An acquaintance has been asking me if I could ID a family heirloom rifle for him. It has no markings anywhere that I can find, even after disassembly. It has an octagonal barrel with a small full length underlug and a peculiar lock up via an under lever/trigger guard that is held in the closed position with a thumb screw threaded into the bottom action tang.

It's also a rimfire and appears to be a .32 caliber. It does not appear to have ever been blued and wears very small brass front and rear sights dovetailed into the barrel. The butt stock is made of 2 pieces of what appear to be walnut sandwiched together, I presume to make inletting easier.

It's a pretty neat little unit that someone put a good deal of pretty fair work into, with the exception of the brass buttplate which seems to have been borrowed from another gun and made to fit this little rimfire.

Please excuse the quality of the pics. I didn't have time to use my digital camera and upload the pics, so I ended up using my smartphone.













[img]http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss238/bruinruin/2012-12-23_10-52-44_641.jpg[/img]

The barrel measures 20 1/2".
[img]http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss238/bruinruin/2012-12-23_10-52-44_641.jpg[/img]

Overall length is right about 33 1/2".
[img]http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss238/bruinruin/2012-12-23_10-55-05_956.jpg[/img]

It's obviously a rim fire.
[img]http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss238/bruinruin/2012-12-23_10-56-15_331.jpg[/img]


Well, there you have it. Looks like a hand made firearm to me and probably not worth what a box of ammo for it would set you back, but I get a kick out of the uniqueness of it. It's a very slim and trim little gun and would have been perfect for a young boy to carry while prowling around the farm and fields for pests and pot meat.

Anybody have any ideas on whether this is actually a one off? Maybe it resembles the style/type made by an actual gun maker versus a clever guy with a good shop at his disposal?

What say the 'fire?

I have to say, never have seen anything like it.

How is the bore condition?

Bore is pretty good. I tried to get a good picture to show the rifling, which is left hand twisted.

Looks to me like something cobbled together out of parts of various guns. That lever/triggerguard looks homemade.


Mike

Similar to some of the Stevens and Stevens-Maynard Models pictured in "Single Shot Rifles and Actions" by Frank de Haas.

His books are the go tosource for this kind of research.

A lot of this type gun were made in small numbers, I have a Stevens Model 91 and have never seen another one. The sort of home made look is typical of their tip off models from the photos I have seen of them.

Stevens Early years are far from well documented or researched.

I'd say there are enough screws in the butt plate

It is damm sure different, would be a nice heirloom

Don't know what it is but can bet what it isn't....


"Made in China"

That there gun is very cool.

Ya might wanna check with cross as it looks like that might be some of his early work....It certaintly is of the correct vintage for it anyways.

Cross made that in kindergarten shop class... Moses exclaimed it was a miracle! ... Cross prophesied... Oh, you'll see bigger ones Lord willing.

Kent

Maybe, but I'm betting Greg would have done a slicker, nicer job, even in kindergarten. That looks more like something I'd cobble together.

Not overly refined and almost looks like something that was cobbled together. A neat find though, and some effort should go toward its preservation. Good luck,

Never seen one like it, but I think the original owner worked at a Wood screw factory...

Thanks for looking, gang. I didn't really think anyone would be able to offer anything definitive on it. I posted it mostly because I told my friend I would (always try my best to keep my word) and partly just to share an unusual little piece of shade tree gunsmithing.

made by slow Joe over in the hollor down by the grist mill in somewhere Tennessee


norm

I would check under the buttplate, since they sure didn't want it to accidentally fall off.

If there WAS anything under the buttplate, it's swiss-cheesed into eternity now.

Isn't left hand rifling a European technique,like British or France,,I think so?

bump

Needs an AI chamber and McMillan. Very cool otherwise.


.

When John M Browning had a dispute with Oliver Winchester,Browning went to Belgium FN to have his designs manufactured,hence Belgium Browning's had LEFT HAND RIFLING,left hand buttons was all they had for rifling.OH yes Browning died in Belgium of a Heart Attack.

Say was bump the most intelligent comeback you had in mind,but then you are a gunman??

Interesting info, thanks.

Bump wasn't a comeback, I was simply sending the thread to the top of the page for more exposure.

Interesting barrel, forged / machined with an integral lower rib.

Is there any form of extractor / ejector set up ?

GTC

Of course, the barrel could just be on BACKWARDS!!!! One of those things that hit you after the fact. CRAP - oh well, it oughtta work....Had everything fitted and dang!

No, no extractor or ejector. Appears to require a jacknife for a second shot.