What to do with a 1826 Harpers Ferry ???????

[Harms Way]

This stuff has been falling out of the sky at me recently.......

A friend wanted a part for his Hot Rod that I had recently,... It came with another car and it was worth only a couple bucks..... So on a recent trip to Detroit I dropped it off to him.... He's not a gun guy but I see a couple old guns leaned against the wall in the garage, A .22 and this old smoke pole......

I asked about them and he said They were his uncles, they were given to him, and his wife won't let him take them into the house, so they have been out there for 15 years..... Then he said "I'm waiting for the next buy back thing,... I can get 50 bucks a piece !,...Oh by the way, what do I owe you for these parts ?..... :hmm:

So I walked out with the two guns in trade for something I was going to give him anyway...

After looking at it, this is whats left of a 1826 Harpers Ferry smooth bore..... Well boys, Here it is in all it's glory. Beat like a lame mule !, BUT !... The lock works very well and is tight with no play....... Now comes the "Big Question !".

What do I do with it ?.... should I part it out ? Sell it as is,... I have no idea, and was looking for some guidance. And I have no idea as to price of parts or as a whole....

I need some help here boys !

 

[cynthialee]

I'd use the functional parts as the base of a new gun.
Then it would be a functional firearm with a bit of real history to it.

neat find, can't beat the price that is for sure

 

[Harms Way]

I stopped at a gun show for a couple hours on the way home and carried around the .22 (it was a 1934 production 341 Remington in so-so condition) ,..... I'm almost embarrassed to tell you what I got in a straight across trade for it... :wink:

 

[necchi]

How do you know it's a Harpers Ferry?

Look's like a Potsdam conversion to me.

 

[Harms Way]

It says Harpers & 1826 on the lock behind the hammer

 

[Jim Blair]

Maybe cause it says Harper's Ferry on the lock.

 

[Trench]

From a historical aspect, (if you love that sort of thing) I would leave it alone. It looks like a military surplus musket that was converted in to a civilian fowler. That's cool enough to leave as-is.

 

[varsity07840]

It's a converted 1816 with what appears to be a brazed on bolster. The stock has too many cracks to make it worth adding a new forearm. If the barrel, breech and bolster are in good enough shape(looks kind of pitted around the breech)Bob Hoyt could stretch it to full length and reline it. Dunlap makes replacement stocks and and S&S has the missing hardware. The new stock would have to be distressed to go with the old original parts if you want to maintain that look.

Duane

 

[Harms Way]

Unsure of the brazing,.... (cause I don't see it)but my interest is getting this in the hands of somebody that will do something with it,....but interested in what fair market value is.... I don't need to get FMV but don't want to cut my own throat either.

 

[Harms Way]

And a few more..

 

[necchi]

OK, it's not a Potsdam :redface:

Alot of those old muskets where "Sportsterized" and sold to the civilian market in the late 19th and early 20th century and sold "mail order" for $10-15.
Check the bottom of the barrel for another year stamp, if theres one there it's the year it was converted. http://relicman.com/weapons/zArchiveWeaponMusketModel1816HarpersFerry.htm

As far as parts, :idunno: gotta find a market.
I'd just keep it.

 

[Harms Way]

And here you go,... The other two marks on either side look to be 9's

 

[George T.]

The Old Gal has seen some tough use! Do you not shoot black powder? If you do some TLC will get the ols girl going again. At least it will make a great decoration on the den wall. The cash value is far less than the historic value! Geo. T.

 

[varsity07840]

OK that picture confirms that it's not a brazed bolster afterall. The seam and reference mark for the screwed in breech section are clearly visible.
It could be a Hewes&Philips conversion, but the shape does not look quite right. Does the barrel have a rear sight screw hole about 4" from the breech?

Duane

 

[Harms Way]

Oh yeah, I shoot black powder, however my interest is more in the non-military rifles for this time frame (But very much military from 1873 to the Korean era). if it were an original, non converted piece I would be more interested..... A friend has two old half stock rifles I am trying to make a deal on, and there is only so much room in the gun case.

I would far rather see this gun go to somebody that will use / appreciate it,... or could use its parts to save another one,.. Better one complete rifle than two project guns.

 

[Harms Way]

Duane,...

Thanks for the help and knowledge... After close inspection, it looks like there was never a rear sight on this barrel (as there are no provisions or tattle tale marks what so ever)... Only a hole for the front bead sight....

 

[RedFeather]

Whereabouts are you? If mid-west to western states, that old gal might have been ferried across the plains in a prarie schooner. Your state or local historical society could be interested in having it placed on display. Lots of those conversions went to the "frontier". Oops! Just saw you said Detroit. Still, it's a piece of history.

 

[Jim Blair]

RedFeather is spot on,those converted and cut down muskets went west by the thousands with settlers.They sold for very little money,one catalog circa 1870-80 lists them for a $1.67 bright and well cleaned.Kill big game with a ball,small game and birds with shot.Not everyone could afford Winchesters and Colt's or a Parker breech loading shotgun.Powder and caps were cheap compared to cartridges and homesteaders as a rule didn't have much money.History you can hold in your hands for not a whole lot of money unlike a lot of antique guns.

 

[Many Klatch]

I'm not sure of what the official "Blue Book" is on that piece, but considering that it would be a labor of love to put it back into good shape. I guess it's worth $150 to $225 to someone looking for a project. Throw it on a blanket for $350 and see what happens.

Many Klatch

 

[SAJones]

Looks like an 1816 converted to cap. This was done in 3 ways by the arsenals; mine was the "Belgian Conversion", which involved putting the nipple in the barrel & replacing the hammer. Obviously, not a long term solution, and I can see where the barrel has actually been depressed around the nipple by years of use. Yours was the better conversion; sawing off the end of the barrel & installing a new breechplug w/ the cap bolster. The lock on mine works fine also, and I toyed with the idea of building a "replica" 1816, but decided it better serves as a historical relic of the oft used gun for many western settlers; a cheap shotgun.