The following pictures show an antique percussion muzzle loading rifle that was made by the Somerset County, Pennsylvania gunsmith Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780-1856).
L. Dietle
Photos
Benjamin Troutman lived and worked in Southampton Township, near the border with Bedford County. The lock panel of the stock has the streamlined, tapering design that is a common characteristic of the Bedford School of gunsmithing. The high hammer spur curves in the direction and style of the celebrated Bedford County percussion hammers. The percussion nipple is mounted on a drum that appears to have a vent screw with an irregular five-sided head shape. As is typical with percussion muzzleloaders, the nose of the hammer is hollow and projects over the nipple to protect the eyes of the shooter from flying cap detonation-related debris. Considering the extent and degree of what appears to be cap-related erosion of the top edge of the lock plate near the drum, and the lack of commensurate damage to the stock, I wonder if the wood nearest to the nipple has been replaced.
Looking into the bow of the cast brass trigger guard, this antique black powder gun has a double set trigger arrangement. The set trigger (rear) is shaped sufficiently different from the hair trigger (front) to be able to distinguish them by touch, without looking. The adjustment screw is located between the triggers. Near the front of the bow, a tang bolt projects through the trigger plate. Forward of the bow, the trigger guard is nearly flush with the stock, which suggests it is recessed into the stock.
This is a photograph of the artfully-shaped and attractively-engraved unbeveled lock bolt plate and the associated stock panel of the Troutman cap lock rifle. The lock bolt plate has four screws, which is a bit unusual. I assume that two of the screws retain the lock bolt plate to the rifle stock when the lock retaining screws are absent. The stock panel would look perfectly at home on a firearm made in nearby Bedford County. Above the forward end of the stock panel, the octagonal barrel exhibits barrel wrench damage that probably occurred during an attempt at breech plug removal. If you look closely, the name of the barrel maker is stamped on one of the barrel flats. This photo also provides another glimpse of the deeply curved Bedford County-style hammer spur.
The next photograph shows an enlargement taken from the preceding photograph. It shows a stamping on the barrel of the Troutman muzzleloader that reads "Reynolds". Reynolds is the name of the barrel maker. The stamping is misaligned with the axis of the barrel. Two mid-1800s barrel makers named Reynolds are listed in Frank M. Sellers' 2008 book "American Gunsmiths": Jacob B. Reynolds of Steubenville, Ohio and John A. Reynolds of Elmira, New York. From Kennells Mill, Pennsylvania it is 131 road miles to Steubenville and 220 road miles to Elmira. I have seen pictures of a muzzle loading rifle with a barrel stamped “JB REYNOLDS” in serif style capital letters that looked to be the same size as the letters on this Troutman rifle. The stamping is on the left-hand generally upward facing flat that is adjacent to the top flat, near the breech. That rifle was sold by the Old Barn Auction on June 6, 2020. Because of the lettering style on that rifle, I suspect that the barrel on this Troutman rifle was also made by Jacob B. Reynolds.
The next photo shows a portion of the right side of the buttstock, which features a skillfully engraved, aesthetically pleasing four-piece patch box. It features five piercings and the "Q" final that is very common in Bedford and Somerset counties. One unusual feature of the finial is the tail stroke extends to the interior of the "Q". The splendidly-shaped side plates of the patch box are well fitted to the cast brass crescent buttplate, and the top of the buttplate is well-aligned with the comb.
The following image is a lightened version of the preceding image, to better show the lower side plate of the patch box on this old muzzle loading gun. This image also reveals that the dark-finished gun stock is made from curly maple. The comb of the buttstock is substantially straight, while the lower edge is ever so slightly concave. Note the wavy incised line along the lower edge of the buttstock. I am told this is a Ben Troutman signature trademark that is present on other long guns he made.
The home page provides access to a wide range of other regional history information.
The first photo shows the engraved lock and the trigger area of this 19th century muzzleloader. The thickness of the pointed tail of the lock plate is less than the remainder of the lock plate. A vertical slash-like feature partitions the thinner and thicker portions of the lock plate. The cursive initials engraved on the beveled portion of the lock plate match the style of letters Benjamin Troutman used. The wavy engraving style is repeated in incised carving on the buttstock (see below).
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The Gunsmith Index provides access to biographies of Somerset and Bedford County riflemakers, and photos of the Pennsylvania long rifles they made.
