Another relic

[BPJONES]

I have this rifle on the way to me. I thought I'd post some pics and info (what I know as of now). The fellow that I am getting it from acquired it in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills of North Carolina around 1980. It doesn't bear any makers mark. The barrel is from the Great Western Gun Works of Pennsylvania. It appears to be 40 caliber. Surprisingly, it is for a left handed person. The trigger guard, tang and buttplate appear hand forged. It is missing the nipple drum and the mainspring. It will likely go on the wall but I'd like to get the necessary parts just to say it is functional again. By the looks of the stock, I'm guessing it was once a full stock rifle? Also, there doesn't appear to be any ramrod thimbles under the barrel. So I don't know if this was just a gun pieced together back in the day by a local to have some kind of a weapon. Anyhow, kind of an interesting piece. What say you fine people?
https://i.imgur.com/oYzJpBr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qIu45vM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Z8khIHE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GktkrcR.jpg

[Markopolo]

Wow.. double set triggers, full of character... very cool.. will look good on a wall that is for sure. What does the bore look like?

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

very nice piece! Looks like the drum blew out.

[BPJONES]

It could be that the drum decided to take a hiatus! I will know more, and also the bore condition, once I have it in hand. But I'm not holding out for a miracle regarding the bore.

[koger]

Nice find! I want to sit down and cry, a guy I know inherited over 100such rifles, made mostly by local makers within a 50 mile radius, mostly southern mtn rifles, or poor boys. He took them out and shot them, never cleaned them, then when he had run thru the money and land his family left him, tried cleaning up the rifles and sold them for pennies on the dollar, due to letting the barrels rust out!

[ascast]

True lefty? not so common..

[arcticap]

I don't believe that I would want to try to install non-original parts just to say that it's functional again, or looks functional.

Doing that may alter the original character of the gun and devalue it by no longer being quite as genuine.
Some collectors may like or prefer antique guns that are preserved in their original unaltered condition.
Consider that future generations will only be looking at it and would not necessarily be handling it or testing its functionality.
In this current condition it seems to be more of a true relic, and a nice one at that.

[Winger Ed.]

Cool. Double set triggers and left handed.
That was probably a custom ordered rifle when it was built.

I'm not a big antique weapons guy, but in my travels, I've never seen a left handed percussion rifle.

[curator]

I suggest this rifle is cobbled together from old parts. Maybe fifty or more years ago but not a true "original." Great Western Gun Works rifles are no way this crude. Also, the drum was not properly supported by the lock plate (which looks to have been salvaged from a double barreled shotgun) which is why it failed. Appalachia is rife with these "FrankenGuns" made from old parts, Some actually were used by poor mountain folks, but most were for the "tourist" and antique shop trade. Some of them are artistically "aged" to enhance their believability.

[BPJONES]

It has a Great Western Gun Works barrel on it but I don't believe the gun was made by them. I believe the gun was likely made of parts by a local for himself, or somebody, that needed a weapon but didn't have a lot of cash to spare. But I think it is more than 50 years old.

[arcticap]

I looked up Great Western Gun Works because I had never heard of it before and found this extensive price list from about 1872.
There's aren't any photos but folks would order items by their description.


Price list of Great Western Gun Works [by] J.H. Johnston, prop'r.

Click on "full view" to see the Library of Congress PDF: --->>> https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009557601

This is the PDF itself:--->>> https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t8hd89q6v;view=1up;seq=6

[BPJONES]

Thanks for the link. Interesting information. Kind of like an early day Track Of The Wolf. One could make anything from scratch.

[mazo kid]

Just my opinion, but I think the lock appears to be from a shotgun and the gun assembled from parts. Still, a nice find.

[poorman]

Left hand lock, right hand stock?

[rmark]

'Left hand lock, right hand stock? '

The cheek piece is on the same side as the lock. Maybe Great Western just used a right hand stock for their left hand guns.

[LAGS]

So, What is the bottom line ?
Are you going to try to get it Firing again, or just leave it as a Wall Hanger?

[BPJONES]

It is just a wall hanger. In fact someone wanted it more than I did for their wall so last week it went to a new home and is above a fireplace.

[indian joe]

I suggest this rifle is cobbled together from old parts. Maybe fifty or more years ago but not a true "original." Great Western Gun Works rifles are no way this crude. Also, the drum was not properly supported by the lock plate (which looks to have been salvaged from a double barreled shotgun) which is why it failed. Appalachia is rife with these "FrankenGuns" made from old parts, Some actually were used by poor mountain folks, but most were for the "tourist" and antique shop trade. Some of them are artistically "aged" to enhance their believability.

+ 1 on the shotgun lock

[pietro]

True lefty? not so common..




The stock has a cheekpiece for a RH shooter.


.

[LAGS]

I would love to come across things like that rifle.
I do my own work, and all of my Wall Hangers are in Firing Condition.
Not always in there original Caliber, but they end up a working firearm.
That is, " Unless there is some Real Collectors Value, or a verifiable History behind what I find"
I keep them as original as I can as a display piece, but why have a hunk of wood or metal hanging on your wall strictly for decoration.