Identification and care of an antique cap-fire hunting rifle

[hoob]

In 2002 I inherited an antique hunting rifle/gun from my grandfather. Since then it's been sitting on a shelf not doing much of anything, but I'm thinking about displaying/mounting it or otherwise doing something nice for it.

Can anyone help me try and get more information about this thing, or otherwise provide advice about how I should care for it? Here's the information I have:

* This gun and all the kit that goes with it was used by my gggfather and ggfather as a working hunting rifle until around 1910
* It was used in upstate New York and my gfather states it's from the 1830-1850 time period.
* See the pictures below. Muzzle loading and cap-fired, but it does not appear to be rifled. I have the powder horn, bullet pouches and moulds, and some spare tins of caps.
* There are no markings or serial numbers that I can see. Suggestions on where to look are welcome (though I'd think it would be obvious)
* While it has quite a bit of wear and tear, everything seems in working order, but it has not been fired for about 100 years.
* I have not had it cleaned, nor can I tell if it has ever been.
* In bringing it over the border, initially they wanted to deny my right to import it without license (pre-1898 non-center-fire IIRC), but a senior agent inspected the gun for about 5 minutes and said it was not a replica and was fine (he seemed to have some knowledge of antique firearms.)

Questions:

* I would really like to ID the make/type/era of this gun with some specificity
* Would this gun be improved by cleaning, and is there a reputable/recommended person in the Toronto area that could do this?
* Is this gun "valuable" in the sense of needing a separate rider on my home insurance ($1000+ I guess.)
* Is passive "neglect" going to harm this thing long term, or should I do anything more proactive than just cleaning it.

Thanks for looking, my next task is to try and find a nice way to mount/display it. I can take more pictures if anyone wants to see pars in detail.

 

[Smokepole]

Nice gun - looks like a rifle to me. I think I can see the remainder of rifling in the photo.
I would not clean it too much, as you don't want to remove the patina. Whatever you do, don't polish the brass!
It is a great family heirloom. Someone with more experience with antiques can give you a better idea how to preserve it. I would just try to neutralise any rust with a soft cloth and oil.

 

[mooncoon]

Can anyone help me try and get more information about this thing,

* It was used in upstate New York and my gfather states it's from the 1850-1850 time period.

that time span narrows it down pretty closely :>) Most percussion guns I see seem to date from 1840 to 1860 ish. By the end of the US civil war cartridge guns were starting to appear but if you weren't terribly wealthy, a muzzle loader had its advantages. The gun itself appears to be a US made rifle and quite possibly was sold in New York. You might find the name of the barrel maker stamped on the bottom of the barrel under the stock. Remington made a lot of barrels at this time period and sold them to others for completion.

* See the pictures below. Muzzle loading and cap-fired, but it does not appear to be rifled. I have the powder horn, bullet pouches and moulds, and some spare tins of caps.

I would not use the caps as they are probably corrosive (potasium chlorate) and probably have deteriorated as well plus cheap to buy new ones. The bullet should be .010" under bore diameter and you wrap it in greased cloth to make a snug fit but loose enough to be loaded without extreme difficulty. At this point I would suggest getting a copy of Lyman's BlackPowder Manual plus teaming up with someone who regularly shoots traditional muzzle loader to learn you the ropes. You probably would be wise to replace the nipple and that may mean a custom made one to match the threads in the drum. Also I think you mentioned it was not rifled; I can see rifling in the photo of the muzzle. Dropping a bore light down the barrel (if it is over about .38 cal) would show you the condition of the bore

* Would this gun be improved by cleaning, and is there a reputable/recommended person in the Toronto area that could do this?
* Is this gun "valuable" in the sense of needed a separate rider on my home insurance ($1000+ I guess.)

It would not hurt to give the metal parts a light oiling but other than that basically keep it dry. I would guess it to be in the $500 - $1000 range and would expect it to be covered by the comprehensive on your house contents.

Just my opinion anyhow

cheers mooncoon

 

[hoob]

Most percussion guns I see seem to date from 1840 to 1860 ish. By the end of the US civil war cartridge guns were starting to appear but if you weren't terribly wealthy, a muzzle loader had its advantages. The gun itself appears to be a US made rifle and quite possibly was sold in New York. You might find the name of the barrel maker stamped on the bottom of the barrel under the stock. Remington made a lot of barrels at this time period and sold them to others for completion.

Thanks... Date range corrected to 1830-1850, oops! I just disassembled the barrel and it bears no markings at all. The only marks are wear, as far as I can tell. The nipple looks "new" so I think it's been replaced in recent times. And yes you are correct it is rifled (and also home to a spider; sorry spider!)

It is a 30" octagonal barrel, diameter about 7/8" and bore about 7/16". Here's a pic of the inner workings (warning, very large if you click on it..)

Possible source could be "H. STEVENS" Watertown NY, since the family's background is in Lowville not too far from there... Still researching, any hints welcome

 

[theDuck]

Nice classic percussion rifle. That style of stock is known as a 'perchbelly' and is common to the northern US.

 

[narraway]

it (the gun) looks like a 'poor boy' rifle to me.
there have ben countless gunmakers in that days, so it is guess work about who/where made it.

 

[mooncoon]

the lock looks to be well made and in good condition; just give it a smidge of oil. The nipple does look new in the photo and looks stainless. Maybe somebody shot it 20 or 30 years ago. Remember you need to wash them out with water if you do shoot it.

cheers mooncoon

 

[Dantforth]

Looks to me to have a "pentagonal" bore with mechanical rifling. It may take a bullet which has five flat sides to fit the barrel exactly almost like a Whitworth rifle. My old eyes could be deceiving me but....it looks like that in the pic. It has a "back action" lock which would seem to date it to 1825 to 1860 period. Lock looks very British. Take a close look on the inside of the lockplate itself to see if there are initials or a name. The whole rifle could be British or....the lock could have been imported by a maker in the US. Nice rifle. I would not be afraid to fire it. You will have to remove the nipple first before cleaning. I would use boiling water and dish detergent for the first cleaniong and then some solvents or "Blue Wonder" to clean up any corrosion. Blue wonder is made by Birchwood Casey and is a great product. It will remove rust but not the bluing. Dave