Lincoln Jeffries Break Barrel ID & Info

[Happy-Harry]

Called by at an old friends - he's always been a shooter, but bar garden sport only ever heads out with SG's these days.
With a big gun room and safe he's ended up clearing out a couple of gun cabinets for other friends, as wifes, kids or departing for abroad has stopped their shooting days.

Pulled out an old LJ - not an underlever - serial number in 3 locations, all match, stock some damage (see photo), original markings on stock and barrel still legible, through the heavy aged patina, fore sight slightly bent, but generally looked complete and correct from screws and upwards.

Straight Stock
Push button release break barrel
.177
Rifled barrel (rate of turn looked tighter than a modern gun)
Works !
open sights - groups on 50p at 5 or 6 yards,
No nasty grunching or noises.


Marked - H The Lincoln Air Rifle
Serial No. 649

I'm assuming its a German import marked up as a LJ, but I understood the H was the first LJ underlever, and I couldn't find made in Germany marked on it anywhere.

Any help with model history / dating appreciated.

Its mine if I want it - just need to make a fair offer to him, so value guide also appreciated.

Cheer
HH

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...0.jpg~original
Album - http://s10.photobucket.com/user/hhol...Break%20Barrel

[micky]

Hi one sold by Protek suppies in need of TLC and with a cracked stock for £60 hope this helps.

[Happy-Harry]

Anyone else got any info to help me ID / Date this old girl ?

Cheers
HH

[edbear2]

Hi Harry, It is an early Millita type or very similar from 1902-8 (ish), probably by F.Langenham. They were imported by a Mr Martin Pulverman, have a look here for a similar type;

http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/arti...arget/bt05.htm

Before L.J. perfected the tap loading underlever, he like many British gunsmiths modified to varying degrees imported break barrel guns and then sold them marked up as their own products as our industry was very small in this area . I am not really up these very early Lincoln stamped guns, so the "H" prefix is a mystery to me, but I have seen a fair few and owned a couple of these Millitas in the past and they are quite good at bell target ranges if you get a good example. They made a "Club" version with better sights.

They were around at or just after the turn of the 20th century but obviously when the Lincoln / BSA underlever came out it was such a quantum leap in comparison in quality and accuracy that serious shooters probably only buy one if they could not afford a Lincoln (many could not, it was common for a club team to share one or two underlevers).

Value wise I am not too sure, but sub £100 with the damage (a shame as that was a nicely checkered stock).

ATB, Ed

[Josie & John]

Hi Harry,

A German break barrel airgun of 'Millita' type as Eddie has pointed out. The maker Langenhan sold his design all over the world - I have even seen a French marked one in .25 cal. The Millita name was registered by U.K. importer Martin Pulvermann, so technically only guns sold by Pulvermann were marked Millita and should be referred to as such. The name soon became synonymous with 1/4 stocked break barrel airguns rather like Hoover with vacuum cleaners.

Other UK gunmakers also imported the Langenhan airgun including Robert Ramsbottom of Manchester, whose name is also associated with the Britannia air rifle. Lincoln Jeffries was another distributor and one of the improvements he advertised was a rifled rather than smoothbore barrel. Lincoln Jeffries called his version 'H the Lincoln' a name he later also used for his ground breaking underlever. In fact his early underlever prototypes were made from Langenhan parts. The side button release catch was patented in 1900, so your rifle dates from between 1900 and 1905, when the underlever was adopted by BSA.

As to value, the Lincoln Jeffries association adds a bit of a premium, so I would estimate £100 - £140

Hope this helps.

John

[frogboy]

i looked at this with great interest, the chequering / stock looks to me very similar to the straight hand stocks on the early under lever type guns the cylinder i have no idea about why it should be stamped with a "H" but i am curious as to if the cylinder from an under lever could be used on a break barrel? Could it have suffered some damage in the past to require a replacement??
I'm unsure on this hypothesis i tend to think not but then think with a little fettling why could it not work.

Lee

[Josie & John]

The shotgun style chequering was probably also a Lincoln Jeffries embellishment. I have a similar rifle marked 'Ansonia', which was probably rifled by Anson. The chequered stock is a real beauty and once again, this originally started life as an imported Langenhan. A Millita in all but name. John Knibbs has suggested the H of 'H The Lincoln' stood for Hercules after an associated welding business but I am not sure why this name would have been used on an air rifle. LJ later called his underlever 'H The Lincoln' and the lighter Ladies model 'L The Lincoln', so surely it makes more sense the H stood for Heavy and the L for Light.

John

[Happy-Harry]

Many thanks for the assistance gents, I'll post more photos later.

HH