.52 caliber. 32.675" barrel, secured by three pinned flat barrel bands. NSN. Browned finish, color casehardened breechblock, iron furniture, full-length walnut stock. Single shot flintlock breechloading rifle with tilting breech action, offset notch rear sight, combination front sight and socket bayonet lug, sling swivels on the middle band and triggerguard bow and a button head cleaning and clearing rod. Top of breech marked in four lines: "J.H. HALL / H. FERRY / US / 1837" .

The Hall rifle holds the distinction of being the first firearm to be produced on the principle of interchangeable parts at a national armory, as well as the first breechloading firearm to be taken into service by the US military. Slightly less than 20,000 Hall Rifles were produced between the Harpers Ferry rifle works and contractor Simeon North, with production running from about 1824 to 1841. A lovely example of a fairly scarce and important US military breechloading flintlock rifle. {ANTIQUE}

About Fine. Bore fine and crisp, lightly oxidized with crisp rifling and the correct area at the muzzle that is unrifled. Metal with some strong traces of thinning brown over most of the surfaces, mixing with some lightly oxidized brown patina, giving the rifle the appearance of retaining more finish than it really does. Metal mostly smooth with some freckles of scattered oxidation and minor surface roughness. Cleaning rod heavily oxidized. Breech block with a rich, dark bluish-black patina and clear markings. Mechanically functional action. Stock crisp with strong edges and a nominally 1.25" grain drying crack in the obverse butt. There is no ubiquitous "Hall Crack" behind the action at the top of the wrist. Otherwise the wood shows the expected scattered bumps, dings and mars from handling, use and storage over nearly 200 years.