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Building a Trade Gun with period accurate concerns

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Not quite sure on the best title for this...so I'm building from scratch something like a NW trade gun but with a few alterations...my question is if I show up at a shooting event with it but its not period correct will I not be encouraged
to participate? My mods are 1) back action percussion lock; 2) Hackberry wood and 3) possible rifled barrel.

Thanks
 
Depends on the type of event.
A black powder shoot, no you will be welcomed
A traditional shoot, most likely welcome although you won’t be able to compete against smooth bore.
A pre 1840 rendezvous . Generally these are pretty lax on rules. Geared to being old timey more then strict, very unlikely your gun would be rejected unless it was glaring modern looking
A time specially event it might be rejected depending on the time and how strict they are
A juried event or a museum event probably not, as these are geared toward a particular time and place. You don’t want to show up at a inland fort dressed like a sailor or Arab even though the clothing was wore at that time, but not in that place
But even juried May give a little latitude things should be pretty close
 
Rifled trade guns were not very common, at least none of the originals I’ve seen were rifled. Modern day barrel makers do rifle trade gun barrels upon request.
 
Books have their flaws too...! Most of the critics I have had to deal with at rendezvous. Always point out your stuff why they stand their in their tennis shoes, sunglasses and wearing their wrist watch amongst other things......
 
Not quite sure on the best title for this...so I'm building from scratch something like a NW trade gun but with a few alterations...my question is if I show up at a shooting event with it but its not period correct will I not be encouraged
to participate? My mods are 1) back action percussion lock; 2) Hackberry wood and 3) possible rifled barrel.

Thanks
Then its not a trade gun . If you want to build a percussion rifle and put a dragon side plate on it ....go for it !
 
Which books do you recommend...? Buy books is a very vague term...Some are good, some not so much. But nothing beats having them in your hands to actually see the differences.
 
Not quite sure on the best title for this...so I'm building from scratch something like a NW trade gun but with a few alterations...my question is if I show up at a shooting event with it but its not period correct will I not be encouraged
to participate? My mods are 1) back action percussion lock; 2) Hackberry wood and 3) possible rifled barrel.

Thanks
At most events that list pre 1840 rifles, AndyJ's trade gun (if smooth bored) or trade rifle (if rifled) will be more restrictive about a possible rear sight. Some trade gun smoothbore matches may require a flint lock, but the event restrictions should specify ignition restrictions.

At my club, we would likely allow such a rifled gun compete and if smoothbored, it could compete in our smooth bore competition if ther was no rear sight.
 
Not quite sure on the best title for this...so I'm building from scratch something like a NW trade gun but with a few alterations...my question is if I show up at a shooting event with it but its not period correct will I not be encouraged
to participate? My mods are 1) back action percussion lock; 2) Hackberry wood and 3) possible rifled barrel.

Thanks
At a shooting event, you'd be good! At a re-enactment/rondesvous, the "stitch counters" would have a cow! Go with what you want, your build is something to admire and encourage, and if anybody doesn't like it, you don't need to be with their little coterie.
 
When a group has a shoot that specifies that the gun is smoothbore, flintlock, no rear sight and you must be in historical dress, I guess you could show up with a Bud Light and say you identify properly.....
 
I have been around antiques, furnisher to weapons my whole life, coming from a family of three generations of antique dealers. We have had many NW guns over the years, considered back in the early 1940's as junk barn guns or cheap squirrel guns by most collectors.

Mt father bought a Sharpe NW Trade Gun in 1939 for $1.25 and had to make payments on it, the gun according to Charley Hanson was one of the best condition NW guns he had seen (rated at 90% NRA Antique condition according to him). I sold this gun a few years ago for $3,500.00 to a collector.

Not bragging - but my family has seen a lot of weapons, depending on your location. The same gun maybe referred to my different names as mentioned, proper names such as the "NW Trade Gun", "North West Tradegun", "North West Trade Gun", "Smoothbore Barn Gun", "Squirrel Gun". and so on. I liked what Curly G. used a "Common Smoothbore".

I like this thread guys, your remarks are great, brings back some good memories, thank you ...
 
Not aware of any rifled trade guns.
I have to agree with you, there maybe a few but I'm thinking they have been re-barreled at one time if they exist? I have been around these guns for 80 plus years and once in a while something pops-up that makes us scratch our heads, and usually that item was modified later on in it's life.

Buck Conner
 
Which books do you recommend...? Buy books is a very vague term...Some are good, some not so much. But nothing beats having them in your hands to actually see the differences.
For a research book that covers everything about these weapons go to Kindle0Amazon for "Success In The North American Fur Trade" by Barry Buck Conner, now in it's third printing.

This book was published in 1995 and took a while to sell 100 books until the US Library of Congress reviewed it and recommended it for students of the North American Fur Trade. The first 1,500 books went off the shelf in less than a year. Then published using Kindle/Amazon's program its moving again.

 

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