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Post by jbird on Jun 17, 2020 15:14:27 GMT -5
You guys ever see something like this?  7 sided bore in a percussion cap smoke-pole! This is a gun that has come thru my family but the story has faded. I am trying to find some info but I can;t seem to find much. I have never seen such a thing.... I have seen mostly 6 sided....but never seven.... The rifle is in very poor condition and I refuse to take it apart as it will simply fall apart if I do. There are no marks of any kind visible on the outside. It's a smaller caliber...guessing either 36 or 38. Anybody have any ideas on who to even reach out too?  |
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Post by esshup on Jun 17, 2020 19:13:48 GMT -5
You guys ever see something like this? 7 sided bore in a percussion cap smoke-pole! This is a gun that has come thru my family but the story has faded. I am trying to find some info but I can;t seem to find much. I have never seen such a thing.... I have seen mostly 6 sided....but never seven.... The rifle is in very poor condition and I refuse to take it apart as it will simply fall apart if I do. There are no marks of any kind visible on the outside. It's a smaller caliber...guessing either 36 or 38. Anybody have any ideas on who to even reach out too? Can't see a thing, not even when I copy/paste it into the browser window. |
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Post by bullseye69 on Jun 17, 2020 21:07:57 GMT -5
Pic didn't come thru.
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Jun 17, 2020 21:08:38 GMT -5
I got nothing showing at all, but I can never see any of your pics for some reason.
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Post by jbird on Jun 18, 2020 11:47:52 GMT -5
I'll try a different method.... Anyway...every seen a seven side rifle bore? |
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Post by jbird on Jun 18, 2020 11:58:37 GMT -5
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Post by jbird on Jun 18, 2020 12:02:35 GMT -5
I can't post a pic directly for some reason (some sort of error pops up about the site being full) and all I can do is link to other places on the web where I have it posted. I can't use an app like tapatalk because I only have a work cell phone and it won't allow us to add apps to it. I don't have an on-line photo storage/sharing place either. I doubt the link above works because it's to my FB page...but it's worth a shot.
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Post by jjas on Jun 18, 2020 12:29:21 GMT -5
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Post by greghopper on Jun 18, 2020 12:47:39 GMT -5
I can't post a pic directly for some reason (some sort of error pops up about the site being full) and all I can do is link to other places on the web where I have it posted. I can't use an app like tapatalk because I only have a work cell phone and it won't allow us to add apps to it. I don't have an on-line photo storage/sharing place either. I doubt the link above works because it's to my FB page...but it's worth a shot. Read here for posting pics.. hunt-indiana.com/thread/13633/post-pictures-on-huntingindiana |
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Post by esshup on Jun 18, 2020 15:41:08 GMT -5
That link you posted the 2nd time worked for me. Can you do any other pictures like from the side like that?
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Post by jbird on Jun 18, 2020 15:42:47 GMT -5
I am going to post over there and see what they come up with ....thank you. |
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Post by jbird on Jun 18, 2020 15:49:32 GMT -5
That link you posted the 2nd time worked for me. Can you do any other pictures like from the side like that? I'm not sure I follow what you mean. The second attempt was from my FB account....I think. You want pics of the side of the gun??? There isn't a marking on it...I have looked and looked. I can either send other pics in an e-mail or send you to another web-site/forum where I have them posted....not sure I want to put too much on FB. A site where I have them posted is called "Deerhunterforum.com" they have a guns/reloading tab, and about the fifth thread down (posted by J-bird) is where I have several pics posted already. |
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Post by stevein on Jun 18, 2020 18:16:15 GMT -5
Seven lands and grooves is fairly common in muzzle loaders. I see many more seven groove barrels than any other.
Many modern barrel makers still make them. Some of the barrels as they wore look to have just a seven sided bore, no lands. This is pretty common. Also could be just wear at the muzzle. Drop a light down the bore and see what the bore looks like futher down.
Some Whitworth Rifles had a Hexagon bore and fired a Hexagon bullet.
My 1952 DOM Marlin 35 Rem has seven langs and grooves.
Any name on the barrel? That is the most important one most of the time. It is very hard to pin these later caplocks down to the maker without a name.
Locks sometime can you get and area.
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Post by stevein on Jun 18, 2020 19:10:41 GMT -5
I checked it out on Deerhunterforum.com
That is what would be refered to as a POOR BOY. YOU DISMISS THE RIFLE WAY TO FAST.
Crude trigger guard and no buttplate. Possibly made from old parts. Locks of that style are not uncommon and may help to place it. I see more roundtail locks and back action than that style.
That cracked stock should be repaired by someone that knows what they are doing if for no other reason then to Preserve the rifle. Eventually it will become two parts then scattered to the winds. That stock was done from a nice piece of curly maple by someone that had more than a little experience in stocking Muzzle loaders. It has good architecture meaning everything is where it should be and pleasing to the eye. Nice lock panels. It has a southern look to it, made in the mountains. It has a nice long barrel on it too, very likely uncut.
You need to do some genelogy. Find out where that side of the family came from. Tennesee? S or N Carolina? Kentucky.
That could be a huge clue.
