Lot - FINE! ANTIQUE U.S. HARPERS FERRY HALLS MODEL 1819 FLINTLOCK .52 CAL. BREECH LOADING RIFLE WITH BAYONET

Fine! Antique U.S. Harpers Ferry Halls Model 1819 Flintlock .52 cal. Breech Loading Rifle with Bayonet. Markings: The top of the receiver is marked “J.H. HALL / H FERRY / US / 1838”. There are no visible markings on the bayonet. Sights: The rear sight is a “V”-notch dovetailed to the barrel. The front offset sight/bayonet lug is installed matching the offset rear sight. Please note, the sights were designed to be off center by about 30 degrees to the left of the vertical axis of the barrel, this is not a defect. Stock Configuration: The stock is one-piece smooth wood. There are three barrel bands all secured by pins. There is a slot for the included ramrod. The stock also features a straight wrist with finger grooves integral to the bottom tang, a straight comb and metal butt-plate. The M1819 Hall Rifle was designed by John Hancock Hall in 1811 and it is one of the first breech-loaded rifles to be adopted in large numbers by a national military. The rifle’s design was accepted for service in the U.S. Army in 1819 following several trials. Production was primarily carried out at Harpers Ferry Arsenal and by Simeon North, a Connecticut based arms manufacturer. One of the most revolutionary aspects of the rifle was that it was the first firearm ever successfully manufactured with completely interchangeable parts (Reily, Robert M., United States Martial Flintlocks: A Comprehensive Illustrated History of the Flintlock in America From the Revolution to the Demise of the System. (Lincoln, Andrew Mowbray Inc., 1997) P. 138). It was not the first breech loaded rifle, it was preceded by the British Ferguson Rifle which saw limited service during the American Revolutionary War. Although the Ferguson was used by British forces in the late 18th century, only a very small number were manufactured. On the other hand, the Hall Rifle was mass produced with well over 20,000 rifles made and around 27,000 carbine variants manufactured between both Harpers Ferry and Simeon North. Many Hall Rifles were eventually converted to the percussion ignition system. The Halls Rifle saw use in a number of conflicts, but the simplicity and lower costs associated with conventional muzzleloaders left it underappreciated when it was in service. Despite this, the breech-loaded design would go on to influence the Sharps and Spencer designs that came to prominence during the Civil War. In March of 1827 a new order for 3,000 rifles was placed with Hall at the Rifle Works, and the following year another 6,000 rifles were ordered. These “2nd Production” Rifles from what Schmidt refers to as the 2nd & 3rd contracts, were delivered between 1832 and 1834. The largest change (or improvement) found in these guns over their predecessors is the change from the use of band springs to secure to the barrel bands to the use of longitudinal pins to secure the bands. The only other change was an attempt to further standardize the screws used in the production of the guns, and while the size of the screw and the number of threads was already standardized, it appears that the pitch of the threads was not, and this meant that sometimes the screws would not interchange as they should. The 2nd Production rifles featured fully interchangeable screws, as well as all other parts. During the time that the first 11,000 rifles were produced the “Rifle Works” had operated in a sort of strange limbo of being a public-private partnership. It was not really an official part of the Harpers Ferry Armory and had actually been excluded from drawing supplies and stores from the main arsenal. Hall was a civilian employee with an annual salary and was paid an additional $1 per rifle royalty. The production of the rifles was contracted for by the government and paid for by public funds, but Hall had to operate the facility out of the income from the sale of the rifles to the government and cover all expenses. This included covering the payroll out of these payments. Hall consistently ran over budget at the facility and was often hard pressed to pay his employees. In the fall of 1834, the status of the Rifle Works was officially changed, making it part of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal system and Hall was re-designated as the Master Armorer of the Rifle Works. At this time as well, an 1834 dated order for 4,000 Hall Rifles (aka “3rd Production Rifles”) was increased to 5,000. These rifles would be delivered between 1837 and 1838. The final batch of Hall flintlock rifles was produced and delivered between 1840 and 1841. The primary difference between the 2nd and 3rd production rifles were the inclusion of “protectors” in the 3rd production rifles. These were metal blocks added to the breechblock supporters that helped to absorb and distribute recoil. The other minor change was an increase in the size of the gas port slits in the frame of the rifle, extending them from 4” to 4.45” in length and widening them from .1” to .175” in width. John Hall would remain at the Rifle Works nearly to the end of production of the US Model 1819 Rifle, but was forced to request a medical leave in January of 1840 due to failing health. Hall never returned to Harpers Ferry and died in February of 1841. The production of the Hall flintlock rifle ended at about the same time as Hall’s death, and no flintlock rifles were delivered from Harpers Ferry after 1841, although some 4,200 percussion Hall Rifles were made up during 1841 and 1842. Initially, the Hall Rifle was intended only for issue to specialty troops, as the standard US military long arm for the infantry was the smoothbore musket and rifles were not regularly issued. It was subsequently decided that the rifles could be issued to the “Light Companies” of infantry regiments, those who were often called upon for skirmish duty and were usually the flank companies in a line of battle. By April of 1832 it was decided to arm the majority of the 6th US Infantry with Hall Rifles, and they used them quite effectively during the Black Hawk War that year. The Hall Rifle was particularly popular with southern state militias, and nearly 2,500 were issued to the various states under the Militia Act of 1808 during 1836 alone. During the Seminole Wars the rifles proved to be extremely popular with state troops fighting in the Florida swamps, and some of the rifles even saw service during the Mexican American War with Tennessee volunteer troops, the Rochester Union Grays of New York (as part of the 10th US Infantry) and the Missouri Mounted Volunteers in Santa Fe. Even though the Hall was issued in some quantity and was popular with state troops, it did have its detractors and some design issues. Many soldiers found the fact that gas often leaked from the seam between the breechblock and barrel to be somewhat troublesome. This had to be both distracting and potentially hazardous. As the rifle saw more and more use, the face of the breechblock and breech would experience some erosion from the hot gas, which only increased the gap and allowed more leakage. The gas leakage was a well-known design issue and it was for that reason that gas escape ports were originally incorporated into the frame of the rifle, to help reduce stock erosion. These ports were even enlarged during the last major production run of the rifles, to allow more gas to escape from the sides, rather than burning the interior of the stock. At the outbreak of the Civil War, large numbers of Hall Rifles were in southern state arsenals, and many were subsequently altered to percussion for use by Confederate soldiers. Some Hall rifles ended up having a service life of nearly four decades, as some of the guns originally produced during the 1820s saw service again in percussion form during the 1860s. Serial Number: NSN | Caliber / Gauge: .54 cal. | LOP: 14" | Working Order: Firearm has not been tested | Background Check: Not Required | Keywords: Firearms, Guns, Firearm; Ref: BD3301

