AlfieB
Member
My friend has a Burgess rifle in 44 40, that isn't a lever action, isn't a pump (Lightening), and is not a falling block. what could it be ?
Burgess 44 40
- Thread starter AlfieB
- Start date
Jim Watson
Member
The Burgess operates by the pistol grip sliding back and forth on the stock.
I have only seen the shotgun, did not know they made a rifle of that design.
Shown at
https://www.forgottenweapons.com/burgess-folding-shotgun/
Get him to let you show pictures, it is a great rarity.
I have only seen the shotgun, did not know they made a rifle of that design.
Shown at
https://www.forgottenweapons.com/burgess-folding-shotgun/
Get him to let you show pictures, it is a great rarity.
OP
OP
AlfieB
Member
This is a 44-40 rifle, and it doesn't fold.
The action is nickel plated, and it has a block, on top, that pivots, upward, to the rear after one cocks the hammer. It has a magazine tube, under the barrel, that is filled from the top, past the barrel. There is a shotgun-style shell lifter that carries the round into the barrel when the block is lowered . Shots are repeated by lifting and lowering the block. I haven't asked Ian yet. I thought I'd give you guys a shot at it first.
Jim Watson
Member
No pictures yet? It sounds vaguely like an Adirondack but I find no connection with Burgess.
OP
OP
AlfieB
Member
On the left side of the receiver is stamped "Burgess Pat." There is no other writing on the gun.
Outlaw75
Member
Does it look similar to this?
It sounds like it might be a Colt-Burgess, but they were loaded via a loading gate, not the top of the magazine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt-Burgess_rifle
OP
OP
AlfieB
Member
Once again, it is not a lever action. There is no lever on the bottom. There is a block fitted into the top of the receiver, which is lifted from the forward end of the receiver, which is lifted up, and pivots to the rear, thus opening the action, and you can see the breech and ,under that, the magazine tube, into which cartridges are then loaded through this opening into the magazine tube. After firing, the hammer is manually cocked, the top block lifted and pushed back down and it's ready to fire again. I am 78 yrs. old, and believe me, I have seen a lot of guns since I was 7, and have been to thousands of gun shows, as a vendor, and a buyer, I have American Rifleman mags from when they started printing them, I also have all the Gun Digest since when they began to print them, but I have never seen a gun like this. I am beginning to believe that it is a prototype or an experiment. I'll try to get a picture of it.
