Shelburne Museum Gun Exhibit - WARNING 40 images

[FatJackDurham]

I went to the Shelburne Museum today. Admission was free to celebrate a new wing, but I went to see the Lock, Stock and Barrel exhibit of rare Vermont made firearms. The museum is itself is pretty unique. Instead of just bringing exhibits into their building... THEY BROUGHT WHOLE BUILDINGS AS WELL!!!! If you want to see the rest of the exhibits, I put the other photos at this link.

Here are the photos I took of the guns... For heavens sake, don't "quote" the whole message...






Check out this underhammer black powder rifle with a horizontal magazine....


Here is another unique one... I can't see where the hammer is, either....





My favorite gun, the Stevens... here is a range card for "20 rods", or 110 yards







Look at the size of the barrel on that lower gun. Later, There is a picture from the front that shows the bore, and a placard that shows the maker.





Notice all the underhammers. Vermont artisans made quite a lot of underhammers guns.








Is brass item the same as the bullet start below? I always wondered how you got the bullet started in the bore without damaging the bullet or the rifling....





Look at that long one..... I don't remember the date, but it started as a flintlock and was converted to percussion....









I was interested in the sight on this, then I noticed the front bores... woof.






Look closely. Made in 1864, a bolt action....

[Dusty Texian]

That is Awsome . Thank You for shareing ,,,,,Dusty

[gamekeeper]

Thanks for posting...

[Pitchy]

Want to make one of those sliding block rifles someday, great pictures.

[FatJackDurham]

Want to make one of those sliding block rifles someday, great pictures.

Is that what it's called with the horizontal magazine? Neat.

[ollogger]

Just like the pyramid's of long ago, no one can build em like that any more
thanks for the pix. That's great


ollogger

[Hobie]

It is a fantastic museum. Did you go down and see the Ticonderoga? My grandparents were several times aboard her when she was a working vessel.

As to the guns, I loved looking at the many underhammer guns. Lots with aperture sights. VERY neat.

[pdentrem]

Many of these I have only seen in books. Now I know where to go to see them in real life! Thanks for posting the pictures. Excellent.
Pierre

[bmtshooter]

Beautimous ! Wood & steel - still my favorite combination.

[Dan 444]

Very nice pictures. Thanks for posting!

Dan

[olyinaz]

Thanks for posting that! Very very nice - I really enjoyed the pics.

It is a fantastic museum. Did you go down and see the Ticonderoga? My grandparents were several times aboard her when she was a working vessel.

As to the guns, I loved looking at the many underhammer guns. Lots with aperture sights. VERY neat.

Two nice under hammer target pistols at my local shop right now. WAY too much $$, but very nice indeed. Regarding the Ti: http://shelburnemuseum.org/collections/ ... conderoga/

[Ray Newman]

Underhammers and harmonica rifles are really interesting. For fast ignition, you can not beat an underhammer.

RE: The 20 road/6 shot target shot with the 55 caliber Lewis/Brockway rifle. Is the rfile on display? Brockway was a very well known and much respected muzzle loading target rifle gunsmith.

The "brass ring" is the false muzzle. Some were cut off from the muzzle after rifling so as to start the bullet into the rifling.The one is question looks non-rifled. The false muzzle were fabricated high enough or had a pin to interfere with sighting to prevent the false muzzle from being fired down range.

Some really interesting firearms in the collection.

[FatJackDurham]

Hobie,

That is Awesome! I never met anyone who rode her. Yes, I posed a link at the top with pics from the rest of the museum.

Pdentrem, only to Oct. 31, so maybe you should drop by!

