Missisippi Percussion Rifle by E.Whitney………………..SOLD

A Mississippi Percussion Rifle by E.Whitney of Newhaven

This Mississippi Rifle is a total of 48.1/2″ in overall length.  The heavy steel barrel is exactly 33″ in length.  This percussion rifle is equipped with a set trigger and a two position lock.  The external lock plate is plain with a simple bevel all round.  Behind the hammer it is marked “N.HAVEN” and in front “E.WHITNEY”.  The lock appears to be the later second type with the plain 3-screw layout.  There is a dimpled effect of soft pitting across the lock-face, most concentrated around the nipple bolster suggesting some considerable usage in its day.  The set trigger works perfectly well.

The heavy .54 cal’ rifled barrel carries the nipple and bolster which also display the same kind of concentrated corrosive effect of pitting attributed to flash over from ignition, although the nipple appears to be a modern replacement .  The rest of the visible barrel has turned to a soft grey brown patina all over.  The face of the muzzle is flat and the rifling pattern can still be seen emerging from the bore . It would be best described as a wide hexagonal seven sided twist.

The stock is a simple three quarter length single piece of American hardwood in the French style with heavy, metal fittings.  There is a half length ramrod channel which emerges at the middle band which still stores the full length steel ram-rod.  The nose cap of the rifle is in the old French musket style, which maybe correct as Whitney is know to have sold batches of assemble rifles to various militia, so this may yet have emerged from the factory exactly as it is now.  The heavy steel but-plate is also similar to a Naval contract which was completed at the time, but it bears no unit markings.  The mid-band is of the American military musket type and retained by Springfield type springs, as is the front cap.

The round barrel has a long German silver front sight and has had a simple rear sight added at a later date.  The dovetailing in of the rear sight may have been carried out on recall or refit at the original factory.  There is a steel military-type trigger guard and sling swivel under the wrist and a simple brass retention strap on the other side of the stock for the lock screws to spread their grip over.  There are no other markings upon the rifle like proof or government acceptance marks which suggests a militia usage.

All in all, although this rifle has lain dormant for a long time it shows the strength that the makers of the time were prepared to invest in their arms in the form of weight of materials,  Nothing about this rifle is particularly lightweight.  It was built to do a job and its weight suggests a very steady shooting platform, coupled with the set trigger the results would speak for themselves.

SOLD

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