SCARCE BREECH LOADING ENGLISH SPORTING RIFLE BY JOSEPH GRIFFIN, LONDON, CIRCA 1780.

SN NSN. While the famous rifle invented by Patrick Ferguson and used at King’s Mountain during the Revolutionary War was a breech loader with a trigger guard that unscrewed, very few British breech loading rifles of this period use the actual Ferguson system in which a breech plug went through the top of the bbl and unscrewed with a single turn of the trigger guard. The present example by Joseph Griffin loads from the bottom rather than the top and requires eight turns of the trigger guard to open or close. Lock is simple with gooseneck cock and bridled frizzen. Signed “Griffin”. Gold lined touch hole. Bbl with London proofs stamped “IG” for John Griffin and further signed “Griffin London”. Bbl of musket bore is deeply rifled. Full stock with no provision for ramrod as rifle is breech-loading. The simple steel mounts are unadorned. A very nice example of an early English breech loading rifle by one of London’s famous makers. PROVENANCE: John Hill, M.D. Collection of Dr. Douglas Sirkin. CONDITION: Lock deep age brown with legible signature. Bbl with deep age brown and cleaned near the breech. Walnut full stock very crisp with no breaks or cracks and 200 years of natural patination. 4-49740 (5,000-10,000) – Lot 2468

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2014

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2468	$2,950.00	SCARCE BREECH LOADING ENGLISH SPORTING RIFLE BY JOSEPH GRIFFIN, LONDON, CIRCA 1780. SN NSN. While the famous rifle invented by Patrick Ferguson and used at King’s Mountain during the Revolutionary War was a breech loader with a trigger guard that unscrewed, very few British breech loading rifles of this period use the actual Ferguson system in which a breech plug went through the top of the bbl and unscrewed with a single turn of the trigger guard. The present example by Joseph Griffin loads from the bottom rather than the top and requires eight turns of the trigger guard to open or close. Lock is simple with gooseneck cock and bridled frizzen. Signed “Griffin”. Gold lined touch hole. Bbl with London proofs stamped “IG” for John Griffin and further signed “Griffin London”. Bbl of musket bore is deeply rifled. Full stock with no provision for ramrod as rifle is breech-loading. The simple steel mounts are unadorned. A very nice example of an early English breech loading rifle by one of London’s famous makers. PROVENANCE: John Hill, M.D. Collection of Dr. Douglas Sirkin. CONDITION: Lock deep age brown with legible signature. Bbl with deep age brown and cleaned near the breech. Walnut full stock very crisp with no breaks or cracks and 200 years of natural patination. 4-49740 (5,000-10,000) – Lot 2468 Auction: Firearms - Spring 2014 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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SCARCE BREECH LOADING ENGLISH SPORTING RIFLE BY JOSEPH GRIFFIN, LONDON, CIRCA 1780.