The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms
- The Road to American Liberty
- Seeds of Greatness
- The Prospering New Republic
- A Nation Asunder
- The American West
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt, Elegant Arms
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond
- For the Fun of It
- Firearms Traditions for Today
- William B. Ruger Special Exhibits
- Freedom's Doorway
Ann Patrick (Liverpool, England) Percussion Double Rifle
Double rifles required alignment or "regulation" so that each barrel shot to the same point of impact.
Circa 1838 Ann Patrick (Canada/England) Percussion Double Rifle (muzzle-loading/ black powder/ ball ammunition) Ann Patrick, of Liverpool, England, produced this double rifle. Imported to Canada, it provides an informative cross-cultural comparison to the target-shooting Long Rifle of Elisha Pancost (see Case 28 gun #10). Both guns are at the top of their craft. The English arm features fine engraving and beautiful wood, and the American arm sports precision target-shooting features and functional wood.
As symbolized by their firearms, America and England were both interested in the shooting sports. In the 1840s, Canadian users of the double rifle probably hunted moose, bear, and elk. Reciprocally, bear may have hunted the hunters, in which case a two-barreled gun would have been very desirable. - Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION; #46