🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Antique iron trigger guard. How old and what type of gun did it go to?

[FreeBirdTim]

Detecting deep in the woods today and found what I believe to be an iron trigger guard for a rifle. It measures around 8" long. Kind of bent and probably missing some of it, but I'd love to know how old it is and what type of gun it went to. I found a 1700's trade ax in the area, but it may not be that old. Any help would be appreciated.

 

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[creskol]

Are you sure it is a trigger guard?

Post mor photos when you get a chance.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Not positive, but it has a similar shape to a brass trigger guard I found last year.

 

[Nathan6309]

This is a humongous shot in the dark, but it almost reminds me of a lever action to an older repeating rifle. This is a long shot, though, considering that most of the levers weren't made in iron and I haven seen the width of the piece.

Part # 14 is what I was looking at.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Nathan, I did think of that when I first dug it out of the ground. When I was a kid, I used to watch a show called "The Rifleman" with Chuck Connors. He was always pumping away with his lever action rifle. It would be cool if it was from a rifle from the 1800's!

 

[Mud Hut]

Is that all one piece, or is it two pieces butted together?

 

[CreakyDigger]

Nathan, I did think of that when I first dug it out of the ground. When I was a kid, I used to watch a show called "The Rifleman" with Chuck Connors. He was always pumping away with his lever action rifle. It would be cool if it was from a rifle from the 1800's!

The Rifleman was a great show! Visions of my childhood! If I remember right he had a son in the series.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Is that all one piece, or is it two pieces butted together?

Yes, it's one piece. Checked the area for about an hour, but that was all I found there.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

The Rifleman was a great show! Visions of my childhood! If I remember right he had a son in the series.

I actually met Chuck Connors in the late 1980's at a sports card show. He was a big dude! Must have been at least 6'4" and over 200 lbs. when I saw him. Unfortunately, I didn't get his autograph because the line was way too long. He was very popular at that autograph signing.

 

[Mud Hut]

Personally, I think it is way too thick and crude to be a trigger guard.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Not really crude, just heavily rusted and bent.

 

[Mud Hut]

Not really crude, just heavily rusted and bent.

What is the width and thickness of it? Also the approximate length?

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Don't sweat it, Mud Hut. Not that big of a deal. Based on where I found it, I'm assuming that it's a trigger guard. No cellar holes in the area and zero trash. The area is very rough terrain with many hills and valleys. It's also full of rocks and boulders left over from the Ice Age. The only people who have been in this spot over the years are probably hunters and metal detecting fools like myself!

 

[Mud Hut]

Don't sweat it, Mud Hut. Not that big of a deal. Based on where I found it, I'm assuming that it's a trigger guard. No cellar holes in the area and zero trash. The area is very rough terrain with many hills and valleys. It's also full of rocks and boulders left over from the Ice Age. The only people who have been in this spot over the years are probably hunters and metal detecting fools like myself!

Okay

 

[NOLA_Ken]

look up flintlock Jaeger rifles, it sort of resembles a broken trigger guard from that style of gun

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Yes, it definitely does look similar, but every photo I saw of one had a brass trigger guard. Could possibly have be made by a local gunsmith who copied the design of the Jaeger flintlock. Maybe he was cutting corners by making the guard iron instead of brass. Thanks for your input!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Yes, it definitely does look similar, but every photo I saw of one had a brass trigger guard. Could possibly have be made by a local gunsmith who copied the design of the Jaeger flintlock. Maybe he was cutting corners by making the guard iron instead of brass. Thanks for your input!

There are a lot of old muskets and rifles with iron trigger guards, it was probably more an issue of availability of brass in a lot of cases I think, because some of the iron ones are really fancy. I found this pic of a Tennessee rifle with an iron guard and there are definitely no corners cut on this one

 

[DCMatt]

Here's one. Listing says likely made in Virginia at the turn of the 19th C. Iron hardware including the trigger guard.