D Mulford Carbine

[Mertoi]

Hey all, just got back from the shop with a D Mulford flintlock carbine. Tag said it was .60 cal and it has Lott marked on the lock but no other markings other than the name Pete Allan. Really excited to test it out and hopefully take some small game with it. Anyone know any more info on it?

 

[TDM]

Don’t have any details on it but I like it. Should be a lot of fun!

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

Neat. Looks to be a cut down trade gun with a rear sight and a turtle style front sight...is the bore smooth or rifled? Lott stamped on the lock looks too new to be an original. Pull it open and look on the inner lockplate for any further markings. Pull the barrel and look for stamped info there as well - please post pics!

 

[Mertoi]

Neat. Looks to be a cut down trade gun with a rear sight and a turtle style front sight...is the bore smooth or rifled? Lott stamped on the lock looks too new to be an original. Pull it open and look on the inner lockplate for any further markings. Pull the barrel and look for stamped info there as well - please post pics!

It's a smooth bore. Will post updates once I get it apart. Hard to find anything online, but did see that Lott locks started getting imported in the 60s and 70s.

 

[springfield art]

My Curly Gostomsky Trade Gun has the same lock. You should get lots of helpful hints and replies here.

 

[Mertoi]

My Curly Gostomsky Trade Gun has the same lock. You should get lots of helpful hints and replies here.

Sweet, sure hope so. Did a little more diging and it looks like Denis Mulford was making guns in Utah or Iowa in the 80's. Saw a few different riffles made by him, but still not finding this one in particular.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Mulford was an Iowa builder. He generally built high end guns. I'm very surprised he made a trade gun. Lott locks are not known for stellar performance.

 

[Mertoi]

Mulford was an Iowa builder. He generally built high end guns. I'm very surprised he made a trade gun. Lott locks are not known for stellar performance.

Sweet, thanks for the info. I'll see if I can get out and test it tomorrow. It sparks a bit when I tested it, didn't really see how much it sent off though. Otherwise it's nice and crisp.

 

[Grenadier1758]

In the 1970's and 1980's, the Lott locks were the only trade gun sized locks available to builders. Pedersoli still sells a trade gun with a Lott lock. Back then the Lott locks were not highly regarded for performance. Curley Gostomsky could tune them up for his Northwest Trade Guns, but he tired of getting the Lott locks back for further tune ups and he developed his own lock. That said, Lott locks can be tuned to be good performing locks.

@Mertoi has a good-looking Northwest gun shortened in the barrel and has a rear sight added. Not an uncommon period modification. Knap the flint to restore a good sharp edge and let us know how it shoots.

 

[Mertoi]

In the 1970's and 1980's, the Lott locks were the only trade gun sized locks available to builders. Pedersoli still sells a trade gun with a Lott lock. Back then the Lott locks were not highly regarded for performance. Curley Gostomsky could tune them up for his Northwest Trade Guns, but he tired of getting the Lott locks back for further tune ups and he developed his own lock. That said, Lott locks can be tuned to be good performing locks.

@Mertoi has a good-looking Northwest gun shortened in the barrel and has a rear sight added. Not an uncommon period modification. Knap the flint to restore a good sharp edge and let us know how it shoots.

Awesome, thank you for the info. I'll have to do some research on locks, this is my first flinty. Plan is to forge out some knives I started yesterday (gotta wait for acceptable time to start pounding on spring steel) then to run out and test a few shots of #5 birdshot and see what sort of patterns I can get. Afterwards I'll take it down and clean it up a bit and see what other markings I can find.

 

[Rawhide67]

I have a short barreled trade gun ish thing complete with tacks, with that lock. Maybe I got lucky, cuz it's a good sparker. I did manage to break the sear spring, so it now sports a piece of reshaped coil spring from a mouse trap. She ain't purty, but she works.

 

[Mertoi]

I have a short barreled trade gun ish thing complete with tacks, with that lock. Maybe I got lucky, cuz it's a good sparker. I did manage to break the sear spring, so it now sports a piece of reshaped coil spring from a mouse trap. She ain't purty, but she works.

Oh sweet, works is what's important. What sort of loads do you use in it?

 

[Rawhide67]

75gr 2f, fiber wad, #5 shot followed by bees nest. It's good to 25 yds, but doesn't throw a round ball worth a damn.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Hey all, just got back from the shop with a D Mulford flintlock carbine. Tag said it was .60 cal and it has Lott marked on the lock but no other markings other than the name Pete Allan. Really excited to test it out and hopefully take some small game with it. Anyone know any more info on it?

Extremely similar to an early Pedersoli trade gun kit, right down to the carving around the tang..., with some embellishments added.

LD

 

[Mertoi]

75gr 2f, fiber wad, #5 shot followed by bees nest. It's good to 25 yds, but doesn't throw a round ball worth a damn.

I'll have to give that a go. It went kathump a couple times, but the bugs and heat kept me from playing with it more.

 

[Mertoi]

Well, it goes off alright. Only got a few shots in before heat and bugs sent us packing. Pattern was fairly piss poor but I definitely wasn't using a proper load. Had about 50g of FFF and about equal of some 7.5 shot. With a cardboard wad on top of powder and a couple halves of 16g wadding over the top of the shot. Figured I'd see what happens with what I had on hand after preparing for the 16g sxs that is now out of the picture. Believe proper wadding and number of pellets should do the trick.

 

[Rawhide67]

Extremely similar to an early Pedersoli trade gun kit, right down to the carving around the tang..., with some embellishments added.

LD

I'm not home at the moment but I'm pretty sure my lock is stamped "Italy" on the back.