Product Details
MORRIS, LONDON
AN EXTREMELY RARE .650 FLINTLOCK SERVICE-RIFLE, MODEL 'PATTERN 1776 LIGHT INFANTRY RIFLE (2ND MODEL)', no visible serial number,
circa 1805, with slightly swamped octagonal 28in. barrel rifled in seven grooves, shallow brass fore-sight, Tower proofs at breech, the top-tang engraved with a light infantry bugle device and pierced for a probably later aperture sight (now absent), flat bevel-edged lock with stepped and pointed tail signed 'MORRIS', 'G.R.' and crown device below the semi-rainproof pan, swan-neck cock, roller to the frizzen spring, walnut full-stock with brass furniture including patchbox to the right hand side of butt, shaped heel-plate with stepped top-spur, spurred trigger-guard tang, moulded side-plate, ramrod thimbles with rolled ends and captive iron ramrod, the stirrup mounted to the muzzle-sides.
Provenance: These extremely rare British Infantry Rifles were only identified as a separate pattern in their own right by De Witt Bailey, and are described in detail in his publication 'British Ordnance Small Arms 1718-1783'. At the time of writing, only four unadulterated examples are known: one in the collection of R.L. Whittaker and described in De Witt's previously mentioned book, one in the Royal Armouries at Leeds, another in a private Canadian collection and this one from a private collection of an English gentleman. A similar rifle with a Ferguson screw breech is photographed in 'Guns & Rifles of the World' by H.L. Blackmore (illustration no. 398). This is also by Morris and dated 1810. It has been surmised that the Ferguson (that was also designed in 1776) and the 1776 Infantry Rifle were produced alongside each other in very limited numbers at the same time. This particular rifle was almost certainly privately purchased by a Volunteer Light Infantry Unit who prefered it over the later Baker design.
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Estimate £4,000-6,000