Hello this is my First post to this forum, but I am a avid shooter and I enjoy rendezvous. My Question is about a seemingly very antique tiger maple percussion cap Kentucky type rifle that I might be able to acquire. The rifle has J.H. Johnston Pittsburgh, PA. Stamped under the hammer. It definitely appears old, but not in the way someone could have faked it. If anyone has any info on this rifle it would be greatly appriciated
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J.H. Johnston
- Thread starter Travis_CT
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Its probably ok... J.H. Johnston ran the Great Western Gun Works, a middle to late 19th century version of Home Depot for the shooter. His guns were generally plain, well made and durable and were ordered from a catalog so they aren't unique.
"AMERICAN FIREARMS MAKERS" by A. Merwin Carey, THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY: NEW YORK, on page 62 says:
"Johnston, John H. 1856-1889. Established a general gunsmithery at Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, in 1856 until 1865, when he moved to 179 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With his son, James L. Johnston, was also owner of the Great Western Gun Works at 706 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1865. John H. Johnston died in 1889. The business continued until 1895."
I have no idea what the value of the gun in question is. It would depend greatly on its condition.
"Johnston, John H. 1856-1889. Established a general gunsmithery at Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, in 1856 until 1865, when he moved to 179 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With his son, James L. Johnston, was also owner of the Great Western Gun Works at 706 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1865. John H. Johnston died in 1889. The business continued until 1895."
I have no idea what the value of the gun in question is. It would depend greatly on its condition.
Zonie is absolutely right... without much more information, placing a value is impossible. I'll add that values are very regional. My own experience (in New England) is that middle to late 19th century percussion rifles are about the least expensive genuine antiques out there. A surprising number of them have survived and there is not much collector interest in them. I attribute the latter to the advent of reproductions. Forty+ years ago, when I started shooting muzzleloaders, it was taken for granted you'd look around for a good original rifle. This generated a steady, if limited demand for them. I still don't own a repro but relatively few of us shoot the old rifles now, and shooters frequently aren't collectors, so if anything there is even less market for plain original percussion rifles today than there was then.
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