This photo shows the J. Furney barrel inscription. All photos on this page are courtesy of Keaton Puffett.
This photo shows the J. Furney barrel inscription. All photos on this page are courtesy of Keaton Puffett.
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Introduction
The individual who currently owns this gun remembers that it was passed down through multiple generations of the family of one of his parents. He no longer remembers whether it was passed down through his father's or his mother's family. His father was born and raised in northern Iowa and his mother was born and raised in Vermont. His parents met while his father was deployed to a base in Vermont while serving in the Air Force.
I have not seen any other rifles marked "J. Furney" and I have no idea what a typical John Furney rifle made in Bedford County, Pennsylvania looks like. What I do know is that apart from the slenderness of the barrel, this rifle has none of the typical characteristics of a Bedford County rifle. I am not sure what that means. For example, it could mean that:
Those four bullet items are, of course, merely guesses. If I absolutely had to pick the most plausible scenario from those bullet items, I might pick the first guess: This may be a gun that was created by restocking a "J. Furney" barrel that was salvaged from a damaged rifle. After all, such barrel recycling was a fairly common scenario. It isn't hard to imagine this rifle accompanying someone heading west to settle new land or find some other type of employment. The original wooden stock could have been broken in a fall, or some other dynamic accident or incident, resulting in the need for restocking.
Truthfully though, the second guess is equally plausible. John Furney might have built this rifle in Ohio, designing it to satisfy the whims of of an Ohio customer.
On the other hand, if I had to exclude one of those four guesses, I might exclude the fourth bullet item, because I simply cannot imagine that there would have been much demand for this style of firearm in 19th century Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
I've never really studied muzzle loading guns that were made outside of Somerset and Bedford counties of Pennsylvania. Because of that, I cannot say if this rifle exhibits the characteristics of rifles that were made in some other specific region of the United States. What I think I know is this style of stock was probably made fairly late in the percussion era.
L. Dietle
Photos along the left-hand side of the rifle
The following image is an enlargement from the preceding photo that focuses on the buttstock, which incorporates a modest raised cheekpiece. Unlike a typical Bedford County gun, the forward end of the cheekpiece on this gun blends into the wrist of the stock. The crescent shape of the cast brass buttplate is quite deep, and the toe of the stock is protected by a brass toe plate that is curved to match the curvature of the shad-belly. Unlike so many antique muzzle loading rifles, the toe of this stock is not broken or cracked. The toe on this stock would be stronger than that of many old rifles because the wood grain in the toe area is more or less parallel to the belly of the stock. Based on the medulary cells that are visible, this rifle stock appears to made from Walnut. Most Bedford County rifle stocks were Maple. Click here to see a view of the left side of the buttstock under alternate lighting.
The following image is an enlargement from the first photo above, and focuses on the trigger guard and lock bolt panel portions of the gun. This photo reveals enough of the hammer to establish that this gun has percussion ignition, rather than flintlock ignition. One can also see that the lock is retained to the stock by a single screw. The tail of the lock bolt plate is secured to the stock with an inconspicuous brass nail. That nail also retains the lock bolt plate to the stock when the lock bolt has been removed to permit removal of the lock for servicing. The bow of the spur type cast brass trigger guard houses a typical double set trigger arrangement, with the set trigger being curved and the hair trigger being generally straight. The head of the trigger adjustment screw is visible between the triggers. This trigger guard shape is not typically seen on Bedford County guns. On a typical Bedford County gun, the trigger guard is secured to the stock with transverse metal pins that are readily visible. The trigger guard on this stock is retained to the stock with one brass round head screw and one flat head screw. The use of screws to retain the trigger guard is rarely, if ever, seen on Bedford County guns. The tang of the barrel plug is secured to the stock with a round head screw, whereas a flathead screw is typically used on Bedford County guns. Click here for an oblique view of the left-hand side of the trigger guard, which terminates in an interesting finial. Click here for an alternate view of the lock bolt plate area under different lighting.
The next photo shows the left-hand front portion of the rifle. The front and rear sights are visible, as is the transverse metal pin that retains the barrel to the forearm. Although the photo isn't particularly clear, one can see that a rib is crudely soldered to the underside of the barrel. The crudeness of the soldering job suggests a repair that was performed by an amateur. No ramrod pipes are visible; I assume they were lost over the years. While this rifle has a half-stock forearm, most Bedford County rifles have a full-stock that extends nearly to the muzzle of the barrel.
The next photograph provides an oblique view of the dovetailed back sight. It also shows barrel damage that was caused by slippage of a barrel wrench while the threaded barrel plug was being removed or installed. The damage is located to the rear of the back sight.
