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Hey guys,

I have a real old A Leonard & Son rifle. This is a powder rifle and has 4 manual rotating barrels and two triggers (two pairs of shots) But I'm clueless of the actual model. Weighs about 15lbs at least!
My end objective is to sell it, but I'd like to find the rifle model so I can do some research. I plan on taking it to Rich's Gun Shop tomorrow for appraisal (any other local suggestions for appraisal? I'd like more than one).

Anyone have any ideas of what this bad boy is? I can't find anything on my own on Google.

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Multi barrel rifles like the one pictured were very popular in the eastern US and California .
The rifle in the OP looks like a rifle circa 1850 -1870.
George Oliver Leonard of Red Bluff Ca, made rifles from 1869 - 1884.
He made 2 barrel rifles of a very similar styling...Maybe a relative...?

The over all styling of the rifle makes me think late percussion period ( 1850 - 1870 , ish ) and a general "California Rifle" * style of muzzle loading rifle.
Andy
* Many states have a distinct style in regards to the muzzle loading rifles made there....
A Maryland rifle , even if made at the same time as a Pennsylvania rifle , will have a very different look.
 
One other cool piece of history with this rifle is it was owned by the late Victor Atiyeh. Former governor of Oregon. (He's the life sized statue in the PDX airport) He was a big fan of history, specifically civil war history. But a fan of antique firearms in general. I thought that was a cool lineage of ownership.
 
"The rifle is marked in three places as "A. Leonard/1849," including the barrel marked "A. Leonard/Cast Steel/S.R. V.T." Through further research, I learned "A. Leonard" was Artemas Leonard, of Saxton's River, Vt., who was born in 1804 and was a well known rifle maker who operated in that small city from about 1840 to 1859 when he died. He was known for making high quality hunting and target rifles and some pistols. The barrel also has a fourth stamping of "Geo. O. Leonard/Keene, N.H./Cast Steel" and "1867."

I have found a copy of the inventory of Artemas Leonard's estate when he died. It included four target rifles valued from $25 to $40 dollars each; relatively high prices of the day and presumably the rifle that is the topic of this article being the highest valued one. George Leonard, his eldest son, took over the business by himself around the time of his father's death in 1859 and moved to Keene, a more populated area which would certainly have been better for business (it should be noted here that George Leonard moved on to Red Bluff, Calif., in 1869 and died there in 1887)."


Citation link below.

https://www.reformer.com/stories/texas-collector-historian-makes-remarkable-discovery,502332
 
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Hey guys,

I have a real old A Leonard & Son rifle. This is a powder rifle and has 4 manual rotating barrels and two triggers (two pairs of shots) But I'm clueless of the actual model. Weighs about 15lbs at least!
My end objective is to sell it, but I'd like to find the rifle model so I can do some research. I plan on taking it to Rich's Gun Shop tomorrow for appraisal (any other local suggestions for appraisal? I'd like more than one).

Anyone have any ideas of what this bad boy is? I can't find anything on my own on Google.

View attachment 755898

View attachment 755899View attachment 755901

MANY more pics would be appreciated. Right now it's like looking at a Ferrari windshield wiper and ignoring the rest.
 
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Gun Room in Portland is confident they can appraise it, but the appraisal alone is 2% of the value? This doesn't feel like a very good deal haha. I'd be looking at at least $400+ for an appraisal if not more. Anyone have any ideas. Not really trying to shell out 2% just for the appraisal
 
You can't expect an expert to give you his or her time for free. It doesn't work like that in any business.

I'd be tempted to call Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons...

Here in UK that 2% appraisal is giving it away. The usual fee is 20%, at the very least. Me, I'd be tempted to pay the money and bite your knuckles over it.
 
Have I missed something out here? This thing is worth a small fortune - the 'lots of dollar' signs are a hint of a lot of money being involved'. :rolleyes:
You can't expect an expert to give you his or her time for free. It doesn't work like that in any business.

I'd be tempted to call Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons...

Here in UK that 2% appraisal is giving it away. The usual fee is 20%, at the very least. Me, I'd be tempted to pay the money and bite your knuckles over it.
Oh I'm not expecting anything for free. But I'm talking just the appraisal. Flexing his expertise is well worth me spending money, but I'm surprised it's a % vs a flat fee. 20% just to tell you how much it's worth? Seems a bit self defeating doesn't it?
 

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