Rare and extraordinary Whitworth Baby Rifle

This is a beautiful and rare rifle and possibly only one of 10 extant.
This is a Whitworth Hexagonal Bore “Baby” rook rifle with a hexagonal 1/15 twist bore.
Its correct designation is a 300 calibre miniature rifle or rook rifle.
The rifle exudes quality and the lock plate is engraved with Whitworth’s wheat sheath and coronet coat of arms together with Manchester Ordnance & Rifle Co. The serial number is engraved on the trigger guard tang. The overall length of the rifle is 39” with a 24” barrel which is round and engraved with the Whitworth patent.
The rear sight consists of a fixed 50 yard sight with three folding leaves marked 100, 150 and 200. The front sight is a fine barleycorn.
The stock is finely figured Walnut and has a pistol grip with fine chequering on the grip and a horn cap with a steel buttplate and vacant silver escutcheon. The forend is also chequered and there is no provision for a ramrod. Lock is marked as described with a bolted safety to half cock. The construction is like a swiss watch with a pull off at about 8 ounces and there is a platinum vent plug.
Overall the condition is excellent, and the bore is mint throughout and the overall condition, particularly the chequering indicates very little use. The finish has faded to an even grey patina.
Manchester Ordnance and Rifle Company were operating only between 1862 and 1864 which dates the rifle. In total of all calibres and sizes including military only 5500 Whitworth rifles were manufactured, and it is estimated that the survival rate is less than 15%.
I have a lot of admiration for Whitworth who was a prolific inventor and true philanthropist. Whitworth allowed free access to his factories and unlike some of his contemporaries like Colt who patented and litigated voraciously if his patents were breeched, Whitworth believed that engineering would liberate humanity and chose to be transparent with his developments.
This rifle “ticks” so many boxes, superb quality, novel design and made by a British genius.

Code: 50569