what is this gun.

[rawhide]

yesterday a older gentalmen came into my work with a beat up ml. he said it was his grand dads gun he moved to here in 1860. well after looking the gun over and taking pic's I'm not shure what it is... it has a half stock like a hawken. but the but is shaped difernet. the barrel is 39 inches long. heres whats wierd the bore miced a .458 and it has octagonal riflings! like a witworth... cap lock the lock says pitsburg on it. any ideas? I'll post pics after I figure out how to post them on here. thanks rawhide.

 

[Twice boom]

I don't know how much this will help you,but here it is.
The only thing I found was that there was a Pittsburg Fire arms co. 1860-1870 .Their line of guns though marked with their name could have been fabricated for them elsewhere.
Twice.

 

[flintlock75]

Pictures would help alot. It sounds like it is a wintworth that has been sporterized, the name on the lockplate is probably the company that did the conversion and sale of the surplus gun. The 39" barrel is right for the wintworth as is the hexagonal rifleing, i dont think anyone else used that system, the .458 bore is close enough to the standard .451 in that it is probably just worn out.I look forward to seeing your pictures.

 

[Dphar]

yesterday a older gentalmen came into my work with a beat up ml. he said it was his grand dads gun he moved to here in 1860. well after looking the gun over and taking pic's I'm not shure what it is... it has a half stock like a hawken. but the but is shaped difernet. the barrel is 39 inches long. heres whats wierd the bore miced a .458 and it has octagonal riflings! like a witworth... cap lock the lock says pitsburg on it. any ideas? I'll post pics after I figure out how to post them on here. thanks rawhide.

Whitworth did not invent this style rifling. It has been around for a long time. In American rifles its often 7 grooves. They often have little round grooves in the corners while Whitworth does not.

Great Western Gun Works was in Pittsburgh IIRC.


Dan

 

[rawhide]

inside the bore is octagal. realy neat old gun. love to see it get restored. thats what the old guy wants.

 

[rawhide]

oh I for got how do you post pics on here? hope to put them up tonight after work

 

[Twice boom]

I also found a Whitmore & wolff Pittsburg Pa 1867- 1870. Makers of percussion full stocked rifles,spur trigger guard, octagonal barrel,hooded front sight.
They also made gun locks.

Hope that helps you.
Twice.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

It seems there are quite a few guns that appear to have polygonal rifling, when they really don't. The way the muzzles are finished it appears that way. I have two old muzzleloader rifles that at first glance look like they have septagonal rifling. Down a few inches it is indeed round.

 

[tg]

Go to this site and sign up and you can load pics to the site and then to this forum it is pretty self explanitory
http://photobucket.com/

 

[Zonie]

Follow this link and watch the vidio. It explains everything. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/255033/

 

[rawhide]

well guys I did a bunch of looking at pics it looks like a great westeren plains rifle. still need to down load the pics I took computers being a bear right now.