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MID-19TH CENTURY INDIAN USED
PLAINS RIFLE – STRONG EVIDENCE OF PRIMITIVE NATIVE
GUNSMITHING USING A HEAVY PLAINS RIFLE BARREL & G.
GOULCHER
PERCUSSION LOCK– WONDERFUL APPEARANCE – AN
EXCELLENT HISTORIC AND EVOCATIVE FRONTIER RIFLE:
This unique example of
Native American gunsmithing has survived as a true
treasure of the Western Frontier. Featuring a hand hewn
stock, a very heavy plains rifle barrel, a George
Goulcher percussion lock, and double set triggers, this
rifle represents the sort of salvage-based gunsmithing
which was very common among the Indians - a skill at
which they were quite adept as evidenced by any number
of surviving examples in private and public
collections.
 
Despite the inaccurate impressions presented by
Hollywood and modern literature, the historical record
of the American Frontier confirms that the majority of
long guns carried by the Indians were single shot
muzzleloaders. Army records include an inventory
conducted in 1879 of the firearms surrendered or seized
from the hostile Indians and stored at the Quartermaster
Depot at Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. Of the total 410
guns inventoried, 69% - 284 – were long guns, and of
that 284, 56% were single shot muzzleloaders. Many of
the guns collected from the Indians on the frontier were
eventually sent to, and held in a collection at the Rock
Island Arsenal. An excellent sampling of that
collection can be found in Dorsey’s Guns of the
Western Indian Wars (highly recommended) and the
style and condition of this rifle is remarkably similar
to the examples of Indian owned single shot rifles shown
in that sampling. Save for documented provenance, there
is little room for doubt that this plains-style rifle
was owned and carried by an Indian on the frontier.
As stated,
this rifle was created from mismatched components, work
that was done in a frontier setting far from a well
equipped shop staffed by a master gunsmith. This
considerable, very apparent effort resulted in a
substantial, fully functional firearm that obviously
continued to provide dependable service to the Indian
that carried it. The only reason that this “ugly
duckling” survives today is that up to the point that it
was captured, surrendered, or traded into the path that
brought it to the modern collector’s market, it
continued to be valued by the Indian who owned it. To
view this rifle in the context of all the fully
functional, factory or gunsmith shop made firearms that
were readily available to European Americans on the
Western Frontier, it is obvious that this rifle was
created and carried by a man living outside of that
firearms market – a man who had few, if any, choices,
and to whom a rifle of even this questionable pedigree
meant the difference between surviving or perishing in
an unforgiving environment. While the source of the
parts and the circumstances of how and where they came
together has been lost to history, I am quite satisfied
that a native gunsmith gathered up these useable parts
from guns damaged beyond repair in order to fashion this
rifle.
Weighing over 16 pounds, and measuring 47” in overall
length, this rifle follows the general lines of the
classic 19th Century heavy barreled guns that
were carried out on the Western Frontier by the men
pursuing the fur trade.
Dominating the overall profile, the rifle is mounted
with a .50 caliber, 30” long, octagon barrel that
measures 1 ¼” flat to flat. The bulk of the rifle’s
total weight of 16 pounds is represented by this
barrel.
The bore features what appears to be early hand cut
button rifling which presents very well at the muzzle.
The rifling
is still well defined, and the while the condition of
the bore is commensurate with the exterior surfaces of
the barrel, the bore has not deteriorated. The exterior
of the barrel has a rich even brown naturally aged
patina. The barrel retains the original under rib and
its original single ramrod ferrule. In addition, there
is a shoulder sling loop riveted to the under rib just
above the forward end of the stock. The shape of the
loop is reminiscent of those shoulder sling loops found
on 18TH and early 19TH Century
military muskets, and whether this piece was salvaged
from one of those muskets; it was original to the barrel
when in its original stock; or it was fashioned by the
maker of this rifle as an affectation he thought was a
good idea, there is no question that a rifle of this
size and heft would be easier to carry over long
distances with the aid of a heavy leather sling.
The cone in the bolster breech plug appears to be
original to the rifle and has not been peened out of
shape by repeated dry firing. The front and rear sights
appear to be original to the barrel as it was recovered
from its original rifle. The simple blade front sight
and the buckhorn rear sight are both full form and are
secure in their original mortises.
The massive barrel is well seated in the hand carved
stock, substantial in its own right and certainly up to
the task of supporting the barrel’s weight and heft.
Hewn from a sizeable timber – perhaps a large framing
plank salvaged from a cabin or a wagon – the stock is
made in one piece and the grain is remarkably clear of
knots, indicative that the maker knew what to look for
when selecting the wood. The stock was carved to shape
with a large bladed knife, evidenced by the remaining
large flat facets on the surface of the wood. No
attempt was made to smooth out these facets, nor give
the wood surface any sort of finish. While shaped in
the general profile of the plains rifle stocks produced
by skilled gunsmiths and the proportions are in keeping
with the size of the barrel, the carving was limited to
rendering a functional stock and when that point was
reached, the maker moved on. The inletting of the
barrel channel, the lock mortise and the slot for the
double set triggers are all remarkably well executed,
resulting in snug fits which in turn adequately support
the components. The buttstock area is shaped quite
nicely, as is the wrist, and the rifle mounts to the
shoulder very naturally – again, indicative that the
maker knew what he was about.