The next photo provides a closeup view of the left-hand side of the dovetailed front sight. The sight appears to be made entirely from brass.
The next photo provides a front view of the muzzle end of the octagon barrel, and clearly shows that a rib is attached to the bottom of the barrel. The bore of the barrel has eight grooves and measures about 5/16-inches land-to-land. The lands are aligned with the flats of the barrel. The barrel measures about 35-7/16-inches long and measures 13/16-inches wide from flat-to-flat. In the world of muzzle loading barrels, a 13/16-inch barrel is extremely slender, which would be harmonious with having originally been made for a characteristically slender Bedford County rifle. By way of comparison, the very smallest octagonal muzzle loading rifle barrels that I am aware of measure 12/16-inches (i.e., 3/4-inches) from flat to flat. By my calculations, the weight of the barrel on this rifle would only be about 4-3/4 pounds. If the barrel happens to have dovetails from previous service in a full-stock rifle, they are completely hidden by the rib and the surplusage of solder.
Photos along the right-hand side of the rifle
The following image provides a view of the rear right-hand portion of the rifle, from the buttplate to the lock panel.
The next photo provides the best-available overall view of the round-tail percussion lock, which is clearly a commercially produced item. The lock was not hand-made by the gunsmith, and is not a flintlock to percussion conversion. The percussion nipple is missing, and the hollow nose of the percussion hammer is severely mushroomed from being snapped against the drum. Click here to see additional photographs of the gun lock.
The next photo shows the right-hand front portion of the rifle. This photo also shows that a rib is crudely soldered to the underside of the barrel. Some of the excess solder appears to have been filed away.
The next image provides a right-hand side view of the rear sight.
The next image provides an oblique view of the right-hand side of the rear sight. Forward of the rear sight, barrel damage is visible that was caused by slippage of a barrel wrench.
The next image is an enlargement from a previous photo that focuses on the fore-end cap area. There is nothing in this photograph that suggests the stock has been converted from a full-stock configuration to a half-stock configuration. For example, sometimes when such a conversion occurs, the stock is cut-off forward of the ramrod entry pipe and the entry pipe is retained. Instead of that, this stock has the kind of fore-end cap that is commonly used on a typical half-stock rifle build. The image also shows the crude soldering that secures the metal rib to the underside of the octagon barrel. Near the left-hand edge of the image, the end of the transverse metal barrel retention pin is visible.
Photos along the top of the rifle
The following picture provides a top view of the barrel tang, which is secured to the stock with a single round-head screw. Unlike many Bedford County rifles, the tail end of the tang is rounded, rather than pointed. Click here for an oblique view of the tang region.
The following picture provides an oblique downward-looking view of the semi-buckhorn rear sight.
The following picture provides a top view of the dovetailed front sight.
Photos along the bottom of the rifle
The following picture provides an oblique view of the underside of the trigger guard area. The two screws that secure the trigger guard to the stock are visible, as is the flathead screw that retains the rear of the trigger plate to the stock.
The next photo provides a view of the underside of the rifle in the vicinity of the nose cap, with the ramrod removed. The underside of the rib is concave.
This web page features photographs of an antique muzzleloading rifle with a shad-belly half-stock and a very clear "J. Furney" barrel inscription. As far as I can determine, there was only one old-time Furney gunsmith whose first name begins with a "J" — the mysterious John Furney of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He moved to Ohio sometime after being recorded as a gunsmith in an 1829 Bedford County tax list, and was living in a Stark County, Ohio hotel in 1870.
The first photo below shows the left-hand rear portion of the rifle, including the buttstock and most of the forearm. There is nothing about the shape of the stock to suggest it was influenced by the Bedford County, Pennsylvania school of gunsmithing. Bedford County stocks typically have something of a hockey stick shape, with the buttstock having relatively straight comb and belly lines. As a result of the shad-belly shape of this buttstock, the gun appears to have far less drop at the heel, compared to a typical Bedford County gun. The buttstock also appears to be wider, top to bottom, compared to the buttstock of a typical Bedford County gun. Also, on a typical Bedford County gun the forward end of the comb of the buttstock does not sit high above the wrist, like the comb on this rifle does.
The following photo provides a view of the right-hand side of the buttstock. Unlike most Bedford County muzzleloading rifles, this rifle has no patch box or cap box.
The following image provides a top view of the rear of the buttstock. Note the excellent wood-to-metal fit between the stock and the buttplate.
The next image shows the very clear gun maker inscription, which was executed on a brass inlay located on the upper flat of the octagon barrel. The upper flat is the typical location where 19th century gun makers incorporated their name or initials.
The following picture shows the unengraved toe plate, which has an attractive finial and is retained to the stock by three flat-head screws.
