This 1830 to 1850 era left hand halfstock rifle is trimmed in brass, fitted with a Siler Mountain caplock and single trigger. This style of rifle is similar to many of the rifles made for the westward expansion and late fur trade. The stock has some attractive figure throughout the butt and forearm. The brass furniture has aged to a mellow patina. The Siler mountain left hand percussion lock provides reliable ignition. Trigger reach is 13-1/2" for today's average size shooter. Weight is 7.7 pounds.
This rifle has a .54 caliber 15/16" octagon 32" Green Mountain barrel. The barrel is cut rifled with eight lands and grooves with a 1 in 70" twist for a tightly patched round ball. Green Mountain barrels are machined from high quality American made bar stock, A.I.S.I. 1137 modified, stress relieved, annealed, certified rifle barrel quality steel. All barrels are drilled from solid stock, reamed to a high degree of smoothness, then optically checked for straightness. The bore is bright and has been well maintained. The barrel is dovetailed with a brass blade front sight 1-1/4" behind the muzzle. A semi-buckhorn rear sight is dovetailed 8-1/2" ahead of the breech.
Stocked in curly maple the hand scraped maple stock was finished with Tru-oil. The buttstock has a crescent buttplate and straight line comb architecture common to many plains rifles. The single trigger and English influenced triggerguard with large loop and grip rail make this rifle easy to handle even if you plan to hunt with a gloved hand. The barrel has crisp draw filed flats, and the barrel is finished to a smooth none textured finish. The straight tang has a single tang bolt, and wood screw both neatly fire blued. No ramrod entry pipe is fitted, instead the brass forend cap provides double duty with the ramrod passing directly through it. The steel forward pipes are soldered to the rib. The barrel is served by a 3/8" diameter ramrod fitted with a brass tip threaded 10-32 for loading and cleaning accessories.
The left hand Siler Mountain lock is a classic, circa 1830 - 1850 style, with rounded tail. The lock is finished to a smooth even brown. The drum and tumbler screw have been neatly fire blued. The lock has a strong mainspring and should serve this rifle well. The 1/4-28 stainless steel nipple is fitted to the 1/2" diameter drum. You may want to consider adding a flash cup to protect the lock panel from the cap's flash. The cap's flash can damage the thin wood, evidence of this is found on many original rifles without flash cups. You can add this feature to any rifle using a conventional powder drum. The single trigger appears to be pinned high to provide good leverage against the sear of the lock, providing a smooth release.
This left Plains Rifle is in lightly used condition with a bright well maintained bore. Truly this is a nice left hand specimen, offered at a very attractive price. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
