D.H. Hilliard Underhammer Guns

[rchancey]

Hello folks, anyone own any D.H. Hilliard guns? If so can you post examples of his firearms? Here are a couple of photos of some Hilliard guns that belong to me and my friend Pat Reed. The first (top) is a .36 cal underhammer "target pistol", next is a .36 cal underhammer "buggy Rifle", the third is a 28ga (.54 cal) underhammer "smooth bore rifle" and the last is a nice .36 cal underhammer "target rifle". In my opinion Hilliard was the father of underhammer firearms. Please enjoy the photos. Alaska Robert

 

[cgg]

Very nice. When and where was Hilliard building rifles? Is there some debate about who came up with the underhammer idea?

 

[Mike Brooks]

I handled 100's of them when I worked for Rock Island Auction Co. They are usually stamped with loading data on the bottom flat under the ram rod.

 

[rchancey]

David Hall Hilliard's shop was located in Cornish New Hampshire. He started out working for Nicanor Kendall in Windsor Vermont in the mid 1830's and took over the business in 1842 and moved to Cornish, New Hampshire. His shop built approximately 3000 guns in his career and was still turning out guns long after his death in 1877.

 

[44-henry]

I bought a Hilliard from TOW awhile back and it looks pretty much like the one at the bottom of your picture. They are well built rifles for sure.

 

[steamtoys]

http://s1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd424/steamtoys/New England Under Hammer Rifles/ Yes there are other Hilliards out there. Pictured are Guns in my collection. Looks like you have a fine collection. My pictures are not great but will have to do for now. Ron

 

[ihuntsnook]

Ray Mitchell was a gunsmith who had a shop on the Connecticut River in New Hampshire close to Dartmouth. He had D.H. Hilliards rifling machine and made a few longrifles -- lock, stock, and barrel. I have one that he built for me in 1979, but he was no longer making the locks or the barrels. It's plain jane longrifle built after an original George Eyster that I got to shoot once. He had quite a collection of Hilliards.

 

[mazo kid]

http://s1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd424/steamtoys/New%20England%20Under%20Hammer%20Rifles/ Yes there are other Hilliards out there. Pictured are Guns in my collection. Looks like you have a fine collection. My pictures are not great but will have to do for now. Ron

Ron, I can't view your pictures as PhotoBucket says it is a private album and needs your password to access it. You may have to post the photos here yourself for others to see.

 

[hawk]

http://s1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd424/steamtoys/New%20England%20Under%20Hammer%20Rifles/ Yes there are other Hilliards out there. Pictured are Guns in my collection. Looks like you have a fine collection. My pictures are not great but will have to do for now. Ron

Ron, I can't view your pictures as PhotoBucket says it is a private album and needs your password to access it. You may have to post the photos here yourself for others to see.

me too neither!