[MarkMcd]

hey everyone, I have an old James Golcher Percussion rifle. Info I'm finding is mid 1800's but also found that there was a James Golcher from PA. that was making locks /guns pre revolutionary war. how would I tell its age and value?

 

[howlnmad]

Going to need more pictures.

 

[BlackEagle]

Just a start. According to this NRA Blog, (A Brief History of Firearms: The Percussion System) Percussion guns did not appear until around 1820. Just for interest, it was a Scottish clergyman who messed with the chemicals that started the development of the percussion cap.

 

[Hawg]

Definitely need more pictures. Good full length ones if possible. If the barrel and lock both are marked Golcher then the rifle was made by Golcher but a lot of gun makers used Golcher locks. The Golcher family has a long history of making locks. It may not be possible to pin down a maker or an exact decade when it was made. Some here are much more knowledgeable than me tho.

 

[Grizzley1]

Several iterations and generations of Golcher family members made locks for the trade as pointed out by Hawg. The lock generally on American made rifles does not reflect who made the rifle, just like in modern times builders use L&R, Davis or Chambers locks on their muzzle loading gun builds. Typically if the gun's maker signed his work, it will be on the top flat of the barrel in between the breech and the rear sight. We will need to see good clear pictures of the full rifle, both side views and top and bottom views.

Not trying to be a smart Alek, but what you've given us is like showing us a picture of an aftermarket mag wheel and asking for an identification of the vehicle it's mounted on.