When I was about 10 years old, my family made a trip to Manitoulin Island, Ontario, to visit my Dad's relatives.
My great-Aunt Margaret, who we would stay with, noticed my interest in history and the old ways of the pioneers.
On that trip, she gave me my great-grandfather's .62 caliber percussion rifle.

This launched me on a 'life interest' in studying, shooting, and preserving antique arms.

I think my favorite public library book was Howard L. Blackmore's, "British Military Firearms". I could see 'military features' in the family heirloom rifle, but, it was not a military model.

I read gun magazine articles that stressed 'we were custodians of the arms that came into our care'. I learned basics of preserving and doing 'no harm' to surviving finish and patina.

Over the years, I came to recognize the barrel on the family rifle was a modified Baker Rifle barrel. I eventually saw six other rifles, identical in pattern (complete or cut-down), at gun shows and in Canadian museums. (I have since learned of four more from articles and catalogs).

My great-Aunt told me that she thought her father had traded guns with an Indian friend. This was 'validated' when I saw an article in the "Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting", vol. 38 No. 2, by Ross Egles.

Mr. Egles pictured an identical type of percussion rifle with British Government documentation that identified them as gifts to influential Canadian Indians.

I received an alert yesterday, from a 'British Arms Forum', that there is currently such a rifle for sale on the John C. Denner Co. site.

"Thank you great-Aunt Margaret" - (Some pictures of the rifle she gave me "to look after". She was smart and included her father's mold, horn, a tin of caps and his compass).

p.s. Tiny "Aunt Margaret" knew how to load and fire it!

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A hard used piece of Great Lakes area hardware with a .625 caliber, 30 inch barrel & hooked patent-breech.

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Canada West & Canada East Inventory 1842:

("Penetanguishene" was closest listed post to where my ancestors settled).

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Wow, what a cool story!  Thanks for sharing.
Vic

Beautiful antique BR, glad you are the current custodian and a great family story. As Kerz said, thank you for sharing it. As always your pictures are excellent.

Zgun

Love the story and the images.  Thanks for sharing.

Great family history and interesting piece. Muzzleloaders are another great passion of mine. I have not seen too many (or any)  fowlers with this combination of features. Smoothbore, hooked patent breech, back-action lock, and three captured barrel wedges for a relatively short barrel. Nice stout piece. I have used a 62 caliber flintlock fowler to take a deer a few years back. It is a great caliber and you can hunt anything in North America with it from small game to large game. Well, not suggested for grizzlies, but not impossible if you got the....gumption for it.

'Knute' - I'm confused by your response?

My family heirloom is a rifle, not a Fowler. (The barrel's origin is surplus Baker Rifle barrel).

The Iron barrel is of 'twist' construction, with seven grooves and approximately 1/2 rotation in 30 inches, (1 in 60" rifling twist).
The influence for the Baker rifle was the Jaeger Rifle, with its short, large caliber, rifled barrel.

The mold is stamped "19", for 19 gauge. The bore is approximately .65 caliber and loads easily with a .625" ball and cloth patch.

BTW - Flintlock, .62 caliber smoothbore, "Northwest" or "Mackinaw Guns" (intended market? - hint, hint  ;)) and Fusils were incredibly popular in the Great Lakes area, a.k.a. "The Northwest Territory", during the 'New France', British Colonial and post-Revolution periods.
These arms were ideal, being able to use shot or ball, for the game and distances, that would be encountered.

As well you should be confused. I read what I wanted to read. I did not see rifle in ".62 caliber rifle". I don't see .62 and rifle put together as much as I see .62 and fowler. Now looking at the muzzle end of the rifle I also see the rifling. I suffer from an affliction that drives my wife nuts. When I go to the refrigerator to find something I always look past what I'm looking for and try to look behind it. Not sure what this affliction is called, but it is real. [smiley=embarassed.gif]

The rounded barrel tapering out to a thin wall really threw me. That is how my smoothbore fowler is configured, also (without the rifling). Guess I was looking at the pictures more than reading.

'Knute' - Your are obviously Far Sighted!

'Knute' - Don't know about any related medical or mental health condition, but there is an old saying... "Can't see the forest through the trees" also known as "Cant find wood in a forest".

Maybe it's time to give the ole eyes a break from the computer and take the Krag out and focus on tasty critters wandering around the forest trees!

Thinking maybe you guys are right. I was rifling (pun intended) thru a lot of images prior to reading the original post. I was concentrating on club-butt fowlers and such. Good idea about going out shooting. Have a couple jugs that need disintegrating.