A beautifully made, beautifully finished rifle in wonderful condition
HH Wolcott (Henry Huntington; b. 1816-d. 1890), New York.
Wolcott was president of Starr Arms Co. during the civil war. This finely made rifle was likely an attempt to enter the civilian market.
NY single shot rifle patented Nov. 27, 1866 (No. 60,106). See pages 104-105 in Digest of U.S. Patents Relating to Breech Loading and Magazine Small Arms 1836-1873 by V.D. Stockbridge (referred to always as Stockbridge). Refer to Tag #8 in “Bird Book”.
This rifle is pictured and discussed in “The H.H. Wolcott Post Civil War Rifle” by G. Thomas Puett in The Gun Report (photocopy of article included) and was manufactured by Henry Huntington Wolcott (1816-1890) based on his Nov. 27, 1866, patent for a breech loading firearm. He was the president of Starr Arms Co. through the Civil War, and the select few rifles and carbines manufactured based on his patent were likely manufactured in the Starr plant in the highly competitive and tight firearms market of the post-war era.
The rifle has a blade front sight, notch and folding ladder rear sight, “H.H. WOLCOTT” on the upper tang and top of the barrel at the breech, varnished walnut stock and forearm with some attractive figure. This is the only Wolcott rifle the writer has ever seen, and very few are believed to have been built.
Item Date: Patented Nov. 27, 1866 [No serial number]
Measurement: .44-caliber rimfire
Material: Figured walnut stock
Item Condition: Fine overall with 75% plus of the lightly thinning original blue finish on the barrel, 30% of the faded original case colors, stronger case colors on the hammer, some slight oxidation, mild wear at the edges of the butt, and minor marks and scratches. Mechanically fine.
Literature: Published within The Bill Bird Collection book by Tom Rowe.
Price: $5,350
SKU 308-685
For More Information, Please Contact David Hillier at 978-597-8084 or email drh@aaawt.com.
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