whitworth rifle

[D Sanders]

I know of someone who may have come across an original whitworth rifle. I have not seen this firearm to confirm this but on the off chance that it is. How rare and valuable could it be? To the best of my knowledge, only a hand full of these made it into the Confederates hands. What kind of tell-tale markings would I look for on this gun that would either confirm or deny this claim? :hmm:

HH 60

 

[TFoley]

I know of someone who may have come across an original whitworth rifle. I have not seen this firearm to confirm this but on the off chance that it is. How rare and valuable could it be? To the best of my knowledge, only a hand full of these made it into the Confederates hands. What kind of tell-tale markings would I look for on this gun that would either confirm or deny this claim? :hmm:

HH 60

As we are still waiting for Bill Curtis and DeWitt Bailey's authoritative tome on Confederate Whitworths, the jury is till out. Numbers vary from between 150 to something like a thousand.

Please read Bill Curtis's timely warning about Whitworths of dubious provenence.

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/research/whitworth/index.htm

So, your friend's Whitworth needs to have a serial 'in the upper B and lower C series'. They are 'good plain knock about rifles with simple sights apart from that proportion equipped with telescopes. All those known to have any provenance are marked 2nd QUALITY and nearly all follow a set pattern although a very few slight variations are known.'

In any event, you are talking about a supremely rare gun under any set of circumstances. TOTW and others have had had a few over the years, and prices are well into six figures. Add the ultra-rare Davidson scope and the sky is the limit - add documentation and provenance and you must be looking into seven figures.

Such an arm needs the attention of Mr Curtis - I'll bring his attention to this thread this very day, and see what he has to say about it.

tac

EDIT -Just emole him via David Minshall - let's see what happens next. does you friend have a digital camera?

 

[BillinOregon]

This will be a hell of a find if the gun proves to be the pure quill!

 

[ResearchPress]

Finding an original Whitworth rifle is a scarce opportunity, but it's a huge leap from 'Whitworth rifle' to 'Confederate Civil War Whitworth rifle'. Why do you think it may be Confederate?

Please post details when you have them, preferably including full length picture and details of proof marks, serial number and lock plate.

What kind of tell-tale markings would I look for on this gun that would either confirm or deny this claim?

Which claim? That it is a Whitworth Rifle or is there a claim it has Confederate connections?

Have a look at my web site and the 'Target Rifles' section (it's linked from my profile). You'll find details of several Whitworths there which should help you.

David

 

[D Sanders]

Finding an original Whitworth rifle is a scarce opportunity, but it's a huge leap from 'Whitworth rifle' to 'Confederate Civil War Whitworth rifle'. Why do you think it may be Confederate?

Please post details when you have them, preferably including full length picture and details of proof marks, serial number and lock plate.

What kind of tell-tale markings would I look for on this gun that would either confirm or deny this claim?

Which claim? That it is a Whitworth Rifle or is there a claim it has Confederate connections?

Have a look at my web site and the 'Target Rifles' section (it's linked from my profile). You'll find details of several Whitworths there which should help you.

David

Thanks for the info. It may be a couple of weeks before I can see this firearm. I only assumed that since it is supposed to be an original and acquired in these United States that it would have some sort of Confederate connections. I am not an authority on this subject but I will try to get as much information on proof marks and numbers as possible and get back to you.

Thanks again

HH 60

 

[ResearchPress]

Whitworth rifles will have arrived in the US for a variety of reasons. I've seen several offered at auction, a friend here in the UK bought a match rifle at a US gun show while visiting. Some may have originated with 19C target shooters in Canada.

As has been mentioned, Bill Curtis has been researching Whitworth rifles for many years. Once we have details I can pass them on and see if he has it recorded in his database.

David

 

[Dphar]

I know of someone who may have come across an original whitworth rifle. I have not seen this firearm to confirm this but on the off chance that it is. How rare and valuable could it be? To the best of my knowledge, only a hand full of these made it into the Confederates hands. What kind of tell-tale markings would I look for on this gun that would either confirm or deny this claim? :hmm:

HH 60

The true Whitworth sniper, the one with a scope, is extremely rare. The Union Army destroyed all they captured, I have read.
There were other Whitworths and some snipers survived.
But if its real most people can't afford it.

Dan

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/gunmakers/england/whitworth/whitworthc529.htm

 

[bangfxr]

It could be an original. There is one on display at the 45th Division museum in Oklahoma City with a photo of the man taken when he was an old man around the 1920's This man used it during the war and kept it after the war ended .

 

[detent]

There where about a thousand Whitworth rifles made and a few carbines the survival rate is very good fore whitworths but any one is still worth haveing Whitworth was given the job of designing a rifle because he made a good job of standardizing screw threads, the strange thing about a whitworth rifle is it has no whitworth threads on it seems like the gunsmiths pulled a fast one on him

 

[ResearchPress]

There where about a thousand Whitworth rifles made and a few carbines

The total number of Whitworth rifles produced with commercial markings was about 5,000. In addition to this were Pattern 1862 Military Rifles and Pattern 1863 Short Rifles. This gives about 13,400 Whitworth muzzle loaders from all sources.

(Ref. DW Bailey, The Whitworth Rifle, Gun Digest 1971).

David

 

[detent]

I bow to the superior knowledge of De W Bailey on such things as production numbers, there where of course other guns that sometimes used Whitworth hex barrels such as the Westerley Richards monkey tail in both combustible and metallic version. We do on occasion still cut Whitworth barrels they take about three to fore times longer to rifle than conventional rifling.

 

[ResearchPress]

Westley Richards used an octagonal form of rifling rather than hexagonal, while others produced rifles under license from Whitworth using the hex. form of rifling as you note.

David