Help identifying historic rolling block-ish rifle

[OldGuns]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum but am looking for some help learning more about a handful of old long guns I inherited from my grandfather. I'll open a new thread for several of them. Thank you in advance, and if it would be helpful to have additional photos/info just let me know!

Thank you in advance!!

R

This one is some kind of rolling block, but the only identification markings are a few small gunsmithing symbols shown in two pictures.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Looks like a European Flobert style garden gun. Single shots popular in their day for target practice and pest control. Someone more specialized and knowledgeable than me should come along shortly with more detail.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Agreed, probably a Flobert gun. They were made in a whole range of oddball, very low-powered chamberings. Under no circumstances should it be fired with any .22 Long Rifle or even Short ammunition if they can be crammed into the chamber.
Given the condition, probably shouldn't be fired even with if the correct ammo could be definitevely determined and obtained.

 

[CapnMac]

I'm new to the forum

Well, Welcome to THR, for one. Please feel free to drop a line in the New Member Introductions thread.

 

[dh1633pm]

Wonder if @Dave DeLaurant could add some info here. Interesting to say the least.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I'm going along with the Flobert consensus. I checked de Haas Single Shot Rifles and Actions and found some rather small photos on page 252 that look to be the same basic animal with differences in the breechface:



I see the remains of one of these Liege proofmarks, so probably Belgian make:



On the other hand, I believe the crown over 'U' is a German mark, so possibly it passed through the Kaiser's proofing system.

Question: is this a .22 or something larger like .32?

 

[Jim Watson]

Right, a "Remington pattern" Flobert.
Do not be confused with the similarities, this is NOT a strong action. An old Sears catalog listed Floberts but said you would be better off paying a little more for a Stevens or Remington.
The usual chamber was 6mm Flobert but the ones that made it here usually got shot with .22 CB caps.
Rimfire Central had a debate on whether they were the same or if the 6mm really was a .24 caliber.

They are not rare, I went with a collector who had a route that covered several area gun shops to look for unusual pieces that had been traded in on something modern. One place had Warnant pattern ("trapdoor") Floberts stacked in corners by the bushel.

 

[OldGuns]

Wow, thanks all, very helpful!! Great that you were even able to identify that stamp on the barrel. It does seem to be very close to 0.22 caliber

It looks different from the Flobert's that I find Googling though, and in the book page - this one has a separate breech piece that snaps up after inserting the shell (but separate from the hammer), which I can't tell if the examples in the book have? Is it still likely the same thing?

 

[OldGuns]

Probably no real value to speak of then?

 

[Jim Watson]

The original Flobert just slammed a heavy hammer directly on the cartridge. It was milled with a ridge to act as firing pin and an undercut to snag and extract the empty.
The second version had a real extractor.
You show the Remington pattern with a separate breechblock held closed by the hammer.
The Warnant version had a hinged breechblock somewhat similar to a Trapdoor Springfield.

I hesitate to say anything about dollar value, they were cheap guns made in huge quantities but now Old is Gold.

 

[Jim Watson]

Oops, wrong thread, heck, wrong board.