historic rifle found....

[Ghost1941]

I wish I could find stuff like that in the woods.  All I ever find is beer cans

[agchawk]

Now that is a once-in-a-lifetime find! AWESOME!

I remember reading about how trappers/mountainmen and explorers during that time period used to make it a practice of hiding a spare rifle or two in secret spots around the countryside in the event that they were attacked by indians and had to make a hasty retreat from camp without their gear, etc. I wonder if this musket was one of those...hiden by some whiley old trapper who thought that the time would come when he may need to dig that thing out to defend himself or get back to safer ground.

It's pretty cool to think about just why it was there and the circumstances surrounding the firearm and it's original owner.

[jager]

It's pretty cool to think about just why it was there and the circumstances surrounding the firearm and it's original owner.

                                                                                 

[BENCHLEG]

was it loaded?

[cascademountainhunter]

hey thats cool

[bowhunterforever]

WOW, that is an awsome find.

[madmack76]

they have a article about that in online field and stream

[deaddog]

Thats about as cool as it gets, what a piece of history.

[backwoods_boy]

Yeah pretty cool.
someone said that there is an article about it in FS this month.
not sure havnt looked yet.

[madmack76]

its in there online sight

[alecvg]

That is really cool, reminds me of a story my grandpa told, his friend was cleaning out a log jam out of a creek back in the twenty's, and found a old French Trappers Muzzleloader, so he brought it to a gun smith and asked him to fix it up for him, the guy begged my grandpa'sm friend to sell it to him, but he kept refusing, and said he jsut wanted it fixed.  So he came back a few months later, and the gun smith said he "lost it."  He never got it back.   

[phishisgroovin]

that gunsmith would have met Jesus, fast.

[andrew_12gauge]

I didn't realize they had cap lock in the 1850's.  Very impressive find

they came out with the first breach loading firearms during the civil war which was in the 1860's or 70's so its not that surprising to think that they had caplocks in the 1850's still a cool find though

[whacker1]

Quote from: whacker1 on April 10, 2009, 01:44:34 PM
I didn't realize they had cap lock in the 1850's.  Very impressive find


they came out with the first breach loading firearms during the civil war which was in the 1860's or 70's so its not that surprising to think that they had caplocks in the 1850's still a cool find though

Thank you for that - I don't have a good grasp on time frames of historical significance from that era.

[Pat/Rick]

Breech loaders came out before the civil war.Look up , Ferguson Rifle. American Revolution. Invented by Major Patrick Ferguson,England.Their could be some earlier than that but I personally do not know. LIBERTY.