The photographs speak for themselves, and it goes
without saying that the stock shows wear and evidence of
exposure commensurate with the environment in which it
was used. The forearm has a crack running along the
bottom, in line with the barrel channel. This crack is
stable, causes no weakness to the stock, does not
detract from the rifle, and there would be no reason to
attempt to repair it. To do so would only detract from
the overall character of the rifle.
As is usually the case, the buttstock shows the most
wear, however it also incorporates some of the most
interesting features of this rifle. There is evidence
of repeated exposures to the elements – perhaps where
the rifle was carried in a case with the butt exposed –
leaving bands of faded or bleached wood where it was
exposed to sunlight, rain, and snow. There is no
indication that a butt plate was ever mounted on the
buttstock – a typical Indian characteristic – and the
result is that the exposed grain of the stock has
experienced quite a bit of wear. There is a toe plate
fashioned from a simple iron strap which was bent around
the lower corner of the butt and secured on the bottom
flat of the stock and to the end grain, and it provided
enough protection to prevent any serious loss of wood.
There are two large splits running with the grain for
the length of the butt, but here again, both were
secured during the period of use with simple, but very
effective repairs. First, an iron screw is set in what
appears to be a hand bored hole in the right side,
approximately half way between the wrist and the end of
the butt. The screw is angled down and in towards the
center line of the stock so the threads would pull the
lower split together. This repair is solid and it has
stood the test of time. The second, and larger, split
running along the center line of the stock was dealt
with in a more dramatic method – that of setting what
appears to be a hand forged square nail through the butt
stock, top to bottom, and peening the lower end of the
nail over a small flat piece of iron set against the
bottom flat of the butt. The rose shaped head of the
nail is visible on the top flat of the buttstock. This
iron spike was a very effective repair, rendering the
buttstock as solid as if the split never occurred –
there is absolutely no movement to the wood.
The wood surface of the stock has a beautiful, naturally
aged patina, polished through handling through many
years and over many miles, imparting a rich color to the
grain. Other than the features noted above, the stock
is solid and not fragile in any way.
The lock was produced by George Goulcher of New York
City. Goulcher offered a variety of gun parts for
gunsmiths throughout the country who either could not
produce their own, or for whom using Goulcher’s
components made better use of their time. It is worth
noting that all of the inletting on the stock, with the
exception of the end of the barrel tang, involves
straight line cuts, suggesting the man doing the stock
work did not have access to round bladed gouges.
Keeping this in mind, it’s interesting that the normally
rounded rear end of the Goulcher lock plate has been cut
off square. The only reason for making this cut would
have been to facilitate a straight inletting cut for the
lock mortise. The upper edge of the lock plate was also
cut or filed to accept the block of the bolster. The
original Goulcher hammer was replaced with a hand forged
hammer, another common feature on guns repaired or
assembled on the frontier. The lock–trigger assembly
functions properly with a crisp let off.
The double set triggers are both present and fully
functional, the rear trigger serving to set the front
trigger, and the front trigger releasing properly when
pulled. The trigger guard is fashioned from a simple
iron strap, shaped by hand in a low bow curve and
mounted with two simple wood screws.
The ramrod, based on the matching patina and size, is
certainly original to this rifle. The rod is of the
pattern common to many 18TH and 19TH
Century military muskets present in North America and
that it was used with this rifle makes perfect sense.
The iron surfaces all have the same aging that is
consistent with what you would expect to find on such a
rifle.
For what it is worth, I have seen several of these
Indian used rifles that have been assembled from a
collection of parts, and in fact, one of the most
compelling Indian rifles I have owned is just such a
rifle which was assembled in much the same way as this
rifle. Were it not for having to make a choice and
limit how much I allow myself to be my own best
customer, the rifle offered here would probably never
see the light of day.
This rifle shows all the classic characteristics of one
fashioned by an Indian and then subjected to years of
hard use.
It has a great appearance that
literally talks to you as you hold it - a veteran of
fierce determined and desperate battles, and untold
numbers of buffalo kills in the hands of a warrior.
Guns that have not been
sullied or ruined by the addition of modern upholstery
tacks, recent leather wrappings and other enhancements,
have never been common, and as more collectors recognize
their important historic value, Indian guns of this
quality are becoming increasingly difficult to find on
the market. This is an opportunity to obtain an honest
Indian gun that has not been ruined with feeble attempts
to enhance it.
If you hesitate and
miss this one, for many years to come you will regret it
as one that got away. (0710) $3650
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