Dating a Quackenbush Safety Cartridge Rifle

[Racer Dan]

Does anyone have info on how to date a Quackenbush Safety Rifle? Mine has the varnished walnut wooden forearm, no markings on the frame, but on the top of the swinging breech it has company name and address (no patent date). Nickel plated barrel, frame, breech is not nickel plated.

The shell extractor is missing, but groove cut in bottom of barrel for it, and hole drilled in swinging breech to push it forward and retract it as the breech moves.

The stock is short for a Boys arm, 18" barrel, the butt plate is plated steel and formed more like a modern butt plate than some with the sharp curve at the top, and has a "18" stamped ion the inside. Adjustable rear sight, round blade front sight, both are black.

A previous owner dated it as a 1908. Just trying to fill in the blanks on my records of it.

Thanks for any wisdom or help!

[Mk42gunner]

I was going to guess the first decade of the 1900's before I got down to where gave 1908.

Even if you can find an extractor and get it in safe firing order, I would not shoot high velocity shells. It was made for what we now call standard velocity, maybe even just .22 Shorts or Longs.

Good luck with it.

Robert

Didn't notice this was your first post, welcome aboard.

R

[Racer Dan]

Thank you for the welcome! You are right, made for 22 short and 22 long only. I will probably get it in as good of shape as I can and if I do fire it, it will be with a 22 short, one time.

[John Boy]

http://www.acant.org.au/Articles/Quackenbush.html

[uscra112]

"Boys' Rifles" by Jim Perkins has some good information, but not much to help with dating. All I can glean is that the wood-stocked version acquired a wood forearm in 1908.