That little beauty, completed in 1880, is chambered for the .40-70 Sharps Bottle Neck.

It was quite a mystery when I got it, with a long story of how the chamber was revealed.

A few years ago I posted here on Nitro Express a long and detailed thread about the rifle. It is just such a rarity, and very interesting being chambered in an American caliber.

Here's that thread from 2012: John Rigby & Co. 40-70 Bottle Neck Single Shot Rifle #15130.

If you read it patiently, not only will you see a lot of photos of this rifle and its pieces and parts, but you will also learn about how it was discovered to be a .40-70 SBN. Our own Huvius was quite a help in that regard. My close-up photos of the stripped action let you see the incredible work and skill that went into filing it up and engraving it.

Curl