Original American Pennsylvania Long Rifle with Butt Stock Coffee Grinder Mill – Circa 1840 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Never seen anything like this before, however, we have heard of the legendary Sharp’s Rifles from the U.S. Civil War fame that had similar fittings.

This appears to be a rather run-of-the-mill (pun intended) Pennsylvania long rifle in fairly average condition. However, it has this amazing coffee grinder (or fining mill) built into the wooden butt stock. There is an access port on the under side of the stock into which coffee beans are poured and upon rotating the crank handle ground coffee pours out of the side of the stock through a cresent shaped slot.

Another option is that it is a small fining mill. The problem with gunpowder (real gunpowder not pyrodex) in a powder horn, is that salts absorb damp from the air and it pours badly after only a couple days of inclement weather. The mill parts are brass (non-sparking) like the mill plates in big fining mills of the era. So, coffee mill or fining mill? Who knows for sure.

This comes from an old English Collection and we were told it was acquired just after WW2. The English collector we acquired it from even demonstrated it but didn’t actually make the promised cup of coffee.

From what we can see there are no maker or other markings, the rifled octagonal barrel is 42 inches long and the rifle is 58 inches in overall length. The rifle has a back action percussion lock and is fitted with a set trigger. Trigger guard, butt plate and coffee grinder plates are all constructed of brass.

We paid dearly for this gun because we have never seen one before, and think it is jolly interesting. No doubt we shall be hearing a lot of input from our American customers, and hope some light can be shed onto who actually made it, as possibly some little known gunsmith has a lot of credit due to him.