Provenance: This piece supposedly came from the William Bill Ruger firearm collection and has the original hanging tag from his collection.
Dimensions: 32.7" barrel
Circa: 1838
Notes: Includes bayonet and ramrod.
Condition: This rifle is in excellent condition with minor signs of wear commensurate with age and handling. The gun has a tight and crisp action that works exactly as it should and still seems to have a very tight gas seal. The breechblock locks tightly and securely into positions and the hammer locks crisply into both the half cock and full cock positions. The breechblock has a lovely mottled gray appearance, retaining much of the original case colored patterning, which has faded and dulled. The interior of the block shows some more coloration. The barrel of the rifle retains about 80%-90% of the original arsenal applied lacquer brown finish, with some thinning and wear, mostly minor scrapes from handling, storage and use. The majority of the finish loss is scattered along the top of the barrel, and along the high edges and contact points. The exposed metal where the finish has been worn off has a medium steel gray patina. The bore is bright and shiny with strong rifling. No visible pitting or erosion. The stock is in amazing condition and does not have any signs of the normal "H" crack behind the receiver which is present in most stocks that were made for the model 1819. Please review the photos for details and condition.

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Lot 2004

FINE! ANTIQUE U.S. HARPERS FERRY HALLS MODEL 1819 FLINTLOCK .52 CAL. BREECH LOADING RIFLE WITH BAYONET

FINE! ANTIQUE U.S. HARPERS FERRY HALLS MODEL 1819 FLINTLOCK .52 CAL. BREECH LOADING RIFLE WITH BAYONET

Current Bid: $2,150

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