Antique Percussion Rifle of Unknown Origin

C

canknucklehead

New member
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Had this up on another thread, thought I would post it again here to see if anyone has seen anything like it. Possibly a target rifle from Lausanne Switzerland?? Also have no idea of the age late 1700’s to early 1800’s??
Inherited it from my Grandfather. Thank youIMG_0444.jpgIMG_0447.jpgIMG_0446.jpgIMG_0445.jpgIMG_0448.jpgIMG_0452.jpgIMG_0451.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0444.jpg
    IMG_0444.jpg
    94.9 KB · Views: 253
  • IMG_0447.jpg
    IMG_0447.jpg
    68.3 KB · Views: 251
  • IMG_0446.jpg
    IMG_0446.jpg
    72.4 KB · Views: 253
  • IMG_0445.jpg
    IMG_0445.jpg
    73.7 KB · Views: 248
  • IMG_0448.jpg
    IMG_0448.jpg
    73 KB · Views: 251
  • IMG_0452.jpg
    IMG_0452.jpg
    62.4 KB · Views: 250
  • IMG_0451.jpg
    IMG_0451.jpg
    57 KB · Views: 251
A rather lovely and interesting piece. The lock APPEARS like it COULD have been a conversion but not necessarily. I it is all original, I would peg date of manufacture at 1850ish (give or take 10-15 years). It almost appears to be a more recent build with hardware from an earlier piece or maybe even more than one earlier pieces but I would not pt money on that. By "more recent" I do not mean in the last 20 or 30 years but more like the late 19th early 20 century. You assessment of it maybe being a target rifle is valid. A VERY nit]ce piece and one to be the proud owner of. Thanks for sharing. Interested to hear an assessment from others.
 
The drop on the stock is remarkable. It lends itself to off hand shooting rather than target. Tagged for interest.
 
The nipple appears to be a tad long and with out being able to see if it is square to to the striking surface on the inside of the hammer I cannot be sure.
 
Schuetzen-style rifles were always shot from the standing position. To aid this, a support like a ball or similarly easy-to-grasp shape on a metal extension was screwed into the underneath of the forend, exactly as we do now with field target air rifles and three-position rifles .22 and centre-fire rifles. Check out the area under the forend where this might have been attached.
 
Target rifles usually have set triggers, I have to admit, so given the seeming lack of any kind of forend support, and very simple sights, a heavy Jaeger-style hunting rifle is more likely, especially with that bore of around 18mm or so, having been given the chance to see it.
 
I am going to side with Tac on it being a hunting rifle, based on the absence of set triggers and a non adjustable rear sight. Calibers around 62 to 64 seem to have been common hunting calibers in Germany and Switzerland. If you measure the twist of the rifling, you might find it fairly fast compared to the 1 : 68 or slower of early North American guns. That means it might be quite fussy about what powder charge you use

cheers mooncoon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom