I Have This Old Gun... No really. I do.

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BigBore44

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Now here’s one for the best firearms historians on THR. Around 1900 my great great grandfather was riding a buggy on an old wagon trail in the panhandle of Oklahoma. While taking a break to stretch his legs, he happened upon a pistol. A saw handle dueling pistol. Except this one is different. This is a rifled dueling pistol.

The only other one I’ve ever seen is in the J.M. Davis gun museum. It is an identical match to this pistol. Except they don’t know who made it either. So here’s your chance to upstage the historians and curators at one of the most famous gun museums.

There are 2 marks on this gun. A “1” underneath the hinge for the ramrod. And a “1” on the inside of the trigger guard. That is all. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the one in J.M. Davis had a “2”? So who’s up for a challenge?
 

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Can you explain how the hinged ram rod works? Very interesting.
Well this won’t make me sound smart at all but here goes. The rod is held in a shroud in front of the trigger. There is an eyelet built into the dual hinge. The rod can not slide through the eyelet because it is “mushroomed” on both ends.

So to load the gun you simply pull down on the hinge with the eyelet. This allows the rod to slide out of the shroud. Once it is clear of the shroud, you can pivot the hinge attached to the gun and rod vertically to seat the bullet. I think if you read my poor description and look at the pictures, you’ll get it.
 
Seems to have polygonal "rifling". Have you taken the sideplate off to see if there are any clues inside? The screws seem to have been exercised previously, but you may need some Kroil and a well fitting driver.
 
Seems to have polygonal "rifling". Have you taken the sideplate off to see if there are any clues inside? The screws seem to have been exercised previously, but you may need some Kroil and a well fitting driver.
I have not. But I have a Wheeler gunsmithing screwdriver set.
 
It’s a sawback handled captive ramrod percussion pistol. The two pistols I could find that meet the description the closest are a Van Wart, and a John Dickinson. The gun can very well be a one off also. Or a small firm which purchased the action and then custom finished it in their name, similar to how a lot of small box lock shotgun firms came to be.
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From photos, grips don't seem to match back strap. They may have been replaced at some point. If so, the grip frame contour may help you match up with other specimens, and there may be writing or other info under grip panels. Doesn't seem like a cast iron frame would be small scale.
 
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