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Daniel Boone's (Fess Parker) Rifle??

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Mickc01

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Anyone besides me ever wonder what happened to the "rifle" Fess Parker used in the old Daniel Boone TV series?

I'm guessing it was made just for the show. If you look close, it looks more like a fowler then a rifle. Still I’m curious about it's current location. I half expect to see it turn up on “Hollywood Treasures” on the History Channel some Wednesday night.

Also, anyone besides me ever wonder why he was the only one in the show to ever carry what looks like a rifle? The episodes are available on NetFlix if anyone is interested. All of those rigged muskets and converted civil war guns are a riot to watch. I just wonder how many wonderful period guns were ruined in the process.

Yet even with its total disregard for realism, I still love watching it and credit the show with fueling my love of flintlocks.
 
I think the Fess Parker Davy Crockett rifle (an original Reading school Kentucky)was purchased from the "Stembridge Rental Ccollection" at auction a while ago...details were posted on a different site. The Fess Parker Boone rifle is a mystery to me, though I bet someone has a good idea of its where abouts.
TC
 
It had weird carving up and down it and I think it was built off a trap door as well.

I have a bunch of "memorabilia" from the show such as every episode storyline, 8x10 ad glossies, color slides for still TV ads, etc.

It got me hooked as a kid and I have never let up!
 
Hey guys, I remember too seeing the Davy Crockett rifle on the Contemporary Makers blog. That was an amazing find and a really interesting post. Thanks to Pete for the link. But I'm still wondering about the Daniel Boone rifle. And I think Capt. Jas. is right about there being some funky carving. Hey Jas, how about sharing some of those 8x10 glossies?? :grin:

And Mr. Albert, I love your book! It has inspired me to try my hand at couple of small projects. Still trying to work my way up to a pouch though. :bow:
 
Capt J.

I've always been intrigued by the knive carried in the show..they are known as riflemans' knives and the nearest I can come to finding one that looks like the ones on the show are at Crazy Crow. (just for GP, they are carbon steel)..

Got any pics of those knives?

Lee
 
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I cannot believe I found a thread on EXACTLY what I have wondered over the years myself about Fess's rifle. The Daniel Boone TV show inspired my love of flinters as well and i have the best memories of watching them with my dad who has since passed. I now watch the DVD's with my daughters. It does look like a smoothbore and not a rifle and i have paused the DVD numerous times to check out the carving on that rifle. It sure had a looooong barrell as Fess was 6'6" tall. I would love to know who has possession of that gun now.
 
Mick C, keep an eye on the classifieds.

Shooter 250, I believe I have a color tv slide of old Fess with a close-up of the knife. He used to carry it on his moc/boot.

I have an 8x10 that shows the carving of the gun pretty well. Looks like something from India.
 
Howdy, I received the Daniel Boone series for Christmas last year
5 boxes with 7 or 8 DVD's each box, with 3-5 shows on each.
By going over and over these recordings and pushing PAUSE , on each shot of the gun You can get a pretty good Idea, of the construction. In one paused shot is a location of the front sight...
Now by extrapalating the length of Boones ear ( approx 2 1/2 " ) to the rifle barrel, one can predict a possible 3 3/4" to 4 1/4" inches from the end of the barrel... back ... to front sight placement..... FT
 
I posted this elsewhere so forgive me if this is redundant. The rifle they used for Ticklicker was a Belgium Trade Rifle... my guess is with a 46” barrel or longer. It was heavily carved up and also was used in Drums Along the Mohawk. Thinking about building one myself off a NW Trade gun, but not sure if the final result will be worth it. The carving would have to be better than the Daniel Boone Tv gun... that was kind of rough looking.
 

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I posted this elsewhere so forgive me if this is redundant. The rifle they used for Ticklicker was a Belgium Trade Rifle... my guess is with a 46” barrel or longer. It was heavily carved up and also was used in Drums Along the Mohawk. Thinking about building one myself off a NW Trade gun, but not sure if the final result will be worth it. The carving would have to be better than the Daniel Boone Tv gun... that was kind of rough looking.

Thays a very young looking
Henry Fonda
 
The Crockett rifle looks good, as it ought to. But are my eyes deceiving me or is that a cap hammer & frizzen on the Boone gun?
 
Howdy, I received the Daniel Boone series for Christmas last year
5 boxes with 7 or 8 DVD's each box, with 3-5 shows on each.....
By going over and over these recordings and pushing PAUSE
,

But are my eyes deceiving me or is that a cap hammer & frizzen on the Boone gun?

Your eyes don't deceive you...., and if Fathertime checks all of the episodes, you will see there is a difference between rifles, guns, and such.
Parker (iirc) had one of the actual rifles used in the series. His estate has it now. (iirc) it was used very sparingly and saw more time in his hands when he made public appearances, than it did in the show.

However, what was used in the series for Boone.., were several different prop guns, and you can see them sometimes more than one is used in an episode. One at least was a converted Trapdoor Springfield with a faux flint cock hammer.

Remember that when you're talking the pixels on early color TV or on black and white TV, the details of the gun(s) don't show nearly as much as the remastered video or film will give you on the modern DVD format.

LD
 
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