This is a nice slender little original rifle made by Jacob C. Keefer about
1850-1870. The last picture below is of another Keefer rifle made about the same
time. I have been informed by knowledgeable sources that Jacob Keefer lived and worked
in Shippensburg, PA.
This rifle is stocked in a nice piece of curly maple. The wood is sound with the
typical crack by the rear lock bolt and a sliver of wood is missing near the
nosecap on the right side. A piece of wood appears to have come loose at the
rear barrel pin on the left side that has been glued back in place. The straight
barrel is 40½" long and ¹⁵⁄₁₆" across the flats. It
has a new nipple in place. The bore is in good condition and measures .40 and
has straight rifling. I pulled the breech plug to make sure. I know some
gunsmiths did straight rifling but this is the first one I have run across. It
supposedly works well with shot or ball giving the fowling grooves to accumulate
in with shot but gives a bit better accuracy with a patched ball over a
smoothbore. This bore is good enough to shoot and see if it works. The lock is a
typical store bought lock with no name but nice engraving on the plate. As with
most percussion locks of the time, there is no half cock. If carried with a cap
in place, the hammer would be resting on the cap. The triggers work fine but
must be set to fire the gun. The patchbox is a style common to the Bedford, Pa.
area and has a release button on the toeplate. It's unusual to see a full patchbox on
a rifle this late in the percussion period.
Overall a nice little rifle.
Weight is 9 lbs. 14 ozs. Pull is 12½".
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