Berdan’s US Sharpshooter bench rest rifle

I took some time to take better daylight pictures of Ira’s weapon. I was VERY careful so don’t have a heart attack.
Just thought my fellow enthusiast would enjoy it. I’m very grateful for all the information you guys have provided me. I’m so glad I stumbled onto this forum.
Couple questions
Obviously the box isn’t big enough to store the weapon (at least that one). Is the box for another gun? Or just supplies?
Also, there are two trigger pieces. It appears the front one fires the weapon. What’s the rear one for?

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@Jobe Holiday i gently stuck a qtip into the rear tube and it did hit something. With the false muzzle stuck I can’t look closely yet. I could always unscrew the scope blocker but I’ll wait until the Kroil arrives. I believe it’s a glass scope.
The Winchester is also too long for the box.
 
Yes, forgot to address that! Those are what is known as "Double Set Triggers", in today's terminology they are "Hair Triggers". First you pull the rear trigger backwards until it clicks, then you cock the hammer. After that to fire the rifle you gently squeeze the front trigger to fire the rifle. The small screw you see in between the triggers is the adjustment screw. If you run the screw out, the trigger pull gets heavier. Conversely, if you run the screw in, the trigger pull gets lighter until it is only ounces. If you turn it in too far, it will actually prevent the rifle from holding on full cock.

Back to the sight blocker.....it was loose.....you tightened it....then you can then also loosen it again to see through the scope.
J.
 
I would love to see this rifle in person!

I hope you are able to get the false muzzle off.
Just to be on the safe side, I would run a cleaning rod down the barrel to make sure it's not loaded. Since this is a target rifle, I would assume your ancestor would not have left a loaded charge in the barrel, but you never know.

I would suggest another web-site that I think the members would be very interested in your rifle>> http://americanlongrifles.org
 
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Upon closer look it looks like the nipple is missing. Am I wrong? If so should I do anything about that? I’m not planning on firing it but I would love to have it in the best condition possible. @Jobe Holiday @gary
 
Nipple is there. Remember, when you clean it, remove any rust but leave the patina.

Put some Kroil around the nipple and the clean out screw is to the side of the drum (what the nipple screws into). If you get a screwdriver, grind it to fit and hollow grind it. If you look at a household screwdriver from the side, you will see a tapered profile. Gunsmith screwdrivers are hollow ground to prevent the screw from being torn up. So, if you don't have screwdrivers, modify some to fit.
 
Tw - Just a word of caution on the clean-out screw in the bolster below the nipple. Although the information Gary has given you is correct on how to address any screw, be very careful because these are small body screws and very easy to twist the head off when they haven't been removed for the past 100+ years. The screw, as you show it, has a lot of patina over it and may be completely frozen in place. You will disturb the patina and that antique patinated condition is not recoverable.

With antique arms there is a point when you have to know where to stop. With all the effort you are putting into this fine target rifle, I would like to respectfully you ask what your intentions are?

(1) Do you want it to be a clean, stable, and attractive display piece?
(2) Do you want a cleaned and completely functional display piece?
(3) Do you want it cleaned to where you can actually shoot it at some point in time?

All three levels have different approaches. Remember, you are working on a family heirloom worth thousands upon thousands of dollars and it is very easy to do irreparable damage very quickly.
J.
 
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option 1 is fine by me. Even though it would be pretty darn cool to fire his gun I can't see the reward outweighing the risk. This is a family Heirloom and a great piece of history and that is all I ever need it to be. I was just curious. I posted on another forum and I have to say I received some bad information and a much less friendly banter. I originally posted for two reasons.
1. to find out as much as possible.
2. Share this with all of you. As a civil war student I feel it is selfish to hide it away and not let others enjoy!
You guys have far exceeded my expectations and made me feel very welcome. Sadly I can't say the same for other forums. Thank you very much for taking the time to help me.
 
