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Dealers Catalogue
Description
This is a gorgeous, cased, military sharpshooter's rifle by Thomas Turner
of Birmingham, England. Thomas Turner was a highly respected gun maker,
barrel maker and inventor. His small bore .451 Whitworth caliber rifles
were among the most popular in the early to mid 1860's, rivaled only
by the Whitworth and the London Armoury Company Kerr Rifle. The Thomas
Turner was imported by the South, along with the Whitworth and Kerr
rifles. It is interesting that this gun, while absolutely original,
has no external British proof marks. It has a hexagonal Whitworth type
bore coupled with a very fine front sight and an equally precise, military
style rear sight. The gun retains 98% of its original finish, with vivid
case colors on the lock assembly, the tang, the nose cap, trigger guard
and butt plate. It has its original nipple protector, brass tipped ramrod
and quick-detach swivels for the sling. The stock is figured walnut
with all the metal parts having a very high quality, floral pattern
engraving. The only markings on any of the exposed metal or wood is
on the lock plate (Thomas Turner/8 Fisher St/Birmingham). The case is
a deluxe mahogany casing that is lined with green leather. The original
flask, cap tin and bullet tin with six original, paper patched bullets
are present. The case is in superb condition, inside and out. When the
gun was found, the case was locked with no key. Someone broke the hinges
to get it open. They did not damage the wood. There are no gouge marks
anywhere and the hinges are restorable. When all is said and done, this
is an extremely fine Whitworth Rifle made by Thomas Turner at the beginning
of the American Civil War.
Comment
This rifle is unusually fitted with a Whitworth barrel. Turner patented
his own rifling (16th April 1860). Bill Curtis describes Turner's rifling
as "normally five groove, which started deep at the breech with
sloping sides and got shallower up the bore to half way where it changed
from sloping sides to straight sides and continued to get shallower
to the muzzle."
Tom Schiffer has
kindly provided this brief extract form Turner's patent:
"My improvements
in rifling consist in sinking the grooves parallel from the muzzle
through about six tenths, more or less, as may be desired, of the
length of the gun barrel or cannon I wish to rifle, and from there
to the breech I gradually increase the depth of the grooves, the edges
of which instead of being at right angles, as heretofore, I prifer
to be bevilled [sic] at an angle of about forty-five degrees; the
advantages of this plan are very great, as the act of loading may
be done with the same ease and facility with which rifled firearms
are now loaded, but in consequence of the quicker contraction of the
barrel from the breech and the natural expansion of the ball in front
of the charge, so impinges the barrel through the part that usually
becomes foul, that all fouling left from the preceeding charge is
carried away by the one following, and I effect this improved system
of rifling by so fashioning the rod that regulates the cutter that
according to the amount of inclination to be imparted to the rifling
towards the breech so is the rod more or less twisted, the spiral
of the twist increasing as the rifling deepens, and in rifling that
portion from the apex of the incline to the muzzle, the rod that regulates
the cutter (before referred to) is twisted in the reverse direction,
the twist or spiral being perfectly regular, by which means the rifling
through that portion is left perfectly parallel."
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