Need help identifying old antique rifle.

L

Lightsped

New member
I found this old antique rifle in my grandmothers house. It has been sitting for years and years. The only markings on the rifle is "G.Fisher" on the receiver. No other serial numbers or markings of any kind. Pics are below.

dollysrifle.jpg


dollysrifleb.jpg
 
Well ,for starters, it looks like a shotgun to me. It would probably make a decent wall hanger if you have a fireplace mantle to hang it over.

IMPORTANT! Many of these old guns have been found with charges still loaded in the barrels. Black powder stays potent and dangerous a very long time, make sure that it is not loaded!!
Don in Ohio
 
I don't think it's a shotgun, why would a shotgun have a ramrod?
It looks like some kind of double barrel muzzleloader. Does it break open? I didn't see a lever for that.:confused:
 
Jason, there were any number of double barreled muzzle loading shotguns. In both flint and percussion for that matter.

Is the G. Fisher on the receiver or on the locks? Tracking down who Fisher was would take a lot of time. Fisher could have been the maker of the gun, the maker of the locks, or the person that sold the gun. There is no way, from the little you have to go on, to tell where the gun was made. If there are no proof marks any place, it is a good bet the gun was made in the US. Sometimes the proof marks were under the fore end.

Does the ram rod go all the way to the breech, if not the gun may still be loaded.
 
Jason, not to worry, if you don't know you can learn. That's what is great about TFL and other gun discussion boards. Someone always knows something that you don't
 
Well, my knowledge of antique firearms is very very limited. I really don't know if it is a shotgun or not. I do know one thing, the wooden stick goes all the way down the left barrel, but it feels as if there is something down in the right barrel as the wooden stick doesn't go all the way down.

The triggers are so old that they don't even move. Whatever is down in the right barrel as been down there for a looooonnng time. Anyways, I am still intereested in any info regarding this gun. The "G.Fisher" is printed on both sides of the reciever. No other numbers or text is visible that I can see.....
 
shotgun

Hi I have double like it locks have same shape and stock as well percussin ,muzzel loader . mine has a name on it engraved but hard to tell 1st. letter like W HOLE or W COLE made in Bristol England Paul
 
SUGGESTION:

You'd probably have a lot better chance getting information of this type on the other TFL forum, Harley Nolden's Institute for Firearms Research. You could either re-post, or ask lyour friendly neighborhood moderator to just move the whole thing over there.

Good luck on your quest--
Johnny Guest
 
Not sure what it is but it looks like it would be fun to try and polish up! If you are worried about it being loaded, there used to be a place that sold a device for blowing a charge out of a muzzleloader without firing it. It was a thing that attatched to a CO2 cartridge (like for BB guns) and it shot a charge of carbon dioxide into the nipple. The pressure would shoot the ball and powder out of the muzzle. I am not sure where you can get one now though.
 
. I do know one thing, the wooden stick goes all the way down the left barrel, but it feels as if there is something down in the right barrel as the wooden stick doesn't go all the way down.
Click to expand...

Their is a very good chance that the right barrel is still loaded. You could fill that barrel with water and go to work with a ball puller. If you just come up with muddy water and the ram rod goes all the way to the breach plug you found a dirt dobber's nest. :)
 
There was a George Fisher, son of William Thomas Fisher, who was a journeyman gunsmith at Rosemary Lane, Whitechapel. He was born in 1821 and that would have made him old enough to make percussion cap double barrel shotguns. All other G. Fishers listed in Blackmore (Gunmakers of London, 1350-1850) were too early for percussion.

Remember this is an earlier gun with external hammers.

You may want to remove the barrels to see what markings you find beneath them or on the receiver.

BTW, moving to Harley's forum.
 
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