Durs Egg Rifle

[Road King]

Here is an interesting gun that has been hanging on my wall for years. It is a very rare rifled gun made by Durs Egg. (1748–1831) a Swiss-born British gunmaker, noted for his flintlock pistols and for his company's production of the Ferguson rifle. Egg was apprenticed in Solothurn and Paris before establishing his own business in London in 1772. He was a contemporary of Joseph Manton and the uncle of Joseph Egg.
D. Egg made many high quality guns but not many rifled muskets. This one is .62 cal and I believe it was converted from flint to percussion. It has a set trigger and 3 leaf express rear sight which may not be original to the gun. The engraving on the patch box is very detailed and decorative.

 

[9Guns]

Beuatifull piece very nice!

 

[mooncoon]

Lovelly gun. I don't think that I have ever seen one with a sort of fin sticking out behind the tang like that.

cheers mooncoon

 

[tjhaile]

A fine early example of polygonal rifling, which existed long before HK and Glock.

 

[RRCo.]

A really historic piece. And as Mooncoon said, the "saw handle" on wrist of the stock is most unique and reminiscent of the "saw handle" duelling pistols that Egg and others built.

Are there any identifying markings or provenance? It would have been a very expensive piece when new.

The stock is not walnut, but while it's familiar I can't quite place that grain pattern. Can someone else?

If it was a conversion, with a new breech plug, they would have had to replace the tang as well wouldn't they, to incorporate that shroud for the nipple?

 

[catnthehatt]

Nice rifle, looks like cherry wood to me, with the grain the way it is....
Cat

 

[Mike Webb]

Nice one. All the men who owned that one certainly took care of it.

 

[tactical870]

The gun actually shares a lot of common design and detail with the George Webb .40 percussion gun I'm working on right now. It has a nearly identical hammer, barrel and sights. Very nice piece....

 

[junkman]

A beauty for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gabrielguitars]

That stock is is curly oak! From time to time you will see them, mostly on English guns. I would say that this gun was made as a percussion gun, never flintlock. It could be possible that the barrel was used on a flinter, but that whole stock and lock were purpose-built. Sweet piece, BTW!