The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I just got what appears to be a long rifle from GB. Can anyone tell me what I have?. Here are some pics.


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Civilian not military, caplock, looks like a small caliber rifle barrel, maybe .45-.50 needs a good cleaning and oiling. Probably mid-late 19th century, but could be a poorly cared for repop. Good photos of markings? Any name on it? Rifling in the bore?

Looks like a hexagonal bore; never seen one like that. I know some of the Whitworth target rifles have a special bore and bullet that was utilized. This looks more like someone's homeade rifle.

I'm adding one more pic.


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Why the double triggers? Do they both do something or was this converted fron a double barrel shotgun?

I believe its called a set trigger. It gives the main trigger a very light pull.

I think what I have, after doing some research, is a Kentucky squirrel gun. it is .32 and seems to match the squirrel rifles on the web. Any one for squirrel snacks?


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Have you found a makers name on it? The Kentucky Squirrel rifle is one of the most popular of BP front stuffers and has been the subject of countless custom rifle builds over the last 60 years or so. I am not talking about mass produced ones like CVA, but real hand crafted from top quality parts sort of builds. In the 60's and 70's it seemed everyone was building one of these. The original would date the the 1830's and 40's, but the design was still in use as late as the 1920's. Alvin York, the WW1 hero, used a rifle like yours for hunting both before and after the war, and that was in the teens. It's hard to tell from pics, but that rifle of yours looks newer than the 1840's, it looks like with some cleaning it could go back into service.

BubbaDX wrote:I believe its called a set trigger. It gives the main trigger a very light pull.

Correct. The forward trigger releases the hammer. If you pull the rearward trigger (after the rifle is cocked) you breathe on the front trigger to fire. I believe it is adjustable with a tiny set screw in between the two triggers. I own a Thompson center Hawken Flint lock with this set up..

Jonk wrote:I think what I have, after doing some research, is a Kentucky squirrel gun. it is .32 and seems to match the squirrel rifles on the web. Any one for squirrel snacks?


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That barrel doesn't look good I don't know much myself but I would have it inspected by someone who knows before I tried to fire it.

That's how it works, I have it on my Sharps 1874, and the Hatfield rifle. The set trigger is a serious riflemans tool back when rifles had one shot.

I have the set triggers on myThompson Renegade and Hawken, and you are right JYD, it is a serious rifleman's tool! It turns the hunting rifle into a target worthy tack driver.

Mine on my Traditions Hawken helped me take a doe at 125 yds.