Old Percusion

[Canuck300]

Good afternoon. I am new to this forum and I was recently gifted this old Percussion rifle that had been taken to the landfill site and was rescued by a friend. The hammer will still cock and half cock. The trigger mechanism still works and the hammer will strike the nipple with force. I can't find any markings anywhere on it. Front and back sights are still there. Barrel is 34.25" long and empty. I am looking to possibly restore it for a project, which will mean making a new stock for it and finding a trigger guard and butt plate if it had one. A ny help you can provide identifying it and helping me find a picture of it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PWC]

As you clean it, you will probabably uncover markings.

 

[Canuck300]

As you clean it, you will probabably uncover markings.

 

[Canuck300]

Thanks. Hope so. I will post any markings I find.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Interesting receiver and cover configuration.

Todd.

 

[DocRock]

Looks more replica than functional arm. Is there a side plate coming away from the receiver?

 

[Canuck300]

Interesting receiver and cover configuration.

Todd.

Yes. It is a Box Lock from what I can research. From what have read it had the advantage of most of the parts being internal but obviously had draw backs as it never really became mainstream. It was mainly used on Pistols and I have found a few pictures of rifles with that style of lock but none that match exactly. I have collected a few older flintlock and percussion rifles so it would look good restored and displayed along with them. It looks rough now but I have time on my hands, and I have done a bit of restoration previously, so I would not be afraid to tackle it. Just really need to know what it looked like and I am interested in its history before I start to do any work.

 

[Canuck300]

Looks more replica than functional arm. Is there a side plate coming away from the receiver?

Yes. The side plate is coming away from the receiver. One screw holding it on is damaged and allowing it to separate.

 

[Canuck300]

Here is what pictures I have found similar to what I have.

 

[Canuck300]

Obviously that is not what I have, but the action is similar. Also what I have has fixed sights.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

It appears to me that it has been through a fire. You might restore it to wall hanger class but I don't think I would shoot it.

 

[Jim Watson]

If the mainspring is not annealed, the mild steel and iron of the rest of the gun may be ok.

Whitney made a boxlock shotgun with reamed out rifle musket barrels postwar.
Obviously they weren't alone.

 

[Canuck300]

Thanks for your replies. It will be interesting to see how things look when I get the rust off. I am not sure if it was in a fire or it was sitting around a long time. My gut feeling is it is old. If I could get a picture of it and an idea of it's age I could make a decision of what to do with it. I will try soaking it in iron out and see if I can find any markings and proceed from there.

 

[unklebuck]

STOP ! Don't use anything corrosive on it. Electrolysis is the VERY BEST way I have found to remove rust on anything metal. I first used it on a severely rusted Colt revolver and the only thing it took off was the rust. Besides freeing the hammer and cylinder, it took the rust out of all the stamping, including part of the serial number, without damaging any of the solid metal underneath. You can check out this process on YouTube.

 

[Canuck300]

STOP ! Don't use anything corrosive on it. Electrolysis is the VERY BEST way I have found to remove rust on anything metal. I first used it on a severely rusted Colt revolver and the only thing it took off was the rust. Besides freeing the hammer and cylinder, it took the rust out of all the stamping, including part of the serial number, without damaging any of the solid metal underneath. You can check out this process on YouTube.

 

[Canuck300]

Thank you for the advise unklebuck, I most certainly do appreciate your input. Unfortunately I have already had it soaking in Iron Out since this morning. I did watch a bunch of YouTube videos on rust removal to see what would work best as well as well as comparisons of different methods and products for rust removal. I had seen the electrolysis method but was intimidated at attempting it. I guess I got a bit anxious to get started on the project and hoped that I might uncover some markings on it that would help in doing the research and possibly uncovering some information on the gun. I am pleasantly surprised with the results I have seen so far and I will update you with some pictures in the morning after some steel wool polishing. The barrel was rusted but I am not seeing any really bad pitting and I am hopeful I haven't screwed up with what I have done. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[unklebuck]

What matters is how it turns out for you. When I cleaned up the Colt, I followed the YouTube videos and nearly quit, but I got it done. Since then, I have become comfortable with it. A car battery charger, a couple cups of cheap laundry detergent, a plastic bucket and a piece of metal. Try it on your next project.

 

[Canuck300]

Thanks for your help. I may use it yet if I am not happy with the results of the Iron Out. I would be elated if I was able to get the nipple loose. I have broken one off in the past by being too aggressive. I have learned to be a little more patient since.

 

[Canuck300]

Update for anyone interested. The iron out worked on the rust pretty well but I did a bunch of Dremel and steel wool work to finish it. Barrel is pretty much ready for bluing. Things I discovered in the process. The nipple is still seized but I can pass a nipple pick through to the barrel. I will keep putting penetrating oil on to see if it will loosen. Everything came apart easily. Only one screw was damaged and will need to be replaced. I checked the bore and it is 40 caliber. There is no rifling. Hammer appears to be brass or brass plated. The only markings I could find were two number 2's inside the receiver. I did find that the trigger spring is riveted in place instead of a screw holding it which is making me think it is old as it is a hammered rivet. I will work on trying to loosen the nipple before I blue it. I am pretty happy with it so far but making the stock will be a challenge. Would really like to know what it is and see if I can get some pictures yet. All help is appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Jim Watson]

Can you brown it? That would be a period finish as blue is not.

I don't know how much you want to sink into it but you could have it rifled, might come out a .45.

 

[DocRock]

Smoothbore .40 is quite strange. That came out better than I would have expected. Hit the hammer with some Brasso. Agree with above, browning is more period correct. Valley Forge Degreaser and Browning Solution has been my preferred solution.

 

[Canuck300]

Hey Jim. Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, I would definitely entertain browning it. I am going to hold off doing anything till I see if I can get the nipple loose. I would probably not entertain rifling it as it originally wasn't. I have evolved in my thinking over the years and as I get older I appreciate more and more how our ancestors managed with what they had. I live in northern Ontario, Canada and the people who settled this area were a hardier breed of men than I can imagine. This gun, if it is as old as I hope, fed a family who sustained themselves on what they could harvest from the land. I can't fathom how they managed to survive the winters and raise a family. The area was settled on fur trading and anyone who tried to make a living farming had the odds against them. Lumber and mining is what really opened this part of the world to settlement and continues to be aside from tourism now. I feel like I have been handed a piece of history. My goal is to put it back as close to original as possible, make it shootable for one shot and retire it to my wall with other old guns I have been lucky enough to place my hands on. I am sure that you can understand. If I can learn more about it, that will help me decide how much sweat I put into it.

 

[Jim Watson]

I was working under the assumption that it was a rifle "smoothbored" by wear and neglect.
But there is a category of muzzleloader known as the "smoothbore rifle."
To me it combines the disadvantages of the rifle's weight and the smoothbore's short range. But in the day it would have been a less expensive option.

 

[Canuck300]

Thank you for your thoughts and advise DocRock.

 

[Canuck300]

Well said. You could be right when you say smooth bored by use and neglect. If I can find out information on it we would both know for sure. The option of a cheaper rifle with a smooth bore maybe would have made sense back in the day. It would be nice to know. It is a path for future research. Thanks again, for your insight.