NORTHWEST TRADE GUN BARREL – A
VERY SCARCE RELIC OF THE GUNS TRADED TO THE INDIANS ON
THE FRONTIER BY THE FAMOUS HUDSON’S BAY AND AMERICAN FUR
COMPANIES:
Probably one of, if not
the, most under appreciated firearm of the
North American Frontier, the Northwest Trade Gun dates
back to the earliest years of western expansion into the
interior of the unexplored continent. Arguably the most
established and constant commodity of the fur trade, and
traded to Native Americans and European trappers alike,
the Northwest Trade Gun was manufactured for over 200
years with only minor changes in the pattern and
specifications.
While firearm technology certainly advanced, and for so
many practical reasons the flintlock gave way to the
percussion lock, and in turn the metallic cartridge
dominated the market in the years following the Civil
War, in reality no collection of firearms accumulated
with the intent to represent American history can be
considered complete without the inclusion of the
Northwest Trade Gun.
Long after Sam Colt and Oliver Winchester had dominated
the frontier gun market; and Christian Sharps’ heavy
rifles had gone silent when last of the large buffalo
herds were gone, these simple muskets with their
distinctive serpent side plates, oversized trigger
guards, and octagon-to-round banded smooth bore barrels
continued to be stocked in the inventory of remote
trading posts. Through the turn of the 20TH
Century, they were carried into the mountain ranges,
open plains, and vast deserts by the native people who
relied on the Northwest Gun’s dependability, simple –
and importantly, easily repaired – mechanics, and
readily available ammunition. In short, no other single
firearm was carried through as much of American history,
from the primeval forests of the east to the shores of
the western coast, as were these Northwest Trade Guns.
This relic Northwest Trade Gun Barrel was found along a
water course in Nebraska in the 1960's. The barrel
measures just shy of 40” including the tang, and from
all appearances retains its full length with no sign of
shortening. The bore measures .60 caliber, well within
the standard bore diameter range of the trade guns.
The drum and nipple screwed into the side of the barrel
suggests it was part of a gun which was originally
manufactured as a flintlock. As was the case with so
many of these guns, at some point in the period of its
use it was converted to percussion by installing the
drum and nipple and replacing the flint hammer and
frizzen with a percussion hammer.
The barrel has the typical trade gun octagon to round
profile with the classic two sets of wedding bands at
the transition. The bands are still legible, but faint
at some points as they pass into the bottom of the
barrel due to the aging. All three of the stock pin
mounts are intact along the bottom of the barrel and the
rear sight is still present. Note that the muzzle end
of the barrel has a definite bend in it.
So far as firearm relics go, any surviving relic parts
of a Northwest Trade Gun are note worthy due to their
scarcity. The harsh environments in which the guns were
used - and lost - and the far reaches of the West in
which they were carried, simply were not conducive to
leaving a concentration of these relics to be found, and
very few of these trade gun relics survive to be held in
collections. Possibly dating from the time before the
Indians had access to the metallic cartridge guns, and
certainly present during the active conflicts of the
Indian War engagements in the west following the Civil
War, this relic Northwest Trade Gun Barrel is a unique
offering. (1010) $275
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