3542 1816 HENRY DERINGER INDIAN TRADE FUSIL..

Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 1,500.00 USD
Estimated at 3,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
Cal. .54 caliber. NSN. 43.5" overall. 28.25" octagonal to round barrel. Pictured and described on pages 100-102 in "THE FUR TRADE". Author, Milton von Damm: "Henry Deringer Jr. was the first American gun maker to make Indian Trade Fusils. He delivered a total of 130 fusils (Northwest guns), 30 in 1815 and 100 in 1816, to the U.S. Office of Indian Trade for distribution, mainly to the government trading posts at Fort Osage and Prairie du Chein. They were copied after and intended to compete with Indian Trade Fusils made in England and Belgium. However, Superintendent McKinney concluded they were too expensive and traders complained that the guns were inferior to the imported products. As a result these were the only Indian fusils ever ordered by the government for their Factories. This is a rare Deringer Indian Trade gun from the 1815/1816 contracts. It has the large trigger guard, the serpent sideplate and the correct marks on the barrel, DERINGER, PHILA. the barrel proof marks include the letter P and an Office of Indian Trade inspector's mark unique to these guns, the letter K. However, there are several unanswered questions. The 1816 ITF locks are marked DERINGER over PHILADA at the lock tail, with an eagle under the pan but this lock is unmarked. Oddly, the buttplate is the iron rifle style. Indian Trade fusils typically have a barrel that is octagon for the first 7 or 8 inches from the breech, then round to the muzzle. This gun conforms to that pattern and it has the deep trigger guard of an ITF. However, the round portion of the barrel wall is thicker than the typical fusil and the caliber is .54, not the normal .60 to .62 usually found on Indian Trade Fusils and thus appears to be a smoothbore rifle barrel. Additionally, the barrel has a rear sight which is not found on ITF's unless they are added. The butt of the stock is thick and is clearly a rifle style. One feasible explanation to this dilemma is that the gun was completely rebuilt during its working life with a variety of parts. A more likely explanation is that this is one of the Deringer guns ordered with thicker barrels and is a smoothbore rifle with a short barrel, mounted like an Indian Trade Fusil. Although early gun making had many non standard variations it is not likely that Deringer would allow such." CONDITION: "as found", good. Missing ramrod and thimble inset. PROVENANCE: Lifelong Collection of author Milton Von Damm. (01-24796/JS). ANTIQUE. $3,000-4,000.