J. Henry smoothbore

[jeep44]

I picked up this J. Henry & Sons marked half-stock smoothbore on saturday. It is a lightweight gun of perhaps .54-.58 cal (I haven't gotten out my telescope gages yet), and I'm wondering if this would have been made as a Trade gun. Here's some photos:

 

[Rod Lassey]

Interesting----it's made the same way as their rifles from the 1850's or so, except for the buttplate, trigger guard, and octagon to round smooth barrel. I don't know if it was made up specifically as a trade gun, although the caliber/gauge seems to suggest that might be the case. It would have been a good, solid, cheap shotgun in any case.

Rod

 

[jeep44]

I was impressed by the good condition of the firearm when I bought it. There is only very minor pitting in the bore, and the cone was unbattered and easily unscrewed (I have no plans to shoot it,though). The seller told me an old man had brought it to him in response to a "militaria wanted" ad he runs, and told him it had been hanging on the wall for many years. Oddly, it had been fitted with a US (1855 model?) bayonet, which fit perfectly, locking around the little bead front sight. This must have led the original owner to think it was a military arm, and so he took it to sell to the militaria dealer. I recognized the 'J.Henry' name as a well-known maker, but none of my Google searches, or the few books I have show anything but J. Henry rifles. I was hoping someone here might have more information.

 

[crockett]

Contact the Jacobsburg Historical Society in Bolton, PA. They can probably tell you everything you want to know about that firearm.

 

[texcl]

What a great looking American Fowler.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

texcl, that is exactly what it is - and American Fowler made by J. Henry. jeep44, now you know what it is, a shotgun for a middle class farmer or townsman, nothing about it says that it was made as a "trade gun". Henry made guns for all people and this is one of them. Nice find in good condition. What does the engraving on the trigger guard and butt plate look like?

 

[Extranero]

Nice gun. Like Rod says, probably 1850's. I believe it was made for the local eastern trade and not for the fur trade. IIRC, there's a similar gun in the booklet the Boulton Museum put out several years ago. I don't have it with me right now. The forend cap is definitely legit. I've seen several of those. Its an original half-stock gun. I have an old paper somewhere by Parsons, published in the NY Historical Society back in the 1950's. He documented some communication between James Henry (I believe) and Tench Cox, the purchasing agent for AFC. Henry was trying to sell him on buying "common smoothrifles" made for the local trade in lieu of NW guns. It was a no-sale for AFC. The Henrys tried hard to get into that AFC NW gun market for decades and were rebuffed by the availability of cheap, quality NW guns from England. However, the newspaper ads from the period suggest that the company did brisk business with locals and hard goods dealers in PA and surrounding states. This was probably one of those guns. Its in great shape. I'd check it out to see if its loaded.

Sean

 

[jeep44]

I always check a new muzzleloader-I have quite a number of original CW muskets, and three of them came to me loaded-several with just random junk packed in the barrel. One had the components of a modern shotgun shell rammed down the barrel-smokeless powder and all.

As far as engraving ,I don't see anything on the triggerguard.