utm fk

16 G&A February 2020 | Gun room
Workmanship seems to be
good, though tool marks
are visible on parts that cannot
be seen. The rifle was
loaded when I acquired it
for at least 60 years (probably
for over a century). I was
unable to pull the bullet,
so I removed the breech
plug. There I discovered it
had a tige breech. There
was a ¼-inch-diameter pillar
threaded into the breach
plug. It extends ¾ inch into
the chamber, parallel to the
bore. Through experimentation,
I found that I am
only able to use 24 grains
of Pyrodex before the pillar
would be covered and thus
unable to upset the bullet.
That seems like a very light
load. It is probable that
part of the pillar has rusted
away over the years. The
barrel appeared sound, so
I loaded it with 24 grains of
Pyrodex. I cast the bullets
from pure lead and greased
them with Crisco. They
pushed easily down the
bore and I seated them with
five blows from the ramrod.
Velocity averaged 668 feetper-second.
Accuracy was
horrible with five rounds
HOLLYWOOD HARDWARE
in 2 feet at 50 yards with
most bullets hitting on their
side. Still, it was a blast to
shoot something my great
grandfather used. Can you
provide any information on
this rifle as to origin or date
of manufacture?
J.H.
Email
A: An interesting piece,
all the more so because it
is apparently unmarked.
As the French inventor
Louis-Etienne Thouvenin
originated the “tige” or
“pillar” breech, it’s tempting
to believe the gun’s origin
would be Gallic, however
the tige system was used
by other countries including
Germany (sporting and
military) and Denmark.
The style of bullet you are
shooting — I’m assuming
a mold came with the gun
— along with some subtle
design features indicate the
gun is probably German.
Shooting a tige rifle can be
a bit tricky. Five blows of the
ramrod may be a bit excessive
depending upon how
much force you are using. I
only employ three relatively
There is no more iconic American blade than the legendary Bowie
knife. Hollywood has made generous use of this spectacular sidearm,
and none is more revered than the version made by Arthur
Rhodes and used by Alan Ladd in the 1952 Bowie biopic, “The
Iron Mistress.” Like many featured firearms, swords and knives,
rubber copies were made and used when the real article would not
be appropriate from handling or safety standpoints. Seen here is
just such a clone. Even fairly close up, it is difficult to tell it from
the real article. The Rhodes Bowie was also used in other films
including “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier” (1955), “The
Last Command” (1955) and “The Alamo” (1960). Courtesy of Joe
Musso and the National Firearms Museum, Fairfax, Virginia.
moderate taps when firing
my Delvigne-system rifle and
get quite good results. Perhaps
you are deforming the
bullet? You did not include
a photo of the tige, so it’s
difficult for me to assess
whether or not it is intact.
Sometimes the pillar had a
slight point. Is one present?
Still, the fact that one is not
there does not mean the
tige is damaged as most
were flat. Is there much corrosion?
Date of manufacture
of the rifle is somewhere in
the late 1840s to early 1850s.
I’d say 24 grains of Pyrodex
is something of a fairly light
load for a .54 caliber rifle,
though you do not want the
charge to cover the tige.
GASSER REVOLVER
Q: A friend of mine recently
came into possession of an
old revolver and we were
trying to determine exactly
what it might be. The
finish is completely gone
and it was quite rusty on
the outside. He soaked it
overnight in penetrating oil
and surprisingly, everything
functions. It looks similar
to your Austro-Hungarian
model 1870 Gasser. It is
stamped “L.GASSEr -
WEIn”, same as the model
1870 Gasser, but there
are some notable differences.
my friend’s revolver
GASSER (MONTENEGRIN-TYPE), 11MM, 20%: $200
has a fluted cylinder and
shorter barrel. The grips
are rounded at the top
where the 1870 grips are
squared off. The ejector
rod for my friend’s revolver
slides inside the cylinder
when not in use. You pull it
forward out of the cylinder
and then it cranes over to
the right side to put it in
position to push out the
spent casings. We were
hoping that with your
knowledge of the model
1870 Gasser you might
know what variant or model
he has. While we realize
this revolver has little if any
real value left, it is a cool
relic and we are curious
exactly what it is. Any information
you may have and
be able to share would be
appreciated.
J.R.
North Liberty, Indiana
A: I rather fancy Gasser and
Gasser-type revolvers as they
have a wonderful Ruritainian
look to them. In fact, Gassers
were used in the 1937
version of the film, “The
Prisoner of Zenda.” Now
to your friend’s gun. From
what I can see in the photos,
it appears to be what is
known as a “Montenegrin
Gasser,” this one actually
manufactured by Gasser.
The “Patent Ottakring”