Artificer said:
Thanks Dave,
Since I am not very familiar with the English Period "Repro's" of American Long Rifles, I was hoping more knowledgeable folks would chime in on this one.
I was wondering if that patch box was a good "repro" of a period Lancaster one, or if it is completely "English."
Gus
For those interested in learning more about these English Pattern Trade Rifles, George Shumway first wrote about them in an eight part series of articles that ran from the February 1982 issue of
Buckskin Report through the November 1982 issue. Shumway presented an updated paper on them in
Proceedings of the 1984 Trade Gun Conference - Part II - Selected Papers published by the Research Division of the Rochester Museum & Science Center in 1985.
Shumway identified four different types of these English trade rifles.
De Witt Baily talks about them in his
British Military Flintlock Rifles 1740-1840. He found documents where the British government ordered rifles for Indians during the AWI and during the War of 1812.
James A. Hanson summarizes Shumway's and Baily's research in
Firearms of the Fur Trade.
The new book,
Rifles of the American Indians by Ryan Gale, et. al. has some excellent pictures of William Grice made rifle (Type C) from the 1780's and 1790's period and pictures of a War of 1812 version made by Ketland & Allport (Type D).
One caution when studying pictures of these English Pattern Trade Rifles, like many Kentucky rifles, most had been converted to percussion during their working life and later re-converted back to flintlock. The re-conversions didn't always get the cocks, pans, and frizzens right.
Notice the Germanic shaped pan on the lock of the NRA rifle.
Compare to the more correctly shaped pan and cock on this Ketland & Co. trade rifle.
This second rifle may be a re-conversion also, but it's more correct for the period and style.
Another interesting aspect of some of these English Pattern Trade Rifles is that some of them have a carving flaw on the lower "C" scroll behind the cheekpiece.
Note the front part of the lower "C" scroll is missing on this Wilson trade rifle Type A.
The same carving error was made on this Grice Type C trade rifle.
It's obvious that both builders were copying the same pattern rifle.
On the patch box question, the English were trying to copy an American daisy patch box, but like the carving, didn't understand the design all that well. Notice the poor quality of engraving and lack of integration with the patch box design on this Type B rifle.
All the known Type B rifles with the daisy patch box were made by Ketland.
Surviving Type A's were made by Wilson and Barnett and surviving Type C's by Grice and Wheeler.
Surviving Type D rifles were made by Wheeler, Sutherland, Sharpe, and Ketland.
While I was composing my message, I see that others have posted comments on some of the same points I make above. Sorry for the repetition.
Phil Meek