Description
Henry Eicholtz Leman made many rifles during his 53 year career, from 1834 until 1887, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This is a fine antique example of his Sporting Rifle, which features a hooked breech, engraved iron furniture, and checkered walnut stock. The .34 caliber bore is bright, clean, and ready to shoot. A modern hardened steel 1/4-28 nipple is installed, making this a very shootable antique rifle. Fitted with a globe front sight with fine pinhead post, this rifle was likely purchased in the late 1850’s or early 1860’s for target shooting. The stock has a few repairs, with a small amount of epoxy visible under the right escutcheon and a 1-1/4″ repaired hairline crack extending forward from the lock panel. Trigger reach is 13″, which is common on antique rifles, weight is 8.8 pounds.The .34 caliber 32″ long octagon barrel measures 1″ at the breech and tapers to 15/16″ at the muzzle. The bore is cut rifled with seven lands and deep grooves. The bore is bright, clean, and ready to shoot. This antique rifle was well cared for and there is no pitting in the bore. The barrel exterior has aged to a silvery-brown patina. A period globe sight with fine pinhead post is dovetailed directly behind the muzzle. A semi-buckhorn rear sight is dovetailed 9″ ahead of the breech. The top flat is stamped H.E. LEMAN / LANCASTER PA. in two lines, along with WARRANTED near the breech. The hooked breech plug is neatly engraved with a floral pattern and decorated with two inlaid silver bands. The long tang is decorated with the same floral engraving. Two tang bolts pass through the stock to engage the triggerplate below, sandwiching the wrist for strength, the front bolt head is engraved. We note the tang has two sets of drilled and taped holes that were once used to mount tang sights. The holes have filler screws in them. A single iron key passes through nickel silver escutcheons to retain the barrel to the forearm. The hooked breech makes this barrel easy to clean, which is probably why it has survived close to two centuries without any pitting. The walnut stock is finely checkered at the wrist for a secure hold. The stock does not appear to have ever been refinished, but has had repairs made over the years. We note a repaired 1-1/4″ hairline crack extending forward from the front of the lock panel. Epoxy is found in the barrel channel behind this crack and running throughout the top of the lock inlet before the crack exits at the rear of the panel and extends 1/4″ up towards the tang. There is a small amount of epoxy visible under the right escutcheon. The center of the barrel channel has a repaired crack running from the pewter nosecap to the slot cut for the barrel underlug and key. All of the iron furniture has aged to a silvery-brown patina. A classic Leman iron buttplate with long pointed heel is fitted, which is very common to this style of rifle. The comb is shaped with three flats and the top flat is engraved with the same floral pattern found on the tang. The screw is also engraved and the slot indexed with the barrel. The buttstock is fitted with an engraved iron capbox. The lid snaps open and closed smartly, under finger pressure, revealing a cavity under the lid. All four screws are indexed and engraved. The bottom view shows the engraved iron toeplate mounted with engraved screws. Midway up the toe line is a nickel silver inlay engraved with a previous owner’s initials. The toe does have a few minor handling marks. The triggerguard has a large open bow to access the single lever double set triggers. The guard is engraved with the same floral pattern found on the rest of the iron furniture. A short pewter nose cap retained with brass rivets protects the end grain of the forearm, which we believe is an old period repair. An engraved iron entry pipe is found directly behind the nosecap. A single round pipe is located at the midway point on the barrel’s rib. The wooden ramrod is fitted with a brass collar to prevent the wood from splitting when loading. An accent line highlights the beaver tail cheek and a single domed head lock bolt retains the percussion lock. The lock plate and hammer are neatly floral engraved. The center of the plate is stamped LEMAN / LANCASTER PA. in two lines. The lock has a strong mainspring and snappy action. This lock does not have a half-cock notch, which is common on antique Leman locks. The bolster is engraved with a flower and is fitted with a modern hardened steel 1/4-28 nipple for No. 11 percussion caps. The single lever double set triggers will only fire the lock from the set position. The lock can be set before or after the triggers are set. If you seek an original 1840-1880 era percussion rifle in shootable condition, this fine H.E. Leman Sporting Rifle will not disappoint. The bore is bright, clean, and ready to shoot for a day at the range. The wonderful warm patina will make it a joy to display and it is sure to be a conversation starter. 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.
