Timeline for Checkering

When did checkering come to be a common option with guns. After the flintlock age?

I have seen many examples of English guns (flint) with checkering.

Don't recall many American long rifles, even in the percussion era with checkering (but will say I pay little attention to rifles built after the 1850's, so may have become "common" after that)

I have pics of a couple of examples but either it wasn't common or the ones that were done did not survive in the same numbers as "non-checkered" rifles.

You will see late 18th century English guns with "flat checkering" (might be better described as "checkerboarding"), I don't know for sure how far back it really goes. By the early 19th century, there are German rifles with actual checkering (and earlier rifles that probably had it added later).

There are quite a few American rifles of the early 19th century with the English type checkering (and variations of it). I don't know how much this style really improves grip, if at all, but I'm not crazy about checkering, myself anyway.

Melchior Fordney checkered a number of his Lancaster longrifles.

He built these in the 1820-1845 time period.

Below is my rather poor attempt to build a longrifle similar to one made by Fordney with its skip line checkering style.




Another Fordney also uses the skip line checkering but he put small pins in the center of each open diamond.

Most if not all of the checkering done on American rifles seems to be more as a decoration than for a actual useful feature like modern checkering is today.

J.J Henry also checkered the wrist on many of his trade rifle's

I hope I can build as poorly as you do someday!

Very nice gun.

Nice job there!
But even tho his rifles had it, I never thought it 'fitted'...

I have seen some very fine checkering on German and French guns that was done in the 18th century.
It was a different type than modern day ccheckering.

Hi,
Early examples of wide checkering can be found on English guns dating from the 1760's, although dates can be misleading because checkering was sometimes added to a gun well after it was made. The early checkering had large diamonds, smooth tops and often dots, crosses, smaller lighter checks within the diamonds. As the 18th century progressed, checkering became smaller, often with coarse sharp tops but later the tops became smoother and the checkering shallower. French and other European makers also included similar checkering on sporting guns during the same time period. By about 1800, checkering was very common and almost universal on better quality English guns. I am not sure how universal it was on guns made in other European countries but it was certainly common. I don't think checkering shows up very often on American guns until very near the end of the flintlock era, perhaps 1820 and later. I am sure there are earlier examples, particularly from makers in the cities familiar with European fashions but it was not common.

dave

I wasn't talking about the type of engraving
Dave is referring to. I meant fine line like 22 lines per inch or less. On those European guns of the 1700's the checkering did not come to a sharp top but was I little flat on top. Look up Nicolas Boutet and Fotou of France. German gun makers and Belgian gun makers were doing it also. The only example of this I have ever seen in America was on a presentation pistol done by Simon North.