Looking for Origin of Rifle

[sky hawk]

Hey guys. I am new to the forum, and have recently taken an interest in learning more about my father's .40 cal percussion longrifle. I am seeking any info or comments that you may have on this gun such as style, origin, approximate age, value, or anything else that might be of interest.

Here is what I know: The rifle has been in our family for several decades now. It was purchased used in the piedmont of North Carolina. It is .40 cal, striped maple full stock. It has no proof marks or identification that I know of except for a name very lightly scrawled into the top of the barrel. The straight barrel is 41 3/4" long, 13/16" wide, and has 8 lands and square grooves. A gunsmith once told me that the gun was custom built, and was not from a kit, and that he could not find any identifying marks. There are brass inlays of squirrel with a brass patchbox. There is a slight right-handed cast to the butt. Here is a slideshow with pictures:

[youtube]2Lt26YEMM0A[/youtube]

If you have any information or comments please jump in. Thanks

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Whatever the story behind that rifle is, it sure looks interesting. :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Have you removed the lock plate and the barrel from the stock? When you don't find information stamped or etched into the outside surfaces of a gun, you may often find information on the inside of the lock plate, an on the bottom flat of the barrel, back near the Breech of the barrel. It was a custom of gun makers to put their personal information on the bottom flat of the barrel, and leave the top of the barrel for the owner of the gun to have his name etched, or engraved into the barrel. On rare occasions, you sometimes find information on the INSIDE of the Side-plate, and on even rarer occasions, under the butt plate.

I have a gun where the builder wrote his name on the bottom flat wood mortise for the barrel.

Unless you, or a competent gunsmith takes most of the larger parts off the gunstock, and examines them, you can miss the information. Its a pretty gun, but pictures don't allow us to age it much, nor identify a maker.

A trip with the gun to Dixon's Gunmaker's fair, held in Late July every year, ( search your computer engine for Dixon's Gunmaker's fair to get dates, directions, and location) would give you a lot of true experts who could help you further identify the gun. And, The Contemporary Longrifle Association has an annual Gathering at Lexington, Ky. each Fall, where you can also find a lot of skilled builders who might help you. They have a website, too.

With the gun in hand, there are many dealers, collectors, and builders who can tell you much about the age of the gun just from the Brass parts, and lock used. We have many competent members here who are capable of doing this, but need to see the gun in hand to be absolutely sure. :hatsoff:

 

[Trench]

Can you make out the name inscribed on the top of the barrel? If you can, some of these members may know something about that builder.

 

[wattlebuster]

Dont have the first clue but I shore nuff like it :hatsoff: :hatsoff:

 

[sky hawk]

I know that ID marks would likely be under the different metal parts. I have not taken it apart, as this gun is the extent of my experience with longrifles. To be honest, I was a little uneasy about taking hardware off