Built a Leman Trade Gun Flintlock

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Just finished this Leaman style 45cal half stock that can switch to percussion by adding a drum and percussion version of this lock instead of the vent and flintlock. I had most of the parts laying around for years except for the new L&R flintlock which is a great sparking lock. Built it plain, no inlays, because the wood was so nice as is. I am keeping it flint for now as percussion caps are hard to find and I'm saving what I have for hunting in the fall. Flintlocks are beginning to grow on me though. Pinned the barrel instead of wedges as I did not want to hide the figure in the forestock. IMG_E2130.JPG
 
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Yes, beautiful build, and exactly as I would have done, if I was capable of doing it. I would love to have a .45 or .36" rifle like that.

I did have a Jeager built for me, by Birddog6 in Alabama, and went with the very-plain Jane theme, iron mounted, etc. Sometimes beauty is simple, instead of ornate. Flint will grow on you for sure. Once you reach "Black Belt" and get 100% reliability, it will be your #1 go-to ignition. DSCN0906.JPG
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Now that's a NICE Hawken. I like the utility of a patch box, but also skipped it on my Jeager.
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Thank you. I did a lot of research on Hawken rifles when I had it built and some originals didn't have a patchbox. The builder went by blueprints made from an original and followed them as best he could.
 
Great looking Hawken there Hawg. I like plain rifles with iron furniture on these style guns best. I lucked up on this stock pictured below as well as the one just finished above. Ordered 2 in plain maple and got two nice ones. This was a Leman stock but I built it in more of a cross between a Hawken/Leman style with a Siler Mountain Lock and a shorter 50cal barrel. This was the best figured stock out of six I have ordered and paid the least amount of money for it. I'm putting together a double set trigger kit to go in one of these to replace the single trigger. Hope to see more traditional long B/P guns on this forum. IMG_E1992.JPG
 
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Wow you did luck up with two nice stocks. You do know you will have to have a fly in the lock to use double set triggers?
 
Yep. Both guns have a fly in the lock, but I just had two single Leman triggers on hand when I started working on these. Both single trigger plates are the same width as the double set kit I am working on so pretty easy to inlet a longer plate. The single ones work fine on the 50cal as a hunting gun. Probably put double set one on the 45cal with the longer barrel for more target shooting. It has a larger trigger guard too for the extra trigger.
 
What is...an..."inline"? (don't answer, that's a JOKE!) (I made that joke before, and like ten people responded explaining what an inline is. !)
 
I have looked at the TVM Leman rifle many times but just can't justify the $1800+ for one of them. Nice looking gun and actually I am very interested in the time period after the fur trade when the wagons went west on the Oregon trail. A lot of Leman rifles went with those pioneers on that trip. There was another company who made Leman copies back in the 1970s and up until the 1990s or so but I cannot remember the name of the company. IIRC the man who really started the inline rifles named White was one of the owners/builders of the guns. I would like to find one of those also.
 
ThomasT said:
I am very interested in the time period after the fur trade when the wagons went west on the Oregon trail.
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I have a rifle that took that journey in 1846. Not a Leman, don't know what it is, has "PB" makers mark on the barrel.
 
hawg said:
Picatures?
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Been meaning to do that, and see if I can't find someone to I.D. it. I've tried before with no luck, on other forums. Been pretty much ignored on collector sites in the past. There's a facebook group that seems to have some knowledge people on it, I was planning to take some pics and post them on there. I'll post here too.

Doing my own research on "PB" I can't really find a maker in that time period that matches. Seems I found a couple at one time, but the markings I saw did not match what is on the barrel of our rifle, or didn't seem right for some reason or another. And, even when new it would have not been an expensive rifle, so could be a totally unknown maker.
 
ThomasT said:
There was another company who made Leman copies back in the 1970s and up until the 1990s or so but I cannot remember the name of the company. IIRC the man who really started the inline rifles named White was one of the owners/builders of the guns. I would like to find one of those also.
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OK I found the other modern made Leman rifles. I have a Black Belt in Google fu. It was the GRRW Green River Rifle Works. The guns come up for sale ever so often but I am never in the right place at the right time. Probably couldn't afford it anyway. Here is a link with a good bit of information on them. If you notice they look a lot like the Thompson Center or Investarms guns labeled Hawkins that real experts say look more like eastern made guns and I'm sure they are referring to Lemans and other trade guns sold to the Indians or western bound explorers. Oregon Trail Travelers or men headed to the California gold fields.

And the GRRW also had coil spring locks at least in the beginning just like the T/C and Investarms guns. I'm not sure who was copying who. I own 4 Investarms guns and am glad to have them. They are shooters. At least three of them are. My latest hasn't been shot yet.

http://grrw.org/leman-trade-rifle/
 
In Southern Washington state, just across the border into Idaho, there's a little museum/Indian center where they have the actual, original Leman that Chief Joseph used to hunt deer when he was banished to somewhere back east, or mid-West, after his run for the Canadian border. (I forgot) A "holy grail" rifle for me would be to duplicate that rifle. I've stood and stared at it many times.
 
Tryon also made trade guns in the mid 1870's that looked a lot like Investarms, TC, CVA Hawkens.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
In Southern Washington state, just across the border into Idaho, there's a little museum/Indian center where they have the actual, original Leman that Chief Joseph used to hunt deer when he was banished to somewhere back east, or mid-West, after his run for the Canadian border. (I forgot) A "holy grail" rifle for me would be to duplicate that rifle. I've stood and stared at it many times.
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Is that the Lewis & Clark Center in Lewiston?
 
No, it's a little place near Lapwai, maybe on the reservation, but right off the highway. Kind of near Spalding. ?
 
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