a maker's mark ?

Giving the rifle a wipe down (removing dust and such, but not patina or rust) from the inside out, we didn't find any maker's marks at all. (that's why we're turning to you experts for help)
 
So here are my questions in view of all of the input above: were there "small time" rifle makers that were producing this type of rifle, which would be the reason there is no marking inside or out? If so, would that gun maker make his own parts or buy them from a source? If I can determine the source of the components, that might help determine where the rifle was made. Thanks
 
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