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Winning Bid US $1000 First bid $1000 Quantity 1 # of bids 0 Time left Auction has ended   Started 2025-05-07 00:00:00 Ended 2025-11-21 22:35:25

Nanthan Starr & Co., Middleton CT, Model: 1817 Common Rifle, Cal: .62 (originally .54), MFG: 1841, S/N: None, Flintlock rifle/musket, 36'' barrel.

HISTORY: The story of the 1817 Rifle starts with the 1814 common rifle. The 1814 rifle designed by Robert T. Wickham & was produced by Henry Deringer of Philadelphia & R. Johnston of Connecticut. Wickham sent the pattern to Deringer with a contract for 1000 rifles. One of Deringer's rifles was then sent to R. Johnson to be duplicated, with a contract for 1000 more. The military liked these rifles & wanted more. They tweaked a few minor details & made up the 1817 common rifle. Harpers Ferry would produce a couple patterns of the weapon & send them out to multiple private contractors for them to copy & make. One of them was the Nathan Starr & Co. of Middleton Connecticut. They would make 10,200 total rifles from 1817-41. This rifle is from the contract of 1840 for 6000 rifles. These were some of the last flintlock guns made for the military as the US would soon adopt the Model 1841 Mississippi rifle, in 1841, that had a percussion lock & was rifled. Common rifle came from 1840 Ordnance Department records to differentiate between the muzzleloading rifles, & the breech loading Hall rifles. before this it was just called the 1817 rifle. Many of these rifles were converted to percussion, or left with the flintlock & used in the civil war. These were a lot higher value & more favored than many other flintlocks since they were rifled, not smoothbore. 5,000 US M1817 Rifles were in storage at the Benicia Arsenal in San Francisco in 1861, and many of these rifles were issued to the 1st California Volunteer Cavalry, who fought in the far western theater against Confederate forces in New Mexico and Arizona. Even as late as March of 1863, Common Rifles were showing up in Confederate arsenal inventories. This rifle has been bored to .62 Cal & made into a smoothbore, unknown when but it was mostly likely done after the Civil war by a gunsmith to fix a worn out bore.

CONDITION: The straight wrist walnut stock is very good with various nicks, dings, & scratches from use/age. The top of the wrist has a old tight repaired crack, runs 2'' down the wrist & double backs to the left flat of the stock. A couple small cracks around the lock plate cut out. Buttplate is proud to the wood at the toe. Two worn inspectors cartouches on the left flat of stock. Metal patch box in the right cheek of the stock. The metal has been cleaned & polished with some roughness/pitting scars on the lock plate, rear & muzzle of the barrel. The rear of the barrel is marked U''S'' over ''JH'' over P'''' in circle. The rear left flat of the barrel stamped ''H''. The ''JH'' is the inspectors initials for John Hawkins, he's listed as inspector for Starr M1817 rifles & waters M1836 pistols from 1841-44. The barrel tang is marked ''1841'' The lock plate is marked ''MIDDtn'', ''CONN'', ''1841'', & ''N.STARR & SON'' in a circle around a eagle, the round marking is partially worn away. Upper tang of the buttplate marked ''US''. Inspectors initials on the frizzen, cock & inside the patch box lid. The bore is fair. Its bright with a few spots of concentrated roughness & one spot of pitting. The barrel holds a worn-down barleycorn front sight with a V-notch rear sight. The stock carries a polished metal buttplate, has light roughness & patina. The rifle has both bottom sling loops & has an early brass tipped ramrod. Antique, No FFL Req - Value: 2000 to 5000

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Price

Nanthan Starr & Co., Middleton CT, Model: 1817 Common Rifle, Ca... Item # 4407 This auction is over. No new bids can be placed. Price: US $1000

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