maynard gun

Question
have a maynard rifle that has stamped date of 1850. This stamp date is very readable and great condition. The gun and its accessories are in excellent condition. It has 2 different barrels (35 and 50 caliber) It comes in a wooden case with 12g and rifle casings, the container for making lead bullets. The gun itself I will describe the best I can. There are 2 barrels, the butt of the gun is dark wood, and behind the sight on the barrel on the wood itself Has a flip sight for distance. The right side of the gun you have to flip it down and pull the pin out to change barrels. There is a picture of a gentleman with a signed letter saying there was only 3 of these made. One was destroyed in a fire and one was lost in a snow storm, and this gun is the only remaining one. That is what the letter says. can anyone help me find more information on this gun. Thanks dave

Answer
Hello David.

There were many different models of the Maynard rifle. The date which you mentioned is probably a patent date and not the actual date of manufacture. It needs to be examined in person to confirm the exact model number and approximate age, and you might need a historian or a reseach book dedicated to Maynards to validate the information contained in your letter. From the description it sounds like a family heirloom which might have seen military service during or after the civil war, or it might be a well done fraud. Since there were so many different Maynard rifles made, your gun would have to be an early prototype or special order model to truly make it one of a kind.

To learn more I suggest that you search some of the auction sites to view photos of other Maynard guns. You might find one identical to yours and this could help you confirm the model number and age. Here are some auction sites:

http://www.auctionarms.com/
http://www.gunbroker.com/
http://www.gunsamerica.com/

You can also try the following links which have some good info about Maynard rifles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Maynard
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=maynard+rifles&btnG=Search

Regarding the historical research, you might want to contact this place:

http://www.nationalfirearmsmuseum.org/Default.asp

I hope this helps. Good luck!