Another Trade Gun finished

[fred fellows]

on page 9 for trade or treaty firearms of the american indians 1600 -1920 by RYAN R. GALE....trader joseph isbister wrote in august of 1740; the guns are good but have too much wood in their stocks,the indians liking them more slinder and to be free of knots,and also to have the guard larger it being usual to draw the trigger with two fingers which our guns will not admit of...this is a great book for the study of northwest trade guns...real letters from traders in the forts...the mitten idea seems logical but its not the real reason according to traders in 1700s

 

[Rob M.]

on page 9 for trade or treaty firearms of the american indians 1600 -1920 by RYAN R. GALE....trader joseph isbister wrote in august of 1740; the guns are good but have too much wood in their stocks,the indians liking them more slinder and to be free of knots,and also to have the guard larger it being usual to draw the trigger with two fingers which our guns will not admit of...this is a great book for the study of northwest trade guns...real letters from traders in the forts...the mitten idea seems logical but its not the real reason according to traders in 1700sView attachment 218907

Yep , I know .......thats why I said all that in my post .

 

[tenngun]

We don’t see big guards on French or Ditch guns. And American trade rifles had the same guard as other civilian rifles. It gets a mite chilly in Siberia, but Russian and Russian in Alaska didn’t go that route
I often wonder if style didn’t get started and explanation came later

 

[smoothshooter]

42" , .58/ 24 ga. barrel . I'll be asking $1800 + shipping

Sorry about the multiple posts. Technical issues on my end.

 

[Rob M.]

Sorry about the multiple posts. Technical issues on my end.

Mine did multiple too ? Probably my fault , LOL ...I'm not very high tech savy !

 

[smoothshooter]

We don’t see big guards on French or Ditch guns. And American trade rifles had the same guard as other civilian rifles. It gets a mite chilly in Siberia, but Russian and Russian in Alaska didn’t go that route
I often wonder if style didn’t get started and explanation came later

Interesting point !

 

[Colonialnerd]

That’s really beautiful. Great job.

 

[mikesto44]

While attending a resent gun show. I got to handle an original trade gun that had a rifled barrel. The barrel was about 44 inches long. How common was this ?

 

[Rob M.]

While attending a resent gun show. I got to handle an original trade gun that had a rifled barrel. The barrel was about 44 inches long. How common was this ?

Depends on a few different factors . Country of origin , time period , type , possible alteration , and company it was made for . HBCo had very specific barrel lengths they ordered and the makers adhered to , though not terribly accurately compared to .modern tolerances . In 1760 you could buy a 4 ft., 3.5 ft. or a 3 ft. barreled N.W. Trade gun from the HBCo . That same year in Charles Town S.C. you could buy a Carolina gun with a 46" barrel and that same year in Quebec you could buy a Tulle or St. Etienne made Fusil de Chasse with a 44" barrel . After the F&I war there were other trade Companies ordering N.W. trade guns too and who knows what their standard lengths were , if they any standard lengths ....

 

[Rob M.]

Oh yes , no doubt . Over sized trigger guards were all the rage in England , Belgium and France at the end of the 18th century . The HBCo were quite worried that the Natives were carrying trade guns that were " so yesterday " and they started making the very large trigger guards to make things right and prevent any possible embarrassment . The English just saved the Natives from being the laughing stock of the European population .

 

[Rob M.]

Looks like a pretty typical Tigger guard for a trade gun.

This is the smaller N.W. trigger guard , 1741-1780 time period . Here are some comparison pics . Earlier style on the walnut stocked NW gun , later style on the lighter cherry stocked NW gun .

 

[mikesto44]

I'm more curious about the gun barrel being rifled. It did not appear to be a replacement barrel.
So I was wondering how common it was..

 

[Master Blaster]

Liking the antique-ing you did.

 

[Rob M.]

View attachment 219717

Liking the antique-ing you did.

Thanks ... I won't build one with out putting a patina on it . Just love em that way ....

 

[Bnewberry]

Thanks ... I won't build one with out putting a patina on it . Just love em that way ....

You do it well! Is this “light” patina?

 

[Rob M.]

You do it well! Is this “light” patina?

Yeah ......kinda light

 

[Bnewberry]

Yeah ......kinda light

I like it! I think the first trade gun I saw of yours was a type G with a lighter patina (a bit more than this one). Made me want one of your builds.

 

[Rob M.]

Finally got her dirty ! Busy as all get out but ....Mr. Hubbard was kind enough to send me 200 round ball .570 so I just had to shoot her ! The barrel has been proofed but I'd never personally fired her so I shot her a dozen times just to check for fast ignition , no accuracy test just yet , no time ....gonna finish this Carolina gun for Dave . I fired it right side up and upside down ...fast as all get out ! The trigger pull is a bit too much but thats for another day .She cracks like a rifle even with only 50 and 60 gr. of 2F ! Sounds amazing ! No kick ... This lock is really nice ! Love it ! Gotta clean her and get back to work on the Carolina Gun ....