Call me crazy, but a rather tired little American single-shot rifle followed me home from our Arms Collector's meeting last Thursday. The previous owner was trying to give it away, but no-one was prepared to cough up the registration transfer cost!

So I grabbed it, intending to register it as an antique to dodge the transfer fee. Plenty were made pre-1900 by the looks, being pre- factory fire, but the model was resurrected after the factory rebuild and made until ~1914 if my research is correct.

Yes, its a Hopkins & Allen falling-block rimfire, probably a Model 922. I say probably, because a new barrel has been fitted in the distant past, the donor being a Remington Model 6 or similar. Sadly, its no longer a takedown. The trigger return spring is missing, and the breech-block retaining spring is faulty, but otherwise it functions correctly if the trigger is pushed forward and the lever held shut for firing.

If I get time to make a new trigger spring and fix the lock-up it will probably repay the effort of a clean-up, it is a genuine vertical falling-block action after all! Kinda like a mini high-wall.

Otherwise just another cheap learning experience...!

No photos: at the moment it looks pretty horrible, but there's a few youtube videos out there, including one of an owner having a bit of fun with his on steel plates, but I can't seem to find that one now to post the link. Accuracy seemed fine though. Hell, they even made a schuetzen version!

Anyone on the NE forums got one of these? I imagine they would have been marvelous little gems when brand new!