Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased at a recent military auction! This is a wonderful heavy barreled "Pennsylvania" percussion hunting rifle, often referred to as a "Kentucky" rifle. The design developed in Pennsylvania, and then spread down the Ohio River Valley to Kentucky, where it was very popular. The thin curved stock design was popular for close to 100 years in the region.
This is a great example, with a lovely "Tiger" flamed maple half length stock, which has a beautiful finish. It features all brass mountings except for the nose cap on the stock, and has a round "German Silver" escutcheon on the back of the wrist. The rifle features a 37 ¾ inch long octagonal barrel with a bore of about 0.36", which has eight groove rifling. Overall length is 54 inches, and the barrel is very heavy for accurate shooting, much like "bench rest" rifles of the day.
As with many rifles produced during this period, it is fitted with a "trade lock", produced elsewhere and sold on the market. The lock on this rifle has some love game foul designs, and is marked at the bottom with:
PENNSYLVANIA
RIFLE WORKS
The top of the barrel is signed with J Spangle, however we we have not been able to find any information on a maker with this name. Most likely it is the owners name, or possibly the store that sold it. The stock features a lovely hook butt plate, and has a carved in German style cheek piece on the left side. The trigger guard is very nice, and is with most we see, has a "pistol grip" style finial for a better grip.
As with most hunting rifles, this example is fitted with a "set trigger", where depressing the rear trigger first until it clicks and just touching the front trigger discharges the weapon, hopefully with great accuracy. The mechanism is fully functional on this example, and in this case the lock does not have a half cock position. The front trigger can be used to fire the lock at any time, but takes a much lighter pull with the rear trigger set.
Overall condition is very good, with a lovely look and no major issues. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing crisp lands and grooves with a mostly bright finish. There are some small areas of past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away. The stock has some cracking hear the lock screw, a very common place to see damage. There is a good amount of powder burn near the cap nipple cone. A very nice example of an iconic early American gun design, with a beautiful stock and some great research potential.
A very nice Pennsylvania Percussion Hunting rifle, ready to research and display!
Specifications-
Year of Manufacture: c.1850
Caliber: approx .36" seven groove rifling
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 37 ¾ Inches
Overall Length: 54 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading
NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.
- This product is available for international shipping.
IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.
These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.
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