Rowntree Patent Gunmaker

[Feltwad]

Enclosed is a image of a pair of cased Rowntree sxs percussion shotguns dated 1840-45 these guns are fitted with his patents of a grip safety. James along with his son William patent many devices James was the first gunmaker to build a sxs percussion

shotgun using percussion caps which were then made of steel for Joshua Shaw this was prior to 1817 when Shaw emigrated to America, James also made, flintlock rifles and pistols some which were self-priming also Patch locks later they both built pinfire and centre fire guns some with different lock patents
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[Feltwad]

A stand of self-protection pistols by Rowntree including a muff pistol has found
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[Notchy Bob]

Can you show a close-up or detail photo of the grip safeties on those shotguns? I don't think I've ever seen anything like that.

I don't have photos handy, but I have seen various types of safety devices on muzzleloaders. There are the old "dog locks," for example, and we have a Tower flint lock in the family collection that has a little sliding bar aft of the cock, which locks the cock in position. I also have an 1850's era Austrian cavalry pistol that has a swinging hammer block mounted to the lock plate, and I've seen "Prussian safeties" for percussion guns, which are essentially nipple blocks which swing down like the pan cover of a flintlock. Some of these may be hard to visualize without photos, but I guess my point is that there were a variety of different safety devices used on side-lock muzzleloaders. I've just never seen a grip-mounted safety on a muzzle-loader before.

Thanks for showing these interesting firearms.

Notchy Bob

 

[Feltwad]

Enclosed are details of a grip safety not from the Rowntree's but from a similar gun
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Safety set

Patent released

Patent measurements

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

A stand of self-protection pistols by Rowntree including a muff pistol has found
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View attachment 176186

Beautiful!! Is the top pistol a tap action?

 

[Feltwad]

Beautiful!! Is the top pistol a tap action?

No just a standard over and under with double hammers and trigger's
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[Dusty_Traveler]

No just a standard over and under with double hammers and trigger's
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Ah! I failed to see the second hammer. I should have known better, it having two triggers.

 

[TDM]

The Rowntrees are beautiful & the pistols too!

 

[Feltwad]

Rowntree's early patent back action patch lock with a detachable nose now converted to percussion
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[PathfinderNC]

What a wonderful collection! Thanks for sharing these with us!!!

 

[Feltwad]

A Rowntree sxs percussion covert gun notices the barrels are shorter

than the average sporting gun but are in 12 bore
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