Gary Ruxton Rifle

[Urban Coyote]

I just acquired a .54 Henry full stock gun marked G. Ruxton, the back of the L&R lock suggests it was made in 1983. It is in near new condition. The gentleman I acquired it from indicated it has a Green River Rifle Works barrel. The percussion lock appears to be a pattern that was made to look like a conversion from flint to caplock.

Does anyone have any information on this builder please? I'm thinking he might have worked for Green River Forge many years ago.

Thank you

 

[BigSkyRambler]

The name sounds familiar, but nothing conclusive for me. Sounds like a nice rifle. Photos always appreciated.

 

[bpd303]

This from American Long Rifles...

I would be the builder of that rifle. The pics are of one I made 1/23/1982. Does it look the same and is the signature on the barrel like the one I show as well? It wouldn't be a conversion. I used an L&R percussion lock on it.
Kinda kool that someone snuck this out of the States across the border, eh? Especially with the gun laws up there. Their definition of gun includes muzzleloaders and they all must have a serial number. This one doesn't. (I survived Secondary school in N. Van, BC, so I was familiar with some of that stuff). http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q733/1929roadster/Lyman_zpsjaepkkn4.jpg
« Last Edit: February 15, 2016, 05:55:30 AM by Gary Ruxton »

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hey Coyote,
Nice to hear that someone here from the forum got that rifle.
Gary responded to a quest I made on the ALR site.
The maker did a very fine job on that rifle.
Please enjoy it, I prised it for many years.
I like how Gary made the lock look like a transition from flint to percussion.
I have seen original rifles that were converted, but your Ruxton version is great.
Old Ford

 

[BigSkyRambler]

That is one nice looking rifle. :hatsoff:

 

[1861colt]

I just came on board this here forum, surprised there is someone here that has one of my rifles. I only built about 45 of them. If there were pictures of it, they aren't here now. I would like to have some passed along. It was made in 1983. The customer wanted it as a converted rifle, cutting off the fufraw of a hawken flint and plugging the extra holes. He also wanted the rifle to look like it was cut off to 30", according to my builder's notes.

 

[Mowich]

Here are some pictures of a Henry trade rifle built by Gary Ruxton in Springfield Oregon and later modified by Ron Paul when he was in Hamilton Montana.

 

[1861colt]

I remember that rifle. Thanks for the pics, It has the L&R lock they had just come out with, my castings and a Green Mountain barrel. I only made 3 in walnut. It came from a plank that was cut 40 years before in Coburg. Oregon. It was a different model than the standard longrifle cheekpiece and tang. I think it was the New Model English Pattern, (I don't remember exactly as that was 40 years ago!) with long tang and English cheekpiece. Nice honor to have had Ron Paul work on shortening the barrel. He squared the muzzle where I chamfered it. Ron started making the Scrollguards about the same time as I did and cast his own locks.

 

[1861colt]

In case it wasn't obvious, I am Gary Ruxton, the builder.

 

[Mowich]

Well, I 'm the original buyer of the New English. I don't remember the particulars of how I ordered the rifle from you, I guess it's been that long.
I know I was working at the time up on Mt Rainier. I ran in with Ron Paul and I had him shorten the rifle because a skinny mtn climber I was, the gun was a little muzzle heavy for me. I found this thread after looking up some info on Green River Forge NW guns. The gun still shoots well forty years later!

 

[1861colt]

Well, glad to hear from you. Nice you still own it. I unfortunately don't own any of my rifles, which is kind of funny. All I have is my first one I built at 17 and I need to rebuild the lock - a W.G. Sutter that didn't have instructions from Dixie so I didn't do a very good job. That's one of those roundtoits. I liked the Green River Forge NW trade guns that we built while I worked there. But I never got the hang of shooting without a rear site and couldn't shoot it worth a darn.