Freund & Bro: Pioneer Gunmakers to the West by F.J. Pable Balentine

Table of Contents

Collector Bookstore Notes:

Circa the American western frontier, this reference covers the Freund Brothers who specialized in making, modifying and engraving firearms. Notably, the firm also "improved" Sharps rifles, which were prone to dirt & residue problems in the dusty west.

Publishers Description:

Immigrants from Germany, the Freund brothers plied their trade across the Great American West in the final decades of the nineteenth century, following the railroad tracks ever westward. Along the way they set up shop in such hell-roaring end-of-track camps as Julesburg, Bear River City, and Corinne, before establishing permanent stores in Denver and Cheyenne.

This is the story of the brothers' old-world gunsmithing and engraving, their modifications to Sharps and other game rifles using the patented "Freund's Improved" action, the famed Freund "More Light" sights, and their numerous patents for improvements to firearms and hard-rock mining tools. It is the story of American Manifest Destiny-- and of the Pioneer Gunmakers to the West.

Dozens of Freund-made and -modified rifles are shown, many in color.