Doc Coles SASS 1188 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 I dropped by the gun shop the other day just after they put out an 1872 New York State Militia rolling block in 50-70. The bore is bright and strong but there was some light rust on the gun, which was delivered in the white. Nothing too serious and it should clean up well. Always fun to have a new gun and this is my third 50-70. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 The twist is the reason that the early .50-70s left a lot of accuracy to be required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Coles SASS 1188 Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 Well, I love them for what they are. A hollow based bullet helps with the early 50-70s as there was a lot of variation in bore diameter. But heck, I have a lot of other rifles to shoot, including a Shiloh sharps in 50-70. I don’t need this one to be a tack driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 i like the looks of that one , i think you snagged a good one , congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major E A Sterner #12916 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Gotta wonder how a NYS Militia rifle found it's way to Alaska? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Coles SASS 1188 Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 Yeah, you wonder. Some interesting things make their way up here, but I also have to buy things on the wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Does that have the automatic safety, where the hammer drops into a safety notch when the breechblock is closed? I think all the NYS Militia rifles and carbines have that. I used to have one of each, but sold them years ago. Just got tired of them, I guess. Have fun! Happy Chanukah to all my Jewish pards! Merry Christmas to all, and may your stockings be strong enough to hold any iron you may find there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Coles SASS 1188 Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share Posted December 22, 2019 Yep, it has the half cock safety. It’s an interesting feature developed for this model. I have the barrel and action out of the stock to be cleaned up. With the armory bright finish, that’s a pretty straight forward job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafe Conager SASS #56958 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Gotta wonder how a NYS Militia rifle found it's way to Alaska? Probably found its way during the Alaskan gold rush. Lots of military and state militia sold their surplus weapons when replacing them with newer versions. Gold seekers would bring whatever they could find to protect their claims, or merchants would sell items that they had bought cheap at inflated prices. Rafe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokie, SASS # 6061 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Nice find Doc, I just picked up some oldies/goldies myself. Just have to love the antiques and wonder about their histories. Smokie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Coles SASS 1188 Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 Probably found its way during the Alaskan gold rush. Lots of military and state militia sold their surplus weapons when replacing them with newer versions. Gold seekers would bring whatever they could find to protect their claims, or merchants would sell items that they had bought cheap at inflated prices. Rafe I presented a paper at a conference a while back about a collection of gun parts recovered from an excavation in a Native village on the north slope of Alaska. Aside from parts from an 1866, all the parts were from surplus guns found in the period Bannerman’s catalogue. Research showed that whaling ships that came to hunt whales would buy surplus guns and ammunition to trade to the Native whalers for baleen. Alaska Natives were very creative in keeping these guns working. I have seen reloading tools made from walrus ivory and bullet molds hand made from slate in walrus ivory mold handles. This gun would have been on the surplus market at the time of the gold rush, so it’s possible it came here that way. Based on my examination of historic photographs (I have been pondering a book on firearms in Alaska) single shot rifles were not common among whites who came north during the rush. You see a lot of Winchester 1894s and 1895s, with a good representation of 1886s in the photographs. The single shot’s claim to fame during westward expansion was that it could handle more powerful cartridges than the available lever actions. Once the 1886 was invented, they lost their advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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