This classic North West Trade Gun has been stocked in maple. The traditional styled trade gun hardware in a mixture of brass and iron furniture. This 20 gauge, .62 caliber, smooth bore flint fowling gun is fully qualified for use in the NMLRA North West Trade Gun match, using patched round balls at paper targets, and bird shot at clay birds on the trap range. This unsigned Trade Gun is as-new with a bright clean bore. Trigger reach is 14" to fit a larger or taller shooter. Weight is 8 pounds.
The 42" barrel is octagon, with two wedding bands, and tapered round to the muzzle. The bore is .620" diameter, for our cast lead round ball and patch. We recommend our .595" pure lead round ball, patched with .015" Ox-Yoke patches, lubricated with Ox-Yoke Wonder Lube, for easy loading. We offer 20 gauge (.62 caliber) wads, cards, and shot for wing shooting. This trade gun has no rear sight, allowing it to qualify under NMLRA Trade Gun Match rules. The octagon-to-round barrel is finished to dark brown. A browned steel blade front sight is soldered 2" behind the muzzle. The straight tang of the breech plug has a single bolt that passes through the stock to engage a brass plate below. Three pins retain the barrel to the forearm.
This North West Trade Gun is stocked in dark stained maple with a satin finish. The stock is as-new, the maker noted one small area on the right hand forearm barrel channel edge that is repaired with a dark epoxy. It is very difficult to see with the dark finish on the stock. The furniture is a correct mixture of brass and iron. The traditional style square buttplate, serpent sideplate, and ramrod pipes are all made of brass, while the triggerguard is iron. The buttplate is secured with two screws, one of the various traditional methods used to mount Trade Gun buttplates. The bottom view shows the large iron triggerguard, correctly surface mounted. A single screw retains the grip rail of the the triggerguard in traditional fashion. The ramrod pipes are thin brass, with embossed grooves, much like the corrugations in cardboard, to give the pipes maximum strength against crushing or denting in hard use. The pipes allow the 3/8" ramrod to slide smoothly, to serve the barrel.
The ramrod is fitted with a brass loading tip with 8-32 threads for loading and cleaning accessories. The brass sideplate is cast in the form of a serpent, a traditional motif for the North West Gun. We believe that this stylized serpent sideplate evolved from the flat sideplates, embossed or engraved to resemble a serpent, found on Queen Anne and later English Sea Service muskets. Two lock bolts retain the surface mounted sideplate and pass through the stock to engage the lock on the opposite side.
The large round faced English fowling gun lock, sometimes called a "Queen Anne" lock, dates from the 1730 to 1760 period, well after Anne's reign ended. Sometimes called a “James Barbar" lock, after that famous early London maker who signed his work. These early London style locks are often found on Colonial American long rifles and fowlers. This lock was assembled and tuned by Jim Chambers, one of America's most respected lock and gun makers. The lock is finished to a dark brown. The curled trigger is pinned high, for best leverage, giving this lock a smooth easy trigger release. We strongly recommend our best 7/8" size knapped flints #FLINT-ENG-7, for best performance in this lock. An essential element for fast ignition, the vent is centered on the pan, correctly positioned above the bottom of the pan, to serve as a window, centered on the heat of the incandescent flash. The single trigger provides a smooth release of the lock.
This Trade Gun is new, unfired. It will be perfect for your next reenactment or hunting trip. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
