This English Trade gun is a replica of the early English flint guns that were used in North America to trade with the Native Americans for fur during the boom of the fur trade era. This trade gun is offered as used with a bright bore. This short lightweight gun will be a joy to carry all day in the field. With an overall weight of only 4.7 pounds and a trigger reach of 13-5/8" this trade gun is nicely setup for today's average size shooter.
The .56 caliber smoothbore barrel is 30" in length. The barrel is tapered octagon-to-round with two small wedding band transitions. The .562" bore is bright and has been well maintained. A small brass blade is soldered directly behind the muzzle. A large brass rear sight is dovetailed 3" from the breech. This style of rear sight is correct for these early smoothbores. Presence of the rear sight eliminates the gun from N.M.L.R.A. Trade gun matches. The exterior is polished bright and shows many small file marks that were not polished out during the build.
Stocked in a maple finished to a light blond color, the stock has a hand hewn appearance. We note some inletting gaps, and there is a large chip extending back from the muzzle on the left side of the forearm. The brass buttplate has an attractive comb finial, hand engraved with a few lines with a floral pattern. The buttplate is attached with small iron brads. An engraved inlay decorates the top of the wrist. This flint fowling gun has a very sleek architecture, a bit more petite than a typical trade gun. It is very light, easy to carry, and a delight to hold and aim. The long baluster wrist is a classic early feature of fusils and trade guns from Europe.
The bottom view shows the brass triggerguard is correctly mounted with iron screws. Notice that the tang screw is inverted, a feature that is most often found on English guns made for the Indian trade. One corrugated or ribbed brass forward ramrod pipe retains the tapered hickory ramrod. The ramrod does not have any provisions for threaded accessories. We recommend our #RAMROD-C-36-10 to service this trade gun. No ramrod entry pipe, and no forend cap is fitted in Trade Gun fashion. A simple brass sideplate has three lock bolts that pass through, and all three are working bolts, which retain the lock plate at three points. Later guns were fitted with two lock bolts, and finally reduced to a single lock bolt.
Ignition for the trade gun is provided by this flint lock by R.E. Davis. The early round faced lock plate has a few lines of decorative floral engraving on the cock and plate, along with the name HADDOCK engraved onto the plate. This lock is polished to match the barrel. We recommend our English 7/8" gun flints for this lock. The direct drilled touch hole is well centered on the pan, correctly positioned above the pan, where the flash is most intense. The single trigger is pinned high, to provide good leverage, and a smooth light trigger release.
This early Trade Gun has the appearance of an antique. Ready to go, this lightweight trade gun is begging to be in the woods next fall. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
