1247

Magnificent Engraved and Gold Inlaid German Percussion Hunting/Target Rifle with Relief Carved Stock

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Magnificent Engraved and Gold Inlaid German Percussion Hunting/Target Rifle with Relief Carved Stock
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Magnificent Engraved and Gold Inlaid German Percussion Hunting/Target Rifle with Relief Carved Stock

This is a beautiful fully engraved gold inlaid percussion target rifle with an equally beautiful and meticulous hand carved full length target stock. Obviously the original owned was an aristocratic family, wealth Baron or land owner that may have had an old Germanic heritage, as this is not your standard hunting or target rifles. The lock plate, hammer, tang, patch box, buttplate and trigger guard are fully engraved in a beautiful old world Germanic style oak leaf and acorn style of engraving (circa 1840-1850) that features ten gold inlaid game/hunting animals with 12 gold inlayed oak leaf and acorns on the sides and top portion of the hammer and heel of the buttplate. The game scenes consist of three dogs pursuing a Roe Buck on the patch box, two dogs chasing a large German Boar in a grass scene, while the front and rear section of the trigger guard have a bust of a Labrador/hunting dog, probably the owners most favorite companion with a small running gold inlayed fox on the trigger guard bow. The engraving is exceptionally well done with an extremely high level of detail with a lined (not punch dot) back ground which is very difficult and time consuming to do. The gold inlays are of the same master level that are well laid out and excellent detail on all the animals, even the escutcheon plate and ramrod thimble are beautifully engraved with a very small fine border around the edges of the escutcheon plates on both sides. The hand carving on the stock starts approximately six inches in front of the trigger guard plate and covers both sides of the stock through/around the pistol grip area and all the way back to about an inch in front of the lower sling swivel. The carving like the engraving is fabulous, that is meticulously laid out with an extreme level of detail that consists of large open scrolls and intersecting sea shells or fan patterns linked with small Rosettes or Edelweiss flowers, intermixed with a geometric/cross-hatched or checkerboard type back ground. The carving is all deep relief and is beautifully laid out on the stock. Certainly a master level carver performed this work. The stock itself is a excellent piece of European walnut that has a slight tiger-stripping pattern from the forend area through the buttstock with a slight figure to the wood at the end of the stock in front of the buttplate and the buttplate being a typical two-prong target style buttplate, which as noted is also fully engraved. The barrel is a slightly tapered octagon pattern with a split breech that has been engraved and gold filled on top of he barrel in a very thin Old English type script with L B Milcke, and it is fitted with a double bayonet on the right side of the muzzle with a target type rear sight with a standard blade front sight set in a gold base. The under side of the barrel is stamped, "14.0/ JR/A in a circle/ B/ H&D/JR". The top of the tang is fitted with an old percussion era target rear sight adjustable for elevation. The stock is fitted with a set of sling swivels and is complete with a steel ramrod.

Manufucture: German
Model: Percussion Rifle
BBL: 34 1/2 inch octagon
Stock: walnut
Guage: 60 Bore
Finish: in the white
Grips:
Serial Number: NSN

Very good with the metal surfaces in the white after being polished. The surfaces of the metal to include the engraving and gold inlays do show slight wear where the rifle was handled and used over the years. The surfaces of the wood and carving are all excellent with minimal handling marks that shows a old very light/professional refinish. The wood to metal fit is still nice and tight. This is really an exceptionally high grade hand engraved gold inlayed and hand carved percussion hunting/target rifle.