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Old November 27, 2006, 09:54 PM   #5
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
James Golcher, of Philadelphia Co., PA, made complete guns as well as gun locks; in this case, one of his locks was used by David Oblinger, who was a gunsmith in Piqua, Ohio, from before 1859 to 1890. The gun may well be pre-Civil War, but many conservative hunters bought and used muzzle loaders well into the era of the repeating rifle, partly due to the cost of fixed ammunition. As to precussion guns, the percussion cap came into use in the U.S. around 1830 and by the Civil War almost all the new guns were percussion, though some customers still wanted flintlocks because they didn't require "store bought" caps.

By the Civil War, few gunsmiths actually made guns, any more than they do today. Locks, barrels, and rough finished stocks, as well as furniture, were available from gunsmith supply houses, like Little in Pittsburgh.

Value on those rifles depends, like most guns, on condition. Caplock rifles in good condition usually bring in the $2000-3000 range, but a really super one can go a lot higher, and a junker (there are a lot of them) much less.

Jim
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