Need help identifying this rifle!

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C

Cfrogg

32 Cal
Joined
Jan 11, 2025
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Location
Kansas
Good afternoon, the rifle below was found when clearing out grandpas house about 15 years ago, and has been taking up space in the safe ever since. You can see it’s not in the best shape and missing quite a few pieces, but I can find no stampings or markings to help identify it. I was cleaning some other rifles yesterday and pulled this one out to find a good place to hang it up for decoration, anyone have any ideas as to the make of this old smoke stick?

Thanks,
Chris
 

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Cfrogg said:
Good afternoon, the rifle below was found when clearing out grandpas house about 15 years ago, and has been taking up space in the safe ever since. You can see it’s not in the best shape and missing quite a few pieces, but I can find no stampings or markings to help identify it. I was cleaning some other rifles yesterday and pulled this one out to find a good place to hang it up for decoration, anyone have any ideas as to the make of this old smoke stick?

Thanks,
Chris
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I don't know but someone will, I am "guessing" and Ohio area gun from 1850ish, someone will know a lot more than me.

Being a gun builder, I would restore it but it wouldn't be worth your while to pay someone to do it for you if you lacked the experience to do it yourself.
 
From several details on the gun including: shape of the lock bolt washer, guard with nicely rounded bow and double spurs, elongated/lozenge-shaped tang, tight side facings around lock plate, triangular butt, and good triggers, I'd place it on the Ohio River, most likely from Brown County, Ohio, on the north side of river, or Bracken County, Kentucky, just across the river. A number of gunsmiths, including the Sells family of Benjamin Sr., Benjamin Jr., and Michael Sells made stylistically similar rifles to this one and worked on both sides of the river. Several other makers in the same area also followed the pattern, so good chance it was made in that general area.

Shelby Gallien
 
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