J Henry & Sons Muzzleloader
Another inherited firearm I am seeking info on... thanks in advance for any insight you may provide!
This one is a muzzleloader...
Text on the side of the receiver reads 'J Henry & Sons'.
Barrel length is 32 3/8 inches.
It has a set trigger, which works amazingly well for a 150+/- year old rifle.
Cannot say if the rod is original. It looks a bit spindly.
There is a bit of wood splitting up near the hammer, as you can see in the pics. Other than that the wood is solid.
This one is a muzzleloader...
Text on the side of the receiver reads 'J Henry & Sons'.
Barrel length is 32 3/8 inches.
It has a set trigger, which works amazingly well for a 150+/- year old rifle.
Cannot say if the rod is original. It looks a bit spindly.
There is a bit of wood splitting up near the hammer, as you can see in the pics. Other than that the wood is solid.
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Flyderman's Guide, shows a Civil War era muzzle loading military rifle with the same marking. He notes that they were members of a well known Philadelphia Pennsylvania gunsmithing family. He shows photos of earlier flintlocks made by the same family.
If you have a lot of antique firearms to research, I would obtain a copy of "Flyderman's Guide". It's the basic bible for collectors of antique U.S. firearms.0 -
You've provided thumbnails instead of links so the photos are all but impossible to really study. The rifle would appear to be stocked in walnut. I assume the trigger guard to be of iron and the rifle is a halfstock. The signature on the lock usually identifies the lockmaker and you failed to give us an idea of the bore size.
That said it would appear this is a trade rifle made generally on what we consider an Ohio pattern. The patent breach, the lock, the lack of a patchbox, and the cheekpiece tend to make me think the gun to be a rather late piece. The iron trigger guard would not be generally expected on either a Pennsylvania or Ohio gun though. Probably made very close to Civil War era. If large bore, then possibly a plains rifle. If so then I'd consider St. Louis as a possible point of manufacture.
The unasked question is value. Maybe not an issue at this time, but it will be sometime in the future. The answer is that this was (and is) a working rifle. Nothing fancy. If no other identification is found (Remove the barrel and look on the underside) then it will remain just another rifle from a bygone era. Such pieces can easily be purchased for somewhere between $450 and perhaps $800. Should we find the gun to be made by someone like Sharps (which I doubt), then the value could swing upwards somewhat.
Long rifles tend to be valued for their artistry, not their function. Your rifle lacks artistry almost entirely. This is not a criticism of the rifle. It's just an observation and a fact.0 -
Apologies for the thumbnails... still getting the hang of this.
Thanks again for the analysis and opinions.0
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