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HEAVY BARREL PLAINS RIFLE – .54 CALIBER – VERY ATTRACTIVE BRASS MOUNTED CURLY MAPLE STOCK - MAKER MARKED:  A classic example of the mid-19th Century heavy barreled guns that were carried on the Western Frontier, this Plains Rifle

at once presents both a beautiful appearance with the brightly tiger-striped maple stock, and a strong sense of power from the heavy barrel and large caliber.  The overall style – highlighted by the graceful shape of the butt stock, the stepped forward end of the stock and the ramrod thimble mounted in a dovetail mortise rather than on a rib under the barrel - suggests this rifle may have originally been a full stock long rifle from an earlier period.  As the years passed and styles changed, or perhaps as the rifle was carried onto to the plains and into the mountains, the barrel shortened and stock was altered by a frontier gunsmith to reduce the weight and fashion a rifle that was more manageable on horse back, creating a piece that has all the unique features and flavor of a gun right out of the old west.   

Weighing over 10 pounds, the rifle is mounted with a 26 ½” octagon barrel that measures a full 1 1/8” from flat to flat.  The barrel features an early 54 caliber hand rifled bore and muzzle is crowned as if at one time it had a false muzzle.   The exterior flats of the barrel have a smooth, rich brown patina with no pitting, lightened in areas due to handling through the years, and the top flat is stamped just behind the rear sight “P. HATCHE”.  The bore was apparently well maintained by the original owner, with strong, definitive rifling, and though somewhat dark, appears to have only minor, light pitting.   

Both the front and rear sights are present, the front sight featuring a heavy post, and the rear sight is an unusual short heavy brass ramp with a fine notch mounted in a hand cut dove tail mortise.  While the sights are a bit unusual, they provide a surprisingly quick sight alignment and are plainly visible for fine sighting.  There is a second filled dove tailed mortise 2 ½” behind the present rear sight, where that sight was originally positioned when this rifle was first manufactured, another interesting feature and further evidence that the barrel was professionally shortened and the work finished by a competent frontier gunsmith.  Behind the barrel tang on the wrist is a brass oval escutcheon attached with two screws, with two threaded holes for a tang sight.  

The lock is nicely inlet with no damage around the edge of the mortise, and the lock and single stage, double set trigger assemblies function as crisp as a clock.  It is worth noting that this lock is not equipped with a “half cock” notch.  From what I have been able to learn from collectors who have studied these rifles this was a common feature on these early plains rifles.  The absence of the half cock feature served two purposes, and although such an omission would raise a concern with the modern shooter, the men carrying these rifles during the 19th Century regarded a single notch tumbler as a beneficial feature.  First, it was not unheard of that when a gun fitted with both a half cock notch in the tumbler and a set trigger was fired, it was possible that the sear would catch the half cock notch, interrupting the intended discharge.  In a life and death situation, this failure could be fatal.  And secondly, when the rifle was loaded and primed with a percussion cap on the cone, it was a common practice to lower the hammer fully so that the face of the hammer rested against the cap, thereby keeping the cap securely in place and prevent its accidental loss.  This practice rendered the half cock notch superfluous.  While modern shooters would regard this practice to be unsafe and rightfully so, for the men who regularly carried these firearms on a daily basis, and were used to this practice in the environment in which they lived, it insured the cap would be in place when they needed it. 

The furniture - butt plate, toe plate, side plate, ram rod thimbles and trigger guard – is all brass and retains a very pleasant soft patina.  The maple stock, as mentioned above, has an above average, very attractive tiger stripe grain which has colored through the years to a rich distinct pattern.  The wood surface, worn smooth and with an excellent patina, is not marred beyond what one would expect to see in a frontier used rifle.  The toe of the stock is intact – often found chipped away.  The ramrod appears to be a old replacement, and is capped with a brass tip that has the initials “LC” engraved in script on the end flat.  The barrel channel edges have several period repairs – one on the right side of the barrel just under the rear sight, and several on the right side of the barrel as can be seen in the photographs below.  These repairs appear to be old and executed during the life of the rifle, perhaps when the barrel was shortened.  There is an old repaired check in front of the brass side plate and two age cracks immediately behind the lock plate – none of which have weakened the stock and all appear to be stable – evidence of use commensurate with the age of this rifle. 

Handling this Plains Rifle recalls all of the legends and the mystique of the early American West when mounting a defense against hostile men and grizzlies, or anchoring a buffalo or elk against the prospect of starvation, required a bore of this size.  If you are drawn to tales of the likes of Bridger, Johnson, Smith, Carson or the legions of unknown explorers and trappers, as well as the Native Americans who valued these guns above all other possessions, hefting this rifle will transport you back to those long ago shining times in the mountains.  $1950 

 

 
 
 
 
 

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