Jaeger made by Valentin Christoph Moritz Schilling, c. 1810 SOLD PENDING FUNDS

Product Description

I am selling a German Jaeger, c. 1810, made by Valentin Christoph Moritz Schilling. He was born Oct. 10, 1791, in Suhl, Thuringia, to a gun making family; his father was Johann Valentin Schilling. Valentin opened his own shop at 67 Schuhmarkt Strasse in Suhl in 1816. Judging from his later Jaeger rifles, I believe this gun was made early in his career, perhaps even while he was an apprentice. It was originally flintlock and the conversion to percussion was superbly done. Looking at photos of later guns by Valentin, which are very fine guns indeed, there are certain stylistic characteristics that are carried forward from the one I am selling, such as the general shape of the butt, the cheek piece, and the checkering.
The 32 1/2” long swamped barrel is .about 58 caliber and has a fine, shiny bore. It is 1 1/8” at the breech and 1 1/16” at the muzzle. The top barrel flat reads:” V CHR SCHILLING IN SUHL.” The barrel has a lovely gray patina and is fastened by two wedges. The rear wedge a replacement. There is wood loss around the wedges, with a chip missing at the front wedge. The wood fore end is slightly loose. There are some aging checks/cracks in the butt. The lock plate has wording inlayed but not deciphered. The walnut stock has what I believe is its original, or at least old finish. The gun has been lightly restored, mainly worn screw holes. It has a new nipple. The hammer has been over cleaned, but that is minor to the overall look of the gun. The trigger pull is light. Overall, the gun retains a fine patina and is lovingly worn in all the right ways. Although I have not shot it, the breech plug threads are sound and the bore is excellent. This rifle balances beautifully and comes up naturally.
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