Tool Arrived!
What can I say except an absolutely wonderful antique loadiing tool. Extremely well made and in my opinion it has definitely been re-furbished. I suspect in 1907 the loading lever gear was replaced due to wear and damage. See photo's. The obvious wear and dis-similar finish between the plunger and loading lever gear obviously represents a refurbishing of the tool in 1907. The plunger is much older than the replaced loading lever and gear.
The chipped, bent, and worn teeth of the loading lever gear are obvious signs of heavy use post 1907 and also confirms which part would require replacement in order to restore the use of the tool. I suspect that was the primary reason for the re-inspection and refurbishing of this tool. "Gear failure" from heavy use.
The existing removeable and interchangeable case holder is definitely for the 45 Schofield/Colt original round. See photo's. Notice the modern 45 Colt case fits perfectly. You can see a comparison between the Antique dug up Schofield round having a slightly wider base rim. I couldn't get that example into the tool since it's damaged and I refuse to attempt to resize it to fit. It's definitely the correct round for this antique Frankford Arsenal Gang priming tool.
Very historical early loading tool that saw the elephant. Sure wish I knew where it's been in past 130+ years.
Murph
Last edited by BMur; 12-17-2022 at 03:38 PM.
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