CHRISTOPHER GUMPF SIGNED AMERICAN TRADE RIFLE

CHRISTOPHER GUMPF SIGNED AMERICAN TRADE RIFLE

01-24786
Cal. .48 caliber
NSN

56.5″ overall. 41.5″ octagonal barrel. 9.5 pounds. Pictured and described on pages90-91 of “The Fur Trade”, author Milton Von Damm: “Johan Christopher Gumpf was a quality Lancaster gunsmith who joined with other Lancaster arms makers to make militia rifles for the American Revolution, arms for U.S. Indian Trade Factories, and rifles for militia in the War of 1812. He was born in 1760 and died in 1844. He and his five gunsmith sons had a gun making history that spanned 100 years from 1787 to 1887. Christopher worked closely with the Dickert De Huff consortium and his Lancaster pattern rifles were plain and sturdy. The stock has a very similar trivium patch box to the Dickert-Gill and Peter Gonter rifles. Gumpf made Indian trade rifles for the U.S. Trade Factories between 1803 and 1807.

The wide buttstock and slender wrist suggests this is an early Lancaster Pattern fur trade rifle of the type being purchased by traders in St. Louis for trips up the Missouri in the early 1800’s. The lock is not marked. The barrel is marked with a faint C. Gumpf in script. The original ramrod is striped and still has its worm on the end. Christopher Gumpf made some Lancaster pattern rifles for the American Fur company in 1830 but this rifle is earlier

This rifle is in untouched, attic condition and has seen hard use, evidenced by the brass repairs at the barrel breech. The brass plate in front of the trigger guard probably means the gun was carried on horseback. The ramrod ferrules are octagonal.”

PROVENANCE: from The Lifelong Collection of author Milton Von Damm.

STATUS: ANTIQUE