Rehabilitating a 200-year-old Jaeger Rifle

[Bob Smalser]

It's the screws that were made ca1800, not the screw plate.

Hand-made, the lock bolts were drawfiled and aren't even round. Compare these to the screws made for a ca1810 Liege-made French military pistol below and you'll see those fasteners were cut or filed on a machine, probably a purpose-built screw lathe, and are much more uniform.

I use 1840 as an approximate cutoff because country-made pieces still had a lot of work done the old-fashioned way.

 

[Baxter]

Wow! Thank you for the detailed and clear photo and explained processes. Lovely Jaeger. baxter

 

[Bob J]

What a pleasure to see such loving care taken to restore such an interesting old rifle. Bravo sir, very well done! :hatsoff:

I will second that...very informative, very well done!!

 

[NorthCoastBigBore]

Thanks as well. Excellent reading, very well done and useful!

 

[GA Ranger]

I just found this post today.
The work you put into this and the result is amazing.
Thank you for the photos and text.
Great job.

 

[rickystl]

Wonderful job of restoration. She now has a new life.

 

[Mulebrain]

Magnificent work on that old rifle, love the write up and all the work. I really think it's better to repair, and save them for future generations. I am a SAR as well, and it's great to have that lineage in your blood.

 

[gabedard]

Thanks for all the details in the restoration - whew I’m worn out just reading it
Great job sir!

 

[Jaeger]

Nice work and good post! It was a pleasure....and very educational...to read your description of the process.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Just found this post. It was well worth the time and pot of coffee reading it. Beautiful restoration and documentation !

 

[hanshi]

That's some great work! Once a sows ear and now a silk purse.

 

[toot]

thanks for posting.

 

[vintovka]

Wow. Nice work! I commend your skill and patience! Jaegers are very nice and appeal to the Tyrolean in me.

( I have a german heavily swamped Jaeger barrel with gold lettering sitting in my barrel rack. I pick it up and think what it might look like and then just put it back. )

 

[Barry Strickland]

Thank you for a masterfully done restoration guide.

 

[Pete G]

Original post was 2013 so I guess now it's a 207 year Jager

 

[Perf94]

I rarely read every word of a long post. Yours is one of the few exceptions I don't have the necessary mental tools to do this type of work but I'm happy that you and others like you do.
Thank you.

 

[KC Clem]

This is a great thread. Well done on the restoration work, the rifle looks great.

 

[acorn20]

A lot of would-be restorers would simply grab the acetone, wire brush, WD-40 and satin polyurethane and think they're doing a fantastic firearm restoration. This original post may be old but it is jam packed with information. A very well documented and informative post. This sixty-five year old certainly learned a thing or two. Thanks for posting and reposting.

Dan

 

[tnlonghunter]

This is SO cool. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said, but again, SO COOL!

 

[Doc Ivory]

It’s a pleasure to watch the restoration progress.
Nicely, nicely done