HAWKEN-STYLE PERCUSSION RIFLE
Percussion long rifle, 36 3/4" barrel, 53" overall, with an approx. .30 caliber octagonal barrel, in the style of a Hawken "plains rifle", likely manufactured in the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century. The top of the barrel is marked "Jacob Coble", and the brass patch box on the right side of the butt is similarly marked "J. Coble", although we can find no record of a gunsmith by this name. The rifle is otherwise unmarked. The butt plate and trigger guard are brass, and two brass ramrod tubes are crudely soldered to the bottom rib of the barrel. These contain a plain stick in the place of a ramrod. The tip of the half-length stock is capped with grey metal, possibly pewter, with a stag's head design on the underside. The stock is crafted of attractive curly maple, with a fine tiger-stripe pattern. The rifle features a set double trigger; when cocked, the rear trigger must be activated first, giving the front trigger a very light pull. The hammer will not fire unless the rear trigger has first been activated. An approx. 2" sliver of wood is missing ahead of the lock plate, and an approx. 1/2" x 1/2" sliver is absent above the hammer. The bore is dark and shows active oxidation, but the rifling remains strong. Oddly, the patch box is filled with an unknown resinous substance. An interesting rifle, worthy of further preservation and research.