Relic Condition Northwest Trade Gun Tryon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Item #: AA3481
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This is a black powder trade gun from the mid 1800's manufactured by Tryon of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George Tryon manufactured weapons and parts from Philadelphia from 1811 until 1841 when he retired from the family business. This old trade gun was originally flint, but has been converted to percussion. It measures 57 3/4" overall, with a barrel length of 42". The barrel is the typical fowling piece design, with the first 8 1/4" being octagon at the breech terminating in baluster turned "wedding band" rings, then a 3 1/4 round section ending in baluster turned "wedding band" rings with the remaining 30 1/2" of the barrel being round. The smooth bore barrel gauges out at .62 caliber and is very dark with active rust and pitting. There is no rear sight on the barrel, the front sight is a small iron blade type. The barrel has an untouched brown patina and is marked TRYON/PHILADA. on the top barrel flat, with floral embellishment bracketing the stamp. The floral embellishments continue on the left barrel flat. The lock plate and hammer have a matching patina of the barrel. The lock is not stamped or marked in any way externally. The hammer can still be cocked, but the mechanics of the lock do not operate, when the trigger is depressed the hammer does not fall. The conversion from flint to percussion has been crudely done. The original cock has been replaced with a percussion type hammer. The barrel has had a drum conversion performed to bring it to percussion. The drum extends into part of the original iron pan still on the lock. The two remaining ramrod thimbles and butt plate are brass, the trigger guard is iron. The side plate is also brass, and is of the serpent or dragon design commonly found on these trade guns. This one has been together for a while, as all the brass has a matching almost black patina. The butt plate is secured to the stock through the use of two screws. Only the rear barrel pins still retain the barrel, the forward and middle pins are missing. The stock is a medium brown and shows damage and repairs from a couple hundred years of hard use. About 10" of the stock on the right side from the muzzle back is missing. It is also cracked at the middle retaining pin area. The left side of the stock is pretty rough along the barrel channel, from the muzzle back to the forward brass oval. There are a total of five oval brass pieces decorating the stock, all with the same look as the butt plate. A wooden ramrod comes with the gun, and if it's not original to it then it's a period replacement. This is a good example of an untouched, mid 1800's trade gun made by Tryon for the American and Canadian fur trade, and could have been used by trappers, mountain men or Native Americans. It has seen some hard use, has some cracks and breaks, but still survives in one piece.
Shipping Weight:
6 lbs
Item # AA3481
(Sold)
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