Three for one !,... still scratching my head on this one.....

[Harms Way]

The strangest things have been happening lately....... I was in Wal Mart looking for some .22 ammo (yeah,... I know, I can't find any either) I strike up a conversation with another guy who said he was looking for a starter Deer rifle for his son for next November,... But couldn't beleive the cost of suitable rifles and how hard it is to find the usual hunting ammo.

I notice a stack of 7mm. Mauser (7X57) I said you should look for something that Ammo is plentiful for,.. like the 7mm. He says "have you got one ?",..... thinking for a minute I said yes,.. I never thought much about it, it came in in a trade years ago, A clean little sporter , nothing special... perfect for a young man's first deer rifle...... We exchanged numbers.

Well today I called and went over to his house, Mauser in hand.... We go into his basement and he looks it over,.... we do the "how much ya want dance".... And it turns into the "What have you got for trade shuffle". He opens up a closet that doubled as his gun safe Undecided......... To show me a Nylon 66 and a Glenfield marlin... When I notice a couple long guns in the back Huh..... What are those? I ask... He pulls out a Hopkin & Allen .45 Kentucky kit gun,.... and two original old smoke poles.....

All 3 were dusty and dirty,.... He said how about all three for the Mauser ?....... Well I only really had about sixty bucks in the Mauser..... So yeah !

The Hopkins & Allen is just the cheap two piece stock kit gun popular in the 70's But the first original rifle looked really interesting.... I got it home and cleaned it up some. The top of the Barrel reads "Wm. Wingert Detroit" And the Lock reads "STHATHAM"..... I looks to be a .45 Cal Half stock..... The other rifle is curious as well.... They were found in a HUD home in Detroit about 20 years ago.

Here is the Wingert,.... Shes rough but still really cool..... What do you guys think ?

The barrel is about 1-1/16" across the flats. 32" barrel from muzzle to breach, 48-3/8" total length, with a really nice balance to it...... A brass trigger, And no set triggers,... just a single trigger.

 

[Harms Way]

Here is the other rifle, its a .32 Cal half stock with a back action lock...

38" Barrel Muzzle to hook breach
54" overall length
15/16" across the flats
Back action lock
Set triggers.

This is a very slender rifle with some serious heft,... that also balances out like a dream, and is a pleasure to shoulder.... on the top of the barrel is "W. H. Stephens 1877" This rifle intrigues me on a lot of levels. Never a fan of back action locks,... but this little sweetheart must have been a real looker back in the day..... If you guys could hold this in your hands you would know what I mean........

What do you know about this rifle ????

 

[robtattoo]

I reckon you're A Real Lucky Sumgun & You Need To Buy A Lottery Ticket. Asap!

 

[hawkeye2]

I think you should have kissed him after the dance was over. :grin:

 

[Harms Way]

Only problem is,....... I don't play the lottery :grin:

 

[gunner69skmc]

Nice score.....

 

[George T.]

Either way you won big! Geo. T.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Very cool! :thumbsup:

 

[nkbj]

Love that polygon rifling. Looks very much like the one featured in the American Rifleman article many years ago.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Major score. Congrats.
You need to shoot both just for nostalgia sake if nothing else.

 

[Harms Way]

I have learned this on the first rifle.....

The top one is a Wm. Wingert from Detroit,.... located at 10 Congress St. Detroit Michigan , and in the Gunsmith business with Brother John from 1837 to 1867,.... just found this out yesterday. Ain't the internet great ?

 

[Harms Way]

And he lived at 109 Woodbridge St. Detroit Mi,... not very far from the Gunsmith shop. He sold the business to "Fisher & Long" in 1867.....

 

[hanshi]

If I were the other guy I'd have you charged with sneakyitis, hibotchery, insane luck and, and, and put a mojo on your head, just for starters. Me? Well I would've walked out of there in nothing but my skivvies and carrying a broomstick. :v:

Your luck knows no bounds. Congratulations. :thumbsup:

 

[50cal.cliff]

You did walk backwards when you left there, "right"! :stir:

You ole charlatan you! :bow:

 

[Harms Way]

Well the funny thing was,... the guy kept saying, "are you sure your good with this deal ?.... I feel like I'm ripping you off" :shocked2: :grin:

The entire deal was all on him... The H&A is coming apart for parts for a rug rat rifle....

 

[Spikebuck]

With the entire chance circumstance that lead up to that deal, it must have been devine intervention! Wow. Congratulations on that great find. It's good that those guns are now out of that cabinet and in the hands of someone that will truly appreciate them.

Please send some of your luck my way. I could live a 100 lifetimes and never have something like that happen to me!

 

[hanshi]

:nono:

You did walk backwards when you left there, "right"! :stir:

You ole charlatan you! :bow:

I think the word is "backerds" and not "backwards". Proper Southern speech, you know. :nono:

 

[50cal.cliff]

:nono:

You did walk backwards when you left there, "right"! :stir:

You ole charlatan you! :bow:

I think the word is "backerds" and not "backwards". Proper Southern speech, you know. :nono:

Sorry Hanshi, somtimes "them there fin ers" get too flyin and I just don't know what they are saying!

Hey I was just pokin fun, when somebody wants to make a deal like that, well it just ain't proper to talk them out of it you know what I mean.

Now go clean em up an see what you got there! I'll be expected a range report about next week!!

 

[Gatofeo]

BEWARE!
Old, original rifles like these are often found still loaded!
If you plan to shoot either, put the ramrod or a wooden dowel down the barrel. When it stops, mark its depth against the muzzle with a piece of tape around the dowel.
Remove the dowel, then lay it alongside the barrel with the tape-mark at the muzzle, just as when inserted.
If there is a gap of more than 1/4" to 1/2" between the end of the rod and the nipple -- it could have an old load in it.
Black powder can be viable for centuries. If you suspect it's loaded, take it to a gunsmith familiar with black powder guns and have him check it. He'll have the proper equipment to pull the ball and powder. He can also check the rifle for hairline cracks and other dangers.
I would NOT just put a cap on the nipple and try to shoot out the old load. The load may be well-rusted in place, and create high pressures.

Sorry for harping on this, but it needed to be said.

You got a heck of a deal on the three rifles. Check each of them to ensure they're empty. It's not unusual to find modern and old muzzleloaders still loaded, because it's such a bother to unload them.

If you get the go-ahead to safely fire those rifles, let us know how they do. I'd be especially interested in how accurate the old rifles are. Their bores may be a mass of rust. Or the bores may clean up quite nicely.
Years ago I was given an old Damascus-barreled shotgun. Opening the action, it appeared the bores were badly pitted and rusty.
Turns out, I was looking at a decades-old layer of grease in each barrel! It had dried, and collected dust and crud, and looked pitted.
I ran a patch wet with solvent down each bore and discovered they were bright, shiny and unpitted.
The exterior of the old shotgun looked bad, but those barrels were like new!
Let's hope that the owners of those old rifles gave them a good cleaning and put a layer of grease down the bore as a preservative!
You never know until you clean them with solvent and a bronze brush.
Good luck!

 

[glitch1187]

Wow. What a deal! Regardless of what we think, for what you have in the deal, you made out. Now, how about trading for an 8mm Mauser?
John