Original U.S. Pennsylvania Percussion Rifle by J. Nagle with Tiger Maple Half Stock and Set Trigger - circa 1850

Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased at a recent military auction! This is a wonderful heavy barreled "Pennsylvania" percussion hunting rifle, often referred to as a "Kentucky" rifle. The design developed in Pennsylvania, and then spread down the Ohio River Valley to Kentucky, where it was very popular. The thin curved stock design was popular for close to 100 years in the region.

This is a great example, with a lovely "Tiger" flamed maple half length stock, which has a beautiful finish and features all brass mountings except for the white metal nose cap and German Silver butt stock decorations. The rifle features a 34 1/4 inch long octagonal barrel with a bore of about 0.35", very common for these rifles, cut with seven groove rifling. Overall length is 49 3/4 inches, and the barrel is very heavy for accurate shooting, much like "bench rest" rifles of the day.

The top of the barrel is signed J. Nagle, which is partly under the adjustable rear sight, which is definitely not the original sight, as there is a partly filled in dovetail farther back on the barrel. We were not able to find any information on this maker, which is not uncommon, as many were not recorded. It may also just be the name of the person who made the barrel, or who sold / retailed the rifle, so we leave this is an excellent opportunity for further research.

As with many rifles produced during this period, it is fitted with a "trade lock", produced elsewhere and sold on the market. The lock on this rifle has some love game foul designs at the rear, and foliate engraving towards the front. It is not maker marked, and definitely looks to have been produced in percussion, as we can see no evidence of a removed pan or frizzen.

The stock features a lovely hook butt plate, and has a carved in German style cheek piece on the left side. The trigger guard is very nice, and is with most we see, has a "pistol grip" style finial for a better grip. There is a brass "resting bar" under the stock, so that it could be rested on a bench or something similar for more accurate shooting. There is also a lovely "German Silver" inlay on the cheek piece, and a patch box on the right side made from the same material,

As with most hunting rifles, this example is fitted with a "set trigger", where depressing the rear trigger first until it clicks and just touching the front trigger discharges the weapon, hopefully with great accuracy. The mechanism is fully functional on this example, and the lock cannot be fired at all until the rear trigger is "set". For this reason there is no half cock position on the tumbler.

Overall condition is very good, with a lovely look and no major issues. The stock is lovely, showing the "Tiger Flame" figuring clearly throughout its length. There is no major damage that we can see, though there definitely are some lengthwise cracks close to the butt plate, and also the right side of the butt stock looks to have a series of large X designs burned into it. There is also an areas of wood missing behind the hammer due to powder burn. The cleaning rod is a display replacement.

The barrel features a "globe" style front sight, and a simple screw adjusted "Buckhorn" rear sight. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing crisp lands and grooves with a mostly bright finish. There are some areas of past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away. There is a good amount of powder burn near the cap nipple cone, now cleaned away as well.

A very nice example of an iconic early American gun design, with a beautiful stock and some great research potential. Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: c.1850
Caliber: approx .35" seven groove rifling
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 34 1/4 Inches
Overall Length: 49 3/4 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

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