Can anyone tell me anything about this gun I found it in a field.
- Thread starter bender253
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
Welcome to the forum.
J.O. Robson was a mid 1850's gunmaker in Buffalo, NY. There was a Robson rifle at a local auction here in PA last year. A full length photo may be helpful for identification. That looks to be in really good shape for a field find.
Thanks,
O.R.
J.O. Robson was a mid 1850's gunmaker in Buffalo, NY. There was a Robson rifle at a local auction here in PA last year. A full length photo may be helpful for identification. That looks to be in really good shape for a field find.
Thanks,
O.R.
64Springer
75 Cal.
My rifle. You found it. I can identify it.
It says J.O. Robson Buffalo 989 on the barrel.
It says J.O. Robson Buffalo 989 on the barrel.
user 48679
54 Cal.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2020
- Messages
- 1,660
- Reaction score
- 2,155
Since you only have one message, I am assuming that you are kind of a newbie. No insult is intended... everybody starts out as a virgin.
Before attempting to shoot this thing, check and make sure it does not have a charge in it. I sent a customer's civil war era rifle off to the gunsmith once for misfiring. Mike pulled seven balls and charges out of the bore. Probably was a battle-field pickup from the post civil war era. Quite possibly it was picked up by other soldiers and loaded again. When bullets are flying and mortar shells are blowing up all around you, you might not notice the lack of recoil. Quite possibly it hung above a fireplace for decades before someone tried to shoot it again.
Dunno what would have happened if that first charge had actually fired, but I'm sure it would have been quite an experience for the shooter.
Put a ramrod or some kind of stick down the bore as far as it will go. Make a mark on it at the muzzle. Lay it down beside the barrel with the mark aligned with the muzzle. If the other end of the stick goes down nearly to the breach, you are probably OK. Put some air down the muzzle and see if it comes out of the nipple just to be sure. Don't be too alarmed if it doesn't. It is probably clogged with rust and crud. If the stick stopped three inches or so from the breech, the gun has a charge in it. Take it to a gunsmith and pay the man to remove the charge. This is nothing for a newbie to fool around with. I've had to pull a few charges over the years. It isn't fun at all.
Before attempting to shoot this thing, check and make sure it does not have a charge in it. I sent a customer's civil war era rifle off to the gunsmith once for misfiring. Mike pulled seven balls and charges out of the bore. Probably was a battle-field pickup from the post civil war era. Quite possibly it was picked up by other soldiers and loaded again. When bullets are flying and mortar shells are blowing up all around you, you might not notice the lack of recoil. Quite possibly it hung above a fireplace for decades before someone tried to shoot it again.
Dunno what would have happened if that first charge had actually fired, but I'm sure it would have been quite an experience for the shooter.
Put a ramrod or some kind of stick down the bore as far as it will go. Make a mark on it at the muzzle. Lay it down beside the barrel with the mark aligned with the muzzle. If the other end of the stick goes down nearly to the breach, you are probably OK. Put some air down the muzzle and see if it comes out of the nipple just to be sure. Don't be too alarmed if it doesn't. It is probably clogged with rust and crud. If the stick stopped three inches or so from the breech, the gun has a charge in it. Take it to a gunsmith and pay the man to remove the charge. This is nothing for a newbie to fool around with. I've had to pull a few charges over the years. It isn't fun at all.
From the looks of it it hadn't been lying out in a field for very long.
Check with the police. I'll bet it was stolen from someone's collection.
Check with the police. I'll bet it was stolen from someone's collection.
64Springer
75 Cal.
And the Best Advice of the Day Award goes toooo.....
Buckskinn
45 Cal.
Yeah, right... found in a field...
