HENRY DERINGER – INDIAN TRADE RIFLE, CIRCA 1810

 HENRY DERINGER – INDIAN TRADE RIFLE, CIRCA 1810

01-24773
Cal. .42 caliber
NSN

59.25″ overall. 44″ octagonal barrel. Pictured on pages 96 and 97 in “The Fur Trade”, author Milton Von Damm: “Henry Deringer was a Philadelphia gunsmith who made Indian and military guns for the Government as well as sporting guns .He had his own gun manufacturing business in Philadelphia from 1808 to1868 where he because a favorite of Tench Coxe, the politically powerful Purveyor of Public Supplies. They both worked in Philadelphia, and Deringer made good products and received many government contracts.

This rifle is one of earliest Indian rifles from the Deringer contracts with the Offices of Indian Trade. Deringer rifle contracts began in 1809 and lasted until 1837. These rifles supplied the government operated trading posts, or “Factories” and after 1826 an annuity payments for relocated, mainly southern, tribes. The 1809-1811 contracts were the only ones which contained rifles with .42 caliber bores. Subsequent contracts specified larger calibers.

This rifle was purchased at an auction in England in 2007. the lock is marked H. DERINGER over PHILADA and the barrel is marked PHILA on the top flat and has some punch decorations along its length. The stock has brass tacks behind the trigger guard, the oval copper ornament is missing from the cheek, and there is a place for holding a pin for cleaning the touch hole.”

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

STATUS: ANTIQUE