Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IIIA · 006

Frank Wesson bicycle rifle with shoulder stock

Section IIIA: removed from the NFA, classed as an antique (outside the GCA)

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IIIA · VERBATIM · PDF P. 64 ↗

Frank Wesson, Bicycle Rifle with accompanying shoulder stock.

Applies only with the accompanying shoulder stock.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “with accompanying shoulder stock”
  • ATF REQUIRESMade 1898 or earlier (ATF’s dates)
  • INFOAn antique under federal law, outside the GCA.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Frank Wesson, Worcester, MA¹
Type
Other
Action
Other
Caliber
Not stated
Made
c. 1870–1888ATF: made in 1898 or earlier; start year approximate²
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IIIA · PDF p. 64 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 17 October 2026 (Data-trust review) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “Frank Wesson Rifles” ↗, maker: Frank Wesson firearms were made in Worcester, Massachusetts
  2. Wikipedia, “Frank Wesson Rifles” ↗, years: Frank Wesson rifles manufactured between 1859 and 1888; start year 1870 for the bicycle rifle is our estimate
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → Medium. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Patent drawing, U.S. Patent 103,694 (shown for Frank Wesson bicycle rifle with shoulder stock)
Shown: the patent drawing for Frank Wesson's pocket rifle (U.S. Patent 103,694), without its detachable shoulder stock; not a production example.

Image: U.S. Patent 103,694, “Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms, sheet 1” by Frank Wesson, Public domain (US patent). Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Frank Wesson Rifles”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

Frank Wesson rifles were a series of single-shot rifles manufactured between 1859 and 1888 in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were purchased by many state governments during the American Civil War, including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio. They were one of the first rifles to use rimfire metallic cartridges.