A TRANSITIONAL KENTUCKY

[Zonie]

Awhile back, there was some discussion of what a 1750 era Transitional Kentucky rifle is. I don't think the issue was ever resolved to everyones satisfaction but I attempted to describe what I thought it is.
I feel it represents the transition from the German Jaeger to a more Americanized rifle with a longer, smaller caliber barrel designed for patched balls. (Most Jaegers were shot without patches and the ball was driven into the muzzle with a mallet).

When I built this I felt (with photographic justification) that many of the "old school" ideas like carving and wire inlay were appropriate for it.
The "wire" behind the cheekpiece is the vent pick in its storage hole.

[/img]

[/img]

[/img]

[/img]

 

[roundball]

Gorgeous...did the red comes out naturally or did you use something to add that color? Beautiful rifle Zonie!

 

[Zonie]

I built her back in 2001 and at that time I still had some bottles of Birchwood Casey "Colonial Brown". As I recall I used one coat of Walnut and 3 or 4 coats of the Colonial Brown.

I don't think BC offers it anymore which is a shame.
As you can tell, I really don't like really DARK BROWN or Black finishes on Curly Maple. I think really dark colors hide the beauty of the grain. This of course is just a personal opnion and I know several people who think my guns look much to light.
That's OK.

Anyway, I don't know what I'll use to get the red color I like on the next one.

 

[roundball]

And if it represents a "transition" period...what would normally disappear or be added at the end of this "transition" period...furniture? cosmetics? carvings?

 

[Zonie]

Ah, and that is where the debate begins. There are several different schools of thought on the evolution of the Pennsylvania (Kentucky) Rifle.
One School of thought feels that this style of gun (of which there several in existance)was created by Old World Gunsmiths who were being asked for longer barrels and smaller bores than the Jeager of the Old World so they built rifles such as this. This school feels that this style was thus a step or "Transition" from the Old World style into what would become the long barreled graceful style of the "Kentucky". John[url] G.W.Dillin[/url] (The Kentucky Rifle cw 1924) and Henry J. Kauffman (The Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle cw MCMLX) felt this was the case as did (do) others who have studied the evolution of firearms.
There is also historical evidence that a gun very similar to the long barreled "Kentucky" as we know it today was being made at the same time that this style was being made. The School which follows this trail argue that this style of gun was not a "transition" to the Kentucky but more of a dead end in the evolution of the Jeager.