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Leman NW Trade Guns
1). If you have owned a NW Trade Gun (doesn’t matter who built it or when – talking about
reproductions) you’ll find you probably can’t get down on the front sight or back sight if
equipped with one, not like you can on your rifle. It’s the drop in the stock and usually the
length of pull that are the problems. I have had a half dozen built by the gunsmiths offering
them today and they all have the same problem – period.
We started kicking this around then started looking at originals in museums and for most part
found they had the same issues. All but a few manufacturers had enough drop and longer LOP
- Wheeler, Whatley, Pritchett and H.E. Leman from Lancaster PA. they fit the
needs.
After thinking about this why not build a Leman we make the rifles. His NW guns built
between 1842 -1855, seem to have close measurements of 3.100” drop of the stock and a
14.250” LOP, perfect for us today and correct for some built back in the day. We looked at
over 15 different NW guns made by that many various makers and Leman was one of several
to have built.
2). Barrels being used today by these suppliers are way too heavy (thick) when compared to
what the originals were. Solution - have your own barrels made to our spec’s, we provide our
barrel maker the measurements in detail (copied from an originals that we have access to).
Most NW Guns are offered with only what a barrel maker makes in mass production
- .28ga, .24ga, .20ga, or .12ga. (that’s fine). Our gentleman builds these along with other
gauges like a .30ga (that’s a .50 caliber smoothbore like an original seen in a museum in
Denver CO). Not a special order to him, just an order, now that’s service guys.
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