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LOT 1162
Rare William Billinghurst Percussion Revolving Over/Under Combination Gun - NSN,
46 gauge, 27 1/4 and 30 1/2 inch solid rib bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. William Billinghurst
(1807-1880) of Rochester, New York, was one of the most famous firearms makers of his day, producing revolving rifles,
shotguns, and a few over/under combination shotgun/rifles like this, in both pill lock and percussion. The cylinder is manually rotated by
releasing a latch mounted on the bottom of the barrels ahead of the cylinder. The barrel has a small blade front sight and a notch rear sight and is
signed “W. BILLINGHURST, ROCHESTER,N.Y.” on top at the breech. The seven-shot cylinder is finely serrated for easier grip. The niter blue finished hammer
has scroll and border engraving. The smooth walnut straight grip stock has a checkered wrist and smooth steel buttplate. Wooden ramrods mounted on both sides of
the barrels. Front trigger for the upper hammer, rear trigger for the bottom hammer. 27 1/4 inch round rifled upper barrel measuring at approximately .46 caliber, 30
1/2 inch centrally located 12 gauge smoothbore shotgun barrel that the cylinder revolves around, similar to the LeMat revolvers of the time.
CONDITION: Very good with smooth brown patina, half of the niter blue finish remaining on the hammer, some scattered light freckling and wear. Stock is good as
sanded and re-oiled, with a reattached cracked section visible on the left of the wrist, and scattered scratches and dents. The front of the trigger
guard is detached from the the bottom of the frame. Mechanically needs work, as the cylinder is nearly seized (requires lots of force to rotate),
otherwise the hammers function.
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 5,000 - 8,000
LOT 1160
Exhibition Quality Panel Scene Engraved J. & J. Miller Revolving Pill Lock Rifle with Gold Fittings
- NSN, 50 cal., 36 inch part octagon bbl., brown/casehardened finish, highly figured walnut stock. Manufactured
between 1835-1850, these Miller patent revolving rifles were commonly called Billinghurst rifles because William Billinghurst of
Rochester, New York, was the most prolific and well-known maker of the rifles. At least 15 gunsmiths made revolving rifles under the
Miller patent, and it is estimated that only a few hundred were made in total. With over a dozen known makers, surviving examples of revolving
rifles using the Miller patent show a variety of variations including varying calibers, barrel lengths, barrel styles and number of cylinder chambers. Each is a unique glimpse into mid-19th
century craftsmanship and design. This J.&J. Miller marked rifle follows the basic pattern of the Miller patent, operates with pill lock ignition and has the distinctive front latch on the cylinder. Very tiny pills containing the fulminate
are retained in small receptacles in the cylinder by use of bees wax. The pill lock, or pellet lock, was originally patented by renowned London gunsmith Joseph Manton in the early 19th century. The seven shot cylinder is rotated
manually by releasing the latch located in front of the cylinder on the bottom of the barrel lug. James Miller patented this system on June 11, 1829, under U.S. patent number 203 (the original patent record was lost in the fire
of 1836). This is one of the earliest revolving firearm patents and pre-dates the automatic cocking and locking system that Colt patented in 1836. The manually operated cylinder is serrated for an easier grip. The top barrel flat is
marked “J. & J. Miller Rochester” in Gothic lettering, the top of the breech ahead of the cylinder is non-factory numbered “1735”, and the lock plate is marked “J. & J. MILLER”. The lock plate is engraved with a panel scene of a dog
running through grassland with trees and a fence ahead of a bordered section with a motif, and the rear frame section, trigger guard and buttplate feature fine floral engraved motifs and borders. The barrel is equipped with fixed
sights and solid under rib carrying a hickory ramrod. The cylinder and barrel are brown, and the remaining surfaces appear to have been casehardened. Mounted with a highly figured straight grip stock featuring gold wrist and
barrel wedge escutcheons, horn forend tip and steel buttplate.
CONDITION: Very good, showing a mix of thinned original brown finish and smooth brown patina on the barrel and cylinder, a reattached split in the top strap with applied artificially aged brown finish, the remaining casehardened
surfaces have a mixture of smooth brown and silvery gray patinas, with some scattered patches of light surface oxidation, some marred edges on a few screws, and the engravings and markings are mostly crisp. Refinished wood
is good with some cracks, a few glued and nailed repairs visible above and below the lock, discoloration, and scattered light scratches and handling marks. Mechanically fine. A solid representative example of a rarely encountered
highly embellished revolving rifle that will fill a gap in the most advanced antique American rifle collections.
Estimate: 6,000 - 9,000
LOT 1161
Scarce Finely Engraved H. Fox, Frewsburg, New York, Six-Shot Percussion Pepperbox/Swivel Breech
Revolving Rifle - NSN, 38 cal., 29 3/8 inch fluted bbl., brown/casehardened finish, walnut stock. One of the
barrels in the manually revolved barrel group is marked “H. FOX/FREWSBURG. N.Y/CAST STEEL”. Horace Fox worked in Frewsburg, New York,
starting around 1835, worked in Foxburg (Lynch), Pennsylvania, briefly in the early 1850s, and returned to Frewsburg in 1853 and remained
active until 1882. He made some rather ingenious firearms, including a small number of these pepperbox or swivel breech rifles with 3-6
barrels. The breech end of the barrels are numbered “1” through “6”, and there is a band towards the muzzles that is fitted with a blade
front sight for each barrel also numbered “1” through “6”, and a threaded peep and notch sight is fitted to the upper tang. The back
action lock and mounts have scroll and border engraving, and the patch/cap box also has a star design. The buttstock is nicely figured.
CONDITION: Very good plus with a mix of fading original finish and smooth gray and brown patina on the barrel group, light original
case colors and gray and brown patina on the lock and mounts, oxidation mainly at the heel, and minor overall wear. The stock
has a repaired break in the wrist and is otherwise fine and has attractive figure, patches of lost finish, and minor scratches and dings.
Mechanically fine.
Estimate: 5,500 - 8,500
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