If you’ll indulge me I’m curious what these 3 things are for. The first 3 pics are a brass tube with something stuck in it. On end is cloth and one end I can’t tell. (Please tell me it’s not a charge)
Which gun do you think the wrench is for?
And lastly the solid piece resembling a smaller version of the big swage. I see no strike marks on it tho.(the one end is concave) These were all in the wood box.
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View attachment 166046 View attachment 166047 @Patrick H you mean from the pic on the early part of this thread? Yes that’s an empty case .38 W.
Yes, I am pretty sure you are right. I didn't realize all this other activity had happened on your thread. These are great photos of your target rigle, by the way. It's really thrilling to see it. I'd love to be with Booner if he ever gets to see this thing with his own eyes.
 

I have a couple of questions and /or observations.

The box--
I think this may be the original box in which the rifle was sent to your ancestor. The box is sturdy enough to survive shipment via rail or wagon. It looks like at one time there may have been a paper attached to the inside of the lid-perhaps an invoice or packing list was there? At each end of the box, there's an extra block of wood-are there screws in these block that maybe were used to hold down the barrel and stock of the rifle? I see were the extra block on the left side of the box has a concave cut in it-could that have been used to hold down the stock? Then there is the section of the box where the false muzzle and plunger would have been placed for shipment. And there's a wood screw on the lid of the box- clearly if this was a box for storing shooting accessories, there wouldn't be a wood screw there but some type of latch. I know you said that the box is too short for the rifle. I don't think so, and I'll explain that below.

The rifle-
It appears to me that the barrel can be removed from the rifle-
From your picture, at the breach end of the barrel, you can clearly see a line that runs around the end of the barrel (it actually cuts through the part of the bolster that surrounds the nipple). There is also a tab that extends from the lock face into the breach face to keep everything aligned and secured. You can also see what looks like the end of a bolt which passes through the breach face. My theory is that the breach plug, which is at the end of the barrel, has a tang that extends from it and that fits into the breach face, and the bolt I referred to above holds the barrel tight against the breach face. By removing the bolt, one could remove the barrel from the action-in effect, it become a take down rifle (the action become separated from the barrel), and therefore it could fit into the box, i.e. the shipping container. A lot of modern muzzle loading rifles have a type of hooked breach system which allows the barrel to be removed from the action- why not this one? The barrel could be removed for cleaning or to put a different barrel on the action.

Could you supply a couple of pictures of the left side of the rifle around the breach face area? I'm interested in what the end of the bolt looks like from the left side of the rifle. The bolt would have to securely lock the barrel up to the breach face, so there would be no barrel movement.
 
I have a couple of questions and /or observations.

The box--
I think this may be the original box in which the rifle was sent to your ancestor. The box is sturdy enough to survive shipment via rail or wagon. It looks like at one time there may have been a paper attached to the inside of the lid-perhaps an invoice or packing list was there? At each end of the box, there's an extra block of wood-are there screws in these block that maybe were used to hold down the barrel and stock of the rifle? I see were the extra block on the left side of the box has a concave cut in it-could that have been used to hold down the stock? Then there is the section of the box where the false muzzle and plunger would have been placed for shipment. And there's a wood screw on the lid of the box- clearly if this was a box for storing shooting accessories, there wouldn't be a wood screw there but some type of latch. I know you said that the box is too short for the rifle. I don't think so, and I'll explain that below.

The rifle-
It appears to me that the barrel can be removed from the rifle-
From your picture, at the breach end of the barrel, you can clearly see a line that runs around the end of the barrel (it actually cuts through the part of the bolster that surrounds the nipple). There is also a tab that extends from the lock face into the breach face to keep everything aligned and secured. You can also see what looks like the end of a bolt which passes through the breach face. My theory is that the breach plug, which is at the end of the barrel, has a tang that extends from it and that fits into the breach face, and the bolt I referred to above holds the barrel tight against the breach face. By removing the bolt, one could remove the barrel from the action-in effect, it become a take down rifle (the action become separated from the barrel), and therefore it could fit into the box, i.e. the shipping container. A lot of modern muzzle loading rifles have a type of hooked breach system which allows the barrel to be removed from the action- why not this one? The barrel could be removed for cleaning or to put a different barrel on the action.

Could you supply a couple of pictures of the left side of the rifle around the breach face area? I'm interested in what the end of the bolt looks like from the left side of the rifle. The bolt would have to securely lock the barrel up to the breach face, so there would be no barrel movement.
Very interesting input from our friend, Booner. I think he is on to something. Can you post the pictures he is requesting?
 
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