A high quality percussion target rifle made in Bloomington, Illinois, by Charles H. Gmehlin. This one probably dates from around 1860. Charles Henry Gmehlin (born Carl Heinrich Gmehlin) was born in Stuttgart, Wurtemburg, Germany, February 22, 1834. At age 14, he was apprenticed to learn the gunsmith’s trade in Wurtemburg. After serving for three years, he packed his tools and moved into Switzerland, where he worked at his trade for one year, before moving to Paris, France, then five months later to London, England. He remained in London for two years, learning the details of fine English gun making. He sailed for America in 1854, working in the shops of Samuel Colt, in Hartford Connecticut, for about a year. He subsequently moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then to Chicago in 1856. I Chicago he entered into partnership with George Brown as Gmehlin & Brown, and they briefly manufactured guns. The partnership dissolved and Gmehlin moved to Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, in 1857. He became a highly respected member of the community, and member of the city council. He made a variety of different firearms, but is best known for breechloading single-shot target rifles of very high quality, using a Martini type action. He retired from business around 1900, and died in Bloomington, July 31, 1914..
This target rifle is of .45 caliber, rifled with gain-twist rifling, and has a 40 inch barrel. This is unusually long for this type of rifle, but would have been capable of higher velocity, with black gunpowder, and provide a longer sighting plane.
