old rifle id ?

[mojjax]

My grrlfriend's mother gave us this gun when we helped her move . It's 54 1/2 '' long . The barrel is 39'' . I think it says DUBLIN CASTLE on the side .A nickle almost fits in the barrel . It's in kind of rough shape - but it looks good hanging over the fireplace . Any info appreciated !

mojjax

 

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[Leeway]

Found this in a search.. Look at Lot # 710 . you may be able to contact the auction co. to determine the sale price.. http://julia.hanovercomputer.com/firearms/mar02/catalog/web3day2a.htmYour rifle appears to be a percussion cap.. while the rifle on the site is a flintlock i think.. but it may give you an idea to its origins.

Best of luck,

Leeway

 

[DJ_Quinn]

Dublin Castle was a maker of flintlock firearms. You should clean that rifle up, they are collectable.

 

[nhbenz]

Could it have been converted to a percussion cap? (I'm not up on all the mechanics of firearms). It looks very similar to the Brown Bess... but those were flintlocks. Is there (or was there) a crown above the "G.R." thats marked on it? Here's the similar model I'm talking about: http://www.11thpa.org/Bess.html

 

[Smithbrown]

Dublin Castle is the Irish equivalent of the Tower of London, in that it was the national arsenal and Headquarters of the Irish Board of Ordnance. You could try writing to the Curator of Arms at the National Museum of Ireland

 

[misplacedrednek]

don't know much about old rifles, just wanted to say that it's a beautiful firearm. A good thorough cleaning would make all the difference in the world. Whenever you clean it post a picture.

THANX,
MISPLACEDREDNEK

 

[gldhntr]

can't tell from the pics but with the age of the gun it might have damascus barrel and if so do not shoot gun...also if a nickle fits inside of the end of the barrel it most likely is a 10 guage shotgun...if damascus you should be able to see round styrations all the way down the length...they would take a thin strand of metal and coil it to make the barrel, and these type have been known to quite often come apart when shot ...i think the age deteriorated them, along with the stronger powders making more pressure than they were made for......gldhntr

 

[mojjax]

Yes nhbenz . there is a crown above ''GR'' . Seems like it must have been altered to percussion .

Thanks for the nice links everybody !

gldhntr , nope , wont try shooting it - too rough looking .

Her mother gave us another gun also . I'll post it tomorrow . We think we id'ed it as a Kentucky long .
mojjax

 

[BIG61AL]

Amazing looking firearm...give it some much needed cleaning and you'll have an wonderful family heirloom.

 

[nhbenz]

WHOAH! Careful on the cleaning! Make sure to get good advice on this before proceeding... its worth some dough, be sure not to hurt it. It does appear there were parts removed (noting the empty screw holes) that may have accommodated the flintlock action... but clearly done a long time ago. Nice old piece.

 

[DJ_Quinn]

Back during the days of the struggle for independence here in Ireland, they used to bury their guns in the fields. I have a few acres of family land and I'm in the process of building a new house. An area has been pointed out to me as a place to not dig because it's the uncles burried the guns. I will admit that I'm currious and have thought about digging them up, but then I'd have the problem of what do you do with them?

 

[mojjax]

Here's a picture of the other gun she gave us . Her late husband had it restored by a gunsmith 20 years ago . We thought it was a Kentucky rifle , I was looking up the words on the side this afternoon - ROBBINS , KENDALL & LAWRENCE - Turns out it's from Mississippi . I found some similar ones at this auction site . # 579 , #580 ,#581 :

http://julia.hanovercomputer.com/firearms/oct04/catalog/Owens Day Two.htm


mojjax

 

[nhbenz]

Wow, great rifles!

 

[snake35]

Be very carefull. Leave the cleaning to preservation professionals. Its a real nice piece. It would be a shame to destroy its historical value. Good luck.

 

[gldhntr]

if the gun was browned instead of blued let me know as i have in depth directions on this process and its quite easy although takes some time...results are great...g

 

[swampghost]

hate to burst any ones bubbles but that is a ten gauge shotgun used for goose and duck hunting.(works great on a man too)

 

[gldhntr]

no bubbles busted...see post # 6

 

[LJHanley06]

Very much looks like it was originally a Brown Bess (Revolutionary War era)...later converted to percussion cap (1830's-40's), this was a very common practice.

DO NOT CLEAN IT!

A weapon as old as this authenticates itself by showing it's age...have the professionals look at it as others have mentioned...take it to a museum that deals with antique firearms.

Also, be fore-warned...sometimes these old rifles were left loaded while hanging over the mantle...not to say that your relative did this, but there are many many cases of old muzzleloaders that were charged with powder and ball that went off...TAKE IT TO YOUR LOCAL GUNSMITH to verify that it is not loaded.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Push the ramrod carefully down the muzzle to see if its loaded. They sell bulletpullers, but are not easy to use. If it is loaded you can possibly make the gunpowder harmless by adding some water through the nipple, before attempting to unload. There is also a CO2 cartridge kit that will blow the load out with air pressure. Soap and water is best for cleaning blackpowder, which is very corrosive. You may be able to remove the barrel from the stock. Make sure the barrel dries well and then oil it. I use linseed oil on my antiques. Great for the wood also. Can be thinned with turpentine. This is what would have been used in the 1800's and I like to keep everything original.
Nice blackpowder muzzleloaders. I would also say whoa on the cleaning. (except soapy water and linseed oil)

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

hate to burst any ones bubbles but that is a ten gauge shotgun used for goose and duck hunting.(works great on a man too)

10 gauge muzzleloading shotgun with percussion cap.