[Hawkeye2]

The Shelburne Museum is probably the most interesting museum on the face of the earth! Anyone who can should go there and plan on taking at least two days to see it. Their collection of Americana and folk art is outstanding (they have an entire house devoted to duck decoys). The documentary film of how they moved the Ticonderoga overland from the lake to the museum is well worth watching, it was quite a feat.

http://shelburnemuseum.org/

[bdhold]

that is quite a droolfest - thanks for posting

[mod71alaska]

FatJackdurham,

Thanks for posting your wonderful photos of Vermont Americana! The Shelburne Museum, endowed by the Rockefeller Family who have (or had) homes in Woodstock, VT, is one of the finest Americana museums in the United States. Also included in their exhibits is one of the country's best collection of American handmade quilts. I used to buy/sell and collect handmade Appalachian and Amish quilts and brought several quilts to the Shelburne Museum. The museum curator gave me a private tour of their collection, which was closed at the time, including notable quilts that were not on exhibit. What an experience for an average person such as myself with just an interest in collecting quilts!

(FJD, I live just up the road from you on Rt. 2 in NH. If you're ever over this way drop me a PM and stop by. Your Northeast Kingdom is the BEST of Vermont! I have especially enjoyed the times driving the backroads and Smuggler's Notch during fall foliage. I try to get to Johnson Woolen Mills once in a while now, too. I've worn Johnson wool for more than 40 years, including 30 in Alaska.)

Thanks again for posting your wonderful photos!

Victor

[FatJackDurham]

FatJackdurham,


(FJD, I live just up the road from you on Rt. 2 in NH. If you're ever over this way drop me a PM and stop by. Your Northeast Kingdom is the BEST of Vermont! I have especially enjoyed the times driving the backroads and Smuggler's Notch during fall foliage. I try to get to Johnson Woolen Mills once in a while now, too. I've worn Johnson wool for more than 40 years, including 30 in Alaska.)

Thanks again for posting your wonderful photos!

Victor

Heya! I used to drive that way on my way to Dalton! For sure we should get together sometime. Thanks!

[Ben_Rumson]

That long barreled converted gun is interesting!
The rifle below it marked as flintlock, is the 1817 common rifle, a US martial arm. Its hinged oval iron patch box is the major clue ... However all of the contractors that produced them were from Middletown Connecticut, the rifles are so marked. Therefore is Middletown a border town with Vermont?

[FatJackDurham]

No, Connecticut doesnt touch VT.

However, it's possible that some of the components were made in VT, too. Apparently, there is a Precision museum in Windsor that talks about how VT made some specific precision components for other gun makers. I need to go down there next to get the story.

[Ben_Rumson]

Thanks! that would be some good info..

[Hobie]

Hobie,

That is Awesome! I never met anyone who rode her. Yes, I posed a link at the top with pics from the rest of the museum.

Pdentrem, only to Oct. 31, so maybe you should drop by!

My grandmother's family had a place on Lake George from 1884 and they went up from "the city", aka New York City, specifically Staten Island, every summer and spent the summer there. In so doing they had "adventures" round and about and as the four sisters got older, they were courted by young men from all about. Grandmother LOVED her time there and I certainly understand why. I would live there were it not for the gun laws and taxes.

[FatJackDurham]

No gun laws in vermont, but the taxes are pretty bad.

[Ben_Rumson]

Guys... A sorry bunch of levergun historians we are... Just above the photo captioned "My favorite gun, the Stevens... here is a range card for "20 rods", or 110 yards" is a photo of two leverguns..one is the grand father of the Henry rifle..The Jennings Rifle... a tube fed repeater... the one above it is the Ball Rifle, loaded from the side into a tube under the barrel with the "lever" down that used Spencer 56-50 ammo. Looks to me like it might have been a better gun than the Spencer, requiring no separate loading tube...
The two looked familiar to me and today I remembered to Google the Ball Rifle which I identified at first and subsequent research ID'd the Jennings...

[FatJackDurham]

I was refering to the stevens below, though after reading the range card, i realize the range card was for a muzzle load.

[Ben_Rumson]

I was referring to the two Vermont made early leverguns...

[FatJackDurham]

THat was the case that had the cool swag.....