In this era of muzzle loading building there were no kits. Anyone could go to a gunsmith or Hardware store and buy locks, barrels, triggerguards set triggers just like we do today. The crude forged triggerguard and missing buttplate and entry ramrod pipe were to save money. Crude trigger to me is not an issue to me. Homespun or folksy may be better discriptions.
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Post by stevein on Jun 18, 2020 19:39:47 GMT -5
Are there 2 different rifles?
The one on the deer hunting and the ALR are 2 different rifles???
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Post by jbird on Jun 19, 2020 9:55:20 GMT -5
Are there 2 different rifles? The one on the deer hunting and the ALR are 2 different rifles??? I only have 1 rifle. I am not familiar with the "ALR" term? To my knowledge this was "made" by my grandfathers father or step-father and an Uncle of his at the time. The family name then was/is Heart/Hart. To my knowledge they was still here in IN. The story is fuzzy because my grand father past several years ago and my grand mother doesn't remember much about it and my uncle (their only son) seems fuzzy on the story as well. The things I know for certain are that it's in bad shape and I fear taking it apart will simply destroy the wood beyond repair. You can see that the repairs that had been done where not done by a professional and where functional in nature only. There is no name on the gun anywhere that I can find, no marks either. The 7 sided bore is what has caught my attention and the fact its a small caliber - .36 to .38 I'm guessing. It's a part of my families history and as such I'm not really worried about it's value....just it's history. Only way I would worry about it's value is if it belonged in a museum, vs a gun cabinet. When my grandfather used it they used it for simply shooting pigs on the farm. Being a smaller caliber with a longer barrel I can only assume it was a small game rifle at some point. I have no intent on shooting it and I would suspect it's been 50 years or better since it was shot. For all I know...the damn thing could still be loaded. I will see if I can pry a little deeper in the family as to where they may have been living during that time.... |
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Post by jbird on Jun 19, 2020 10:01:39 GMT -5
Grandpa was born in 1931, so I don't think the gun is too old....maybe turn of the century or so? Again I'll do some more digging and see what I can find out from a timeline perspective. |
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Post by Woody Williams on Jun 19, 2020 11:15:46 GMT -5
I looked at the pictures on the site you referenced.
Its a wall hanger for sure. I sure would not try and bring it back to it's original glory.
It is nice to have a hand me down for family though..
Thanks for sharing..
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Post by stevein on Jun 19, 2020 11:28:50 GMT -5
Family spoken history seems to change with time. I personally examined many Trapdoor Springfields used in the civil war.
Like I said I feel that rifle was done by someone with experience in gun building. While the triggerguard is rough the woodwork is better than I would expect to see by a farmer restock. Maybe but most of those are rather crude. It looks more southern than Hoosier to me. Was there a mold or any accessories with it?
.34 to .38 would be fairly common in the percussion period. Gunsmiths bought barrel blanks that were drilled and reamed and cut their own rifling.
There is a real possibility it is loaded. It happens often. A museum called in a local ml builder to examine, clean and advise them on several guns. He found several loaded guns.
I would gently wipe the metal with oil and leave the wood as is, not even clean it. Get that stock stabile and hang it on the wall.
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Post by jbird on Jun 19, 2020 14:13:54 GMT -5
Family spoken history seems to change with time. I personally examined many Trapdoor Springfields used in the civil war. Like I said I feel that rifle was done by someone with experience in gun building. While the triggerguard is rough the woodwork is better than I would expect to see by a farmer restock. Maybe but most of those are rather crude. It looks more southern than Hoosier to me. Was there a mold or any accessories with it? .34 to .38 would be fairly common in the percussion period. Gunsmiths bought barrel blanks that were drilled and reamed and cut their own rifling. There is a real possibility it is loaded. It happens often. A museum called in a local ml builder to examine, clean and advise them on several guns. He found several loaded guns. I would gently wipe the metal with oil and leave the wood as is, not even clean it. Get that stock stabile and hang it on the wall. I have no dreams of this being some frontier rifle of Davey Crockett.....or some piece worthy of the Smithsonian. If it was of some interest to Indiana history or other local history then that is fine... but I didn't expect it to be. Maybe these guys knew what they was doing, maybe not....I just know it's old and came from generations of my family. My grandfather actually left it to my uncle....his only son. But that uncle doesn't have a child that has any interest in it (in fact they claimed they would take it to a pawn shop). So....it was given to me...to see it thru to be passed on. I'm just trying to get as many facts together about it as I can. I have no intent of a restoration...because I don't think it would survive the process...and it will go on the wall once I have a proper place for it. The only thing it has that I am aware of is the powder horn and pouch....I think....my uncle still has those. I don't think there is a bullet mold that we have. It's possible the gun was influenced by other areas as we are in the Southeastern portion of IN...so maybe, just maybe OH or KY influence....I'll have to do more digging. |
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7 sided bore in a percussion cap smoke-pole! This is a gun that has come thru my family but the story has faded. I am trying to find some info but I can;t seem to find much. I have never seen such a thing.... I have seen mostly 6 sided....but never seven.... The rifle is in very poor condition and I refuse to take it apart as it will simply fall apart if I do. There are no marks of any kind visible on the outside. It's a smaller caliber...guessing either 36 or 38. Anybody have any ideas on who to even reach out too?
