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Thanks, I have not had a chance to look under the barrel yet, I will as soon as I get back. I am in Valley City, North Dakota for the North Dakota State Pinochle Tournament. Will check out the barrel on Tuesday Thanks
 
vtbuck,
Yes, the rifle in the photo is certainly similar (and a very nice rifle, too). Do you recall if any of the Vermont rifles displayed have brass triggers? Perhaps a name will be on the bottom of the original poster's rifle barrel that would point in the direction of origin. Maybe it is Vermont.
 
arw22lr....I did not make a note concerning the triggers in regards to whether they were brass or not. Next time I am there I will take a closer look. The references that I have.... mention the furniture but do not specifically reference the triggers as though it were not consequential enough to note. Of the Vermont made rifles that I own...at least one of them has a brass trigger. The rifle in the photo that I posted with the double set triggers doesn't appear to me that they are made of brass. Is it your understanding that brass triggers are a characteristic associated with NY rifles? Also: just a correction...the rifle in the picture is not a back action lock.
 
"I have a similar New York Target rifle with the same deer inlay. Have you looked at the underside of the Barrel for stamps. That is how I finally ran down the story of my rifle."

Nothing on the underside of the barrel. It struck me as odd that the barrel is octagon the full length except for near the breach,the angle that is on the left bottom has been rounded. About the first foot or so has had the angle removed. It is not visible until you remove the barrel. Don't know if that means anything, but I found it interesting that only that one angle would be removed and rounded.

There may be some marks which are unreadable on the bottom of the barrel near the breach, but nothing readable.
 
Thanks for letting us know. Mine had the barrel makers stamps that traced to him and about 1842. I wish I could help more. Mine is a fine shooting target rifle in .41 caliber.
 
Vtbuck: Yes, brass single triggers are fairly common on NY rifles, especially half-stocks.
 
That is a sharp looking rifle WP. Have heard it said many many times that a TC/CVA/Traditions etc. Hawken is not historically/period correct, but in reality there are a lot of different antique designs that they are close enough to to warrant the period/historical correctness of our modern production examples. They are certainly not comparable to a true "Hawken" but are to many others. I think your example, with the exception of the style of it's lock plate, is definitely one of them.
 
mtmanjim said:
That is a sharp looking rifle WP. Have heard it said many many times that a TC/CVA/Traditions etc. Hawken is not historically/period correct, but in reality there are a lot of different antique designs that they are close enough to to warrant the period/historical correctness of our modern production examples. They are certainly not comparable to a true "Hawken" but are to many others. I think your example, with the exception of the style of it's lock plate, is definitely one of them.
Agree! :metoo:
 
arw22lr said:
Vtbuck: Yes, brass single triggers are fairly common on NY rifles, especially half-stocks.

In my collecting and research of Vermont made rifles of this style and era...I have found it nearly impossible to attribute furniture, inlays, lock, barrel maker...etc. to any one particular maker...or even state for that matter (with some exceptions). So many individual makers varied their practices to suit the buyer. One maker can be found to have done underhammers, sidelocks, back action locks, silver, brass, iron, all manner of inlays...fancy and plain grade. I am always looking for individual traits that would suggest an association with a particular maker or region...to the exclusion of others...but it is extremely challenging.

As I said above...there are obviously exceptions. Some makers used personalized patchboxes and inlays. The perch belly is often associated with NY state...though you can find them elsewhere. Other makers have very distinctive architecture like many of Kendall's underhammers...except that a couple other makers closely copied his style. It seems that on unsigned examples...it is often just a "best guess"....which is okay.

I agree with the others above who have suggested that this is a nice piece. There was a time In which I didn't care for rifles of this type and from this era...but I have come around to really appreciating them. This was an extremely important era in gun making and there are many fine examples that were made "locally" and are still around and accessible to collectors.
 
Got a couple of tickets to Antique Roadshow, so I thought I would bring this rifle along with me to Salt Lake City. Well, the show was today. The appraiser said 1840-1860, probably Tryon, but without it stamped on the barrel, no promise. St. Lewis was his guess as to the origin of the rifle. He valued it between $800.00 and $1000.00. Thanks all for your input.
 
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