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 dark finish and features "German Silver" and brass mountings except for the white metal nose cap. It definitely looks to have been in service for a long time, so it may have had further decorations added as time went on. The rifle features a 35 1/4 inch long octagonal barrel with a bore of about 0.39", very common for these rifles, cut with six groove rifling. Overall length is 51 inches, and the barrel is very heavy for accurate shooting, much like "bench rest" rifles of the day.

We checked the rifle thoroughly, but we were not able to locate any maker or other markings on the barrel or elsewhere. As with many rifles produced during this period, it is most likely fitted with a "trade lock", produced elsewhere and sold on the market. The surface has suffered oxidation, so any engraved markings were unfortunately removed. towards the front. It is not maker marked, and definitely looks to have been produced in percussion, as we can see no evidence of a removed pan or frizzen.

The stock features a lovely "German Silver" hook butt plate, and has a carved in German style cheek piece on the left side, ornamented with a many sided star. The right side has a lovely hand engraved patch box, also made from German Silver, and there is an ornament on the back of the wrist as well. The brass trigger guard is very nice, and is with most we see, has a "pistol grip" style finial for a better grip. There are also some German Silver ornaments on the fore stock.

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 the lock cannot be cocked or fired at all until the rear trigger is "set". For this reason there is no half cock position on the tumbler.

Overall condition is very good, with a lovely look and no major issues. The stock is lovely, showing the "Tiger Flame" figuring clearly throughout its length. There is no major damage that we can see, though there is some damage from rust expansion around the ramrod pipe securing pin. The cleaning rod is a display replacement.

The barrel features a German Silver blade front sight and a simple fixed "flat-top" rear sight, but we can see a filled dovetail on the barrel, so these are definitely not the only sights that have been on the rifle. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing crisp lands and grooves with a mostly bright finish. There is however some fouling and dirt in the grooves, so it probably could use a cleaning.

A very nice example of an iconic early American gun design, with a beautiful stock and set trigger. Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: c.1850
Caliber: approx .39" six groove rifling
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 35 1/4 Inches
Overall Length: 51 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.

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.