Long Guns - Antique, Curio & Relic Firearms, Used

Percussion "Saw-Handle" Rifle, manufactured by Benjamin Mills, circa 1830-1870. Half-stock configuration, wood appears to be walnut, ~.45 caliber. Lockplate is stamped, "B. MILLS / HARRODSBURG KY." The name Benjamin Mills turns up in a number of entries in regard to Confederate weapons; it is my opinion these may be considered secondary Confederate arms (click on image for more details).
Overall length of gun is ~54-1/8" (including ramrod), without ramrod overall length is ~51-1/8"; barrel length is ~34-1/2". Double-set triggers; iron trigger-guard, patch-box, butt-plate, fore-end cap, and ramrod guides; dove-tailed front and rear sights.
Fair to good condition overall. Ramrod may be a replacement.

Used gun; antique; not sold as a shooter; no warranty implied or given. Sold as is. Please have any gun you intend to shoot - in any fashion - checked by a competent gunsmith.

Percussion sporting rifle, ~.36 caliber. Lock-plate is marked Joseph Golcher; exposed areas of barrel are unmarked with the exception of a design on the muzzle face (see images). Pewter fore-end cap.
Rifle may have been made by A. Ruggles of Stafford Hollow, Connecticut circa 1830-1845. Ruggles is known to have made percussion sporting rifles with Joseph Golcher locks utilizing double set triggers.
Overall length of gun is ~58-1/2"; barrel length is ~42-1/4"; double-set triggers; Joseph Golcher in scroll stamped on lock-plate face forward of hammer (see images).
Very-good condition; one small area on stock near upper steel butt-plate tang shows sign of heating as if from a fireplace. Various minor stock dings, scratches, nothing major.

Used gun; antique; not sold as a shooter; no warranty implied or given. Please have any gun you intend to shoot - in any fashion - checked by a competent gunsmith.

W. Parker English Double Barrel Shotgun, Percussion ignition, ~12 gauge. Lock-plate is marked "W. PARKER", top of barrel is marked, "LONDON LAMINATED STEEL", barrel underside breech flat is stamped with various markings, Birmingham proofed.
Overall length is ~46-1/2"; barrel length is ~29-3/8"; LOP is ~14-1/2".

This gun once belonged to Pennsylvania Congressman Melville Clyde Kelly (1883-1935); I acquired it from the family.
Representative Kelly accidentally shot himself while cleaning a "rifle" and died from his wounds shortly thereafter in a hospital in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It was stated this may have actually been the gun used as opposed to the rifle mentioned in the obits and related other articles.
Melville Clyde Kelly "was the chief sponsor of the 1925 Contract Air Mail Act, commonly referred to as the Kelly Act. It was the first major legislative step toward the creation of a private U.S. airline industry. He is often referred to as the [grand]father of the US Airmail."
Included in this offering is a signed copy of, "UNITED STATES POSTAL POLICY" by Clyde Kelly, Member of the Post Office and Post-Roads Committee, House of Representatives.

Good condition overall; no major flaws noted with the exception of the percussion nipples; both have fractured and and chipped (and must be replaced). Some rust freckling is visible on the brown finish barrels. Ram-rod is complete shot starter/tamper, cleaning jag/worm on the opposite end. Various minor dings, scratches, nothing major or considered noteworthy (see images).
Used gun; antique; not sold as a shooter; no warranty implied or given. Please have any gun you intend to shoot - in any fashion - checked by a competent gunsmith.

As you might guess, we receive a large amount of requests for identification and appraisal of various arms and armor. I urge you in advance to peruse the Arms Identification pages on that section of the website; this may save you some money. Many common weapons and related can be found there. If that does not work for you, I will try to help directly, but at a fee. I will also buy your items if you wish to sell after identification or informal appraisal. If you decide to sell, I will credit or refund you the total amount of the identification or appraisal fee, once the item for sale is received in-house and a price agreed upon.



Please note:

• This is the price for the identification of one item. I will supply a basic identification and a basic value (if requested).
• I will not specifically name the variations in a particular model, only the variant model designation. This is a basic service.
• I will need one overall image, generally no larger than a 8x10 desktop type photo in jpg/jpeg format and cropped to the subject matter only. I will not accept any other format or compressed/zipped images. I will ask for additional photos if necessary. E-mail these to Identify; your order number must be included in the subject line.
• Please do not e-mail single image files larger than 250kb, no more than 500kb total for multiple images; I will not open them if they exceed these limits.
• If you E-mail or snail-mail any images to me for use in identification of an item, I reserve the right to use - without further contact - those images on my website, without compensation to you (other than my efforts to assist you, however minimal the result may actually be).
• If you choose to snail-mail images, please make sure you have copies or your originals retained for yourself. We do not return images in any format and they become the property of Arms to Armor - The History Store without compensation to you for any use - past, present, or future.
• I will also need basic dimensions and description of the item being identified. Please add these to the text box in the shopping cart or e-mail as above.
• Be sure to put your order number in the subject field of any e-mails pertaining to the identification request.
• Fee must be paid in advance and is nonrefundable; if sending a check, make payable to The History Store and state Identification Service in your memo field; mail to the address below. Payment must accompany any request.
• We will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Once again, this is a very basic service.
• Research materials I have available are quite substantial; however, on some items, information within those materials might be quite sparse.