Octagon, to 16 Flats, to Wedding Band, then Round....

[MSW]

looks great!

congrats!

 

[JV Puleo]

Very conventional. Lane & Read were the big Boston hardware and sporting goods dealer. They also supplied locks with their names on them to gunmakers. They weren't gunmakers and never claimed to be. I'd guess its around 1850, a time at which about 99% of the smoothbore guns in America came from either Britain or Belgium - mostly Britain before the CW. The Belgians seemed to dominate the market after the war.

However... it was specifically made for the American market. I like them myself - I still have a very nice, very heavy tapered octagonal rifle barrel marked "Lane & Read Boston" that must have come from a splendid rifle made for the American market.

(Keep in mind that I live in New England, not 40 miles from Boston, so I've seen this sort of gun much more frequently over the past 40 years than most members of the forum are likely to have had the opportunity to.)

 

[dave_person]

Hi Gizamo,
My first guess with respect to the wood is that it is European walnut not black walnut. I suspect it was completely made in England and imported. Though, maybe it was made in India ..................... :haha:

dave

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Very conventional. Lane & Read were the big Boston hardware and sporting goods dealer. They also supplied locks with their names on them to gunmakers. They weren't gunmakers and never claimed to be. I'd guess its around 1850, a time at which about 99% of the smoothbore guns in America came from either Britain or Belgium - mostly Britain before the CW. The Belgians seemed to dominate the market after the war.

However... it was specifically made for the American market. I like them myself - I still have a very nice, very heavy tapered octagonal rifle barrel marked "Lane & Read Boston" that must have come from a splendid rifle made for the American market.

(Keep in mind that I live in New England, not 40 miles from Boston, so I've seen this sort of gun much more frequently over the past 40 years than most members of the forum are likely to have had the opportunity to.)

Excellent post!

 

[CoyoteJoe]

As to the 16 flat transition, I always thought that was the way they were most commonly done. A barrel which goes directly from octagon to round looks rather odd to me. Even Track of the Wolf's standard 20 gauge barrel has such a transition.

 

[torn moc]

My 12 guage Trade Gun built by Curly Gotomski has the 16 flats on the barrel...

 

[gizamo]

I wonder what would be appropriate language to describe a period gun? How to document it's build, for future reference?

In my guns case it would read something like...

The 12 gauge barrel is 38 /2" including the breech. The barrel is octagon for 7 with a sixteen flat transition to a single wedding band at 10". The barrel is 1.450 across the flats of the octagon, reducing to 1.150 at the sixteen flat transition. At the medial of the Wedding band it reduces to 1.100 and tapers in the round to a .825 muzzle thickness...

Would something like that be a fair description, or am I missing something?

 

[xtimberman]

You need to include the width of the band.

xtm

 

[tg]

One needs to address whether this was done on a gun to gun and specific time as well, NW guns, Carolina guns half a dozen French smoothbores from the 18th century no quick one answer covers all here, some contracts will spec this detail which would be a good place to start, and only look at originals or specs of originals. I do not know the answers but would approach the question as mentioned above.

 

[gizamo]

xtm,

Fixed it! Highlighted the change... :thumbsup:



The 12 gauge barrel is 38 /2" including the breech. The barrel is octagon for 7 with a sixteen flat transition to a single wedding band at 10". The barrel is 1.450 across the flats of the octagon, reducing to 1.150 at the sixteen flat transition. At the medial of the Wedding band it measures .375" across, at that point the barrel measures 1.100 and tapers in the round to a .825 muzzle thickness...

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

... reducing to 1.150 at the sixteen flat transition. At the medial of the Wedding band it measures .375" across, at that point the barrel measures 1.100 and tapers in the round to a .825 muzzle thickness...

WOW, tapers down to only 3/8" across? Now THAT is a swamped barrel to be sure!

:rotf:

 

[matt denison]

Your dimensions sound "off". Recheck that 1.450" at the breech, it sounds really fat. Like almost 1 1/2 inches. And obviously the .375 at the band has to be wrong, that's smaller than the bore.

 

[gizamo]

Your dimensions sound "off". Recheck that 1.450" at the breech, it sounds really fat. Like almost 1 1/2 inches. And obviously the .375 at the band has to be wrong, that's smaller than the bore.

laffindog,

It does measure 1.450 at the breech, as you say almost 1.5"

Perhaps I worded it wrong....but across the medial or from one side of the wedding band to the other, the ring is only .375" wide....I'm giving a width, not diameter. I did state that at that point the barrel diameter was 1.100 in the next line. Perhaps way to confusing....

What would be a better way to word this? Thanks....

 

[colmoultrie]

Looks like a nice piece there! Please do post some more photos if you can, including the left side of the gun and a top view. From the one profile you post, it does seem like the breech is fairly chunky - substantial might be a better word - and a top profile would help to show that.

Thanks for posting it!

 

[Mike Brooks]

I used to write antique gun descriptions for a living. I'll do this one for you if you pay me. :wink:

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

I used to write antique gun descriptions for a living. I'll do this one for you if you pay me. :wink:

:hatsoff: That would be money well spent.

 

[gizamo]

Mike,

It might be very well worth it..... :hmm:

I just tried to describe the trigger guard assembly.

There is the bow, the bow spur, transverse molding, the grip rail, the rear extension, the rear extension spur, rear fastening lug, forward fastening lug, then the forward extension, the lip, the forward fastening lug....and yada yada....

My head is still spinnin! :grin:

 

[Mike Brooks]

You're including too much information. To what purpose is this written description going to serve? I have written descriptions of $100,000 dollar rifles that were sold on auction with less detail.

 

[gizamo]

Mike,

The purpose served is for my benefit, mostly. I'm trying to understand what you builders allready know, and what may be innovative. The spur in the gun posted combined with the grip rail profile...is the most comfortable one that I've ever held, nothing is even close. If I were to have one crafted, I'd want to know the proper way to describe it to the builder. It being most likely of English manufacture...I would hope that it would be both PC and HC, based on my description.

I am a amateur at this...but am seeking help in how to best describe the guns I find. Not sure if there are any standards available...so I'm spinning my wheels til' I get it right.

 

[rickystl]

Giz: Great looking gun. Neat find.