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Frontier Firearms from the Lifetime Collection of Larry Ness
|
- Sale 1987
Live
| Cincinnati
Jun 8 | 10:00 AM EDT
Live
| Cincinnati
Sale 1987
| Cincinnati
| Cincinnati
Estimate$2,000 – $4,000
.50 caliber. 30" heavy wedge retained octagon barrel. SN: 892. Browned finish iron and brass furniture, half-stock with checkered wrist and raised cheek rest. Back action percussion lock marked "SLOTTER/& Co PHILA". Top flat of barrel also marked "SLOTTER/& Co PHILA" in a pyramid. Left breech flat marked "892/GAIN TWIST/WART". Equipped with double set triggers, fixed notch rear sight, dovetailed German silver front sight blade with steel base. Mountings include iron buttplate and toe plate, oval brass patchbox that is also marked "SLOTTER/& Co/PHILA" on its interior, a double finger spur brass triggers guard and brass nose cap and escutcheons for the single barrel wedge. Two additional iron ramrod pipes are secured to the barrel's underlug and contain a wooden ramrod. Heavy barrel measures 1.25" across the flats at the muzzle. A prototypical Plains Rifle in the form of the most successful of the St. Louis makers, executed by a Philadelphia gun making firm well known for producing their own versions of successful firearms designs, with Henry Deringer's pocket pistols being chief among them. The firm operated from roughly 1860-1868 and is better known for producing quality target rifles than heavy Plains Rifles. This is a very nice and rather uncommon example from the end of the percussion era.
The Collection of Larry Ness
Good to very good. Barrel with a rich brown patina that may include some traces of finish, mixed with moderate surface oxidation and some pitting. Lock mechanically functional, bore with visible rifling and moderate pitting. Brass with a thick, uncleaned patina. Wood with scattered bumps, dings and mars, some grain cracks along the toe line, moderate wear to the checkering and a couple of small chips missing.
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Tim Carey
Associate Vice President, Head of Department, Arms, Armor and Militaria
