I knew that, here are some pictures of the Whitneyville rifle I asked about.

[retired05]

I hope these pictures help.

Information

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[Patrick Chadwick]

Thanks for the photos. They certainly do help. Now we can all see that it is not a cartridge rifle, but a percussion carbine. But not a military rifle. Possibly a cut-down of a full-length rifle. Which raises the question: why should it be marked 45-60? Could you please post a photo of the 45-60 marking?

The backsight is unusual. It looks like the kind of backsight usually found on lever-action rifles and carbines.
The ramrod fitted in a thimble attached to the barrel is a feature usually associated with percussion shotguns.

[WarPig1976]

Could the hammer be modern? I asked because it looks very similar to the hammer on a pistol I built from a kit years ago.

[Patrick Chadwick]

retired06, your latest photo clearly shows 45-60 - a cartridge designation - on a percussion rifle.

Unless someone comes up with another explanation, I must conclude that the barrel and backsight were taken from a "donor" BPCR and fitted to an old percussion remnant. I use the word remnant, because the percussion portion itself appears to be a cut-down from a long rifle.

In other words, it does not appear to be an original of any type, rather an opportunistic mixture.

For your sake, I would prefer to be wrong, as this opinion must be disappointing to you. But it does underline that a) photos are of prime importance in any kind of evaluation, and b) seller's verbal claims and explanations are all too often not worth the paper they aren't written on. If you bought it for a price based on the premise that you were getting an original Whitney gun, then I consider that you have grounds for returning it to the seller or requesting a price reduction.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Could the hammer be modern? I asked because it looks very similar to the hammer on a pistol I built from a kit years ago.

I was wondering a bit myself. The style is not reliable as a proof, as good replicas are based on real originals. But for the one item on a percussion rifle that is usually the most battered, it does seem a trifle fresh. It would be necessary to remove the hammer and look on the back surface. If it is forged, with traces of filing marks, then it is more likely to be original than if it is cast. However, the real killer feature is 45-60 stamped on the barrel of a percussion rifle.

---------- Post added at 10:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 PM ----------

...Notice the two gouges at the bottom of the lockplate?
...Notice how they do not carry over into the wood.
...Notice how the gap between lockplate and wood has been filled.

I doubt that this lock is original to the stock.

[gsimmons]

The prportions

---------- Post added at 04:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 PM ----------

The proportions look all off to me as well.

[retired05]

I thought all along that this rifle was a mutt. I thought I was bidding on a Remington Rolling Block at an auction but I was wrong. Should have paid more attention to what was going on. Still, as soon as I can get some bullets, I will try it out. Thank you everyone for your comments.

[gew8805]

Let us know how it does.

The gun is relatively new, my guess as to age is about 30 or 40 years old. The only part with any age to it is the barrel which is from the third quarter of the 19th Century and as suggested above it appears to have been made from a breech loading arm. The barrel band may also date back that far. The lock and it's side plate date from the 1970s as does the trigger guard. The butt plate was made at the time the gun was built and is well done but not historically correct in it's construction, butt plates are usually cast. The stock is a little course but shows good effort by an inexperienced builder.

All the above being said, it may turn out to shoot pretty well after you have found the proper patch and ball combination as well as the best powder charge. Remember to start low and work your way up slowly and carefully; unless the breech plug is pulled to check the threads, you have no way of knowing if it is properly done, it may be best to have a black powder experienced gunsmith pull it to check it first.