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.45 CALIBER FALSE MUZZLE –
EARLY TARGET, BENCH AND SNIPER RIFLE ACCESSORY – SCARCE
OFFERING: False muzzles date back to the
mid-1800’s, and at least one patent was issued in the
United States to Alvan Clark in 1840 for his “Moveable
Loading Muzzle for Rifles”. These false muzzle were
not only used with the competitive target rifles, but
also saw use with the heavy barreled sniper rifles used
on both sides of the American Civil War.
The purpose of the false muzzle
was to provide protection for the leading edge of the
bore during the loading process – preventing wear caused
by starting a tight fitting bullet and eliminating the
friction of the ramrod against the lands and grooves
around the muzzle. The false muzzle also served to keep
the elongated bullet exactly parallel to the axis of the
bore as it was seated – a consideration which improved
the accuracy of each shot.
Measuring 1 1/8” in diameter and 1
1/8” in length, this false muzzle retains the four ˝”
long pins mounted in the face which mated with the four
corresponding holes in the muzzle of the heavy barreled
rifle. The cavity of the false muzzle is tapered,
facilitating seating the bullet at the mouth and
constricting the slug as it is pushed into the bore of
the rifle. The rifling is a prominent octagonal pattern
in cross section. There is a hole in the outer surface
which held a pin that served two purposes. First, it
identified the top of false muzzle to properly orient it
with the top of the barrel in order to align with
rifling in the rifle’s bore. Secondly, the pin was long
enough so as to block the line of sight through the
front and rear sights which served as a reminder to the
shooter to remove the false muzzle prior to discharging
the rifle, preventing damage to the false muzzle and to
avoid shooting the false muzzle down range.
Examples of these false muzzles
are not common, and while this one is not mated with the
original rifle, it is quite collectible in its own right
and would be a great item to add to a target rifle,
marksmanship, or Civil War sniper display.
SOLD
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