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 stock, which has a beautiful finish and features all brass mountings. The gun features a 40 inch long octagonal barrel with a bore of about 0.47", and looks to have been smoothbored at some point to serve as a fowling or varmint gun. Overall length is 55 3/4 inches, and the barrel is relatively heavy for accurate shooting, much like "bench rest" rifles of the day. Overall condition is very good, with a lovely look and no major issues.

The left facet of the barrel on this rifle is actually marked with a faded maker mark, which originally would have read:

BROWN & HIRTH
PITTSBURGH PA

This is a known company operating in Pittsburgh, though we are unfortunately not able to locate much solid information at present. As with many rifles produced during this period, it is most likely fitted with a "trade lock", produced elsewhere and sold on the market. There is some floral engraving at the front and what looks like a pheasant or other game bird on the tail. There are traces of what is probably "WARRANTED" and maybe "PITTSBURGH" in an oval in the middle of the lock, which are too faint to read. It definitely looks to have been produced in percussion, as we can see no evidence of a removed pan or frizzen.

We checked the lock, and it does function, but does not have any type of half cock position. The barrel features a brass blade front sight and a simple fixed "V-Notch" rear sight. We checked the bore, and it shows quite a bit of fouling and oxidation, so it was definitely not well cleaned after the last time it was used. We can however see some areas of the barrel wall, and it looks to be entirely smooth.

The stock is lovely, showing the "Tiger Flame" figuring clearly throughout much its length, which shows a high level of chatoyancy. It is fitted with a lovely brass hook butt plate, and has a carved in German style cheek piece on the left side with a brass "heart" inlay. There is also a lovely patch box on the right hand side of the butt stock. The brass trigger guard is very nice, and is with most we see, has a "pistol grip" style finial for a better grip. There is some stress cracking on the stock, particularly around the lock / wrist areas, which do not show any movement. The cleaning rod is a display replacement.

A very nice example of an iconic early American gun design, with a beautiful stock, ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: c.1840
Caliber: approx .37" smoothbore
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 55 3/4 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

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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.

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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.