5/25/2021 – Arms and Armor

.44 caliber. 35″ barrel length. SN: NSN. Single-shot percussion rifle with heavy octagon barrel, target sights, and double set triggers. Blued metal finish with a perch belly Monte Carlo-style stock made from premium walnut. Features a Swiss-style buttplate, serpentine trigger guard, and a safety toggle to right side lockplate. Target sights include a rear aperture sight and a hooded front sight. Marked to top of barrel is the gunmaker name and city of origin, “J.J. SCHLAEPFER IN GLARUS” along with the steel-type “GUSS:STAHL”. Schuetzen rifles are single-shot competition guns that were used widely in Europe from about 1875-1945. Most are custom made by independent gunmakers of the period, and this particular schuetzen was made by gunmaker J.J. Schlaepfer of Glarus, Switzerland sometime during the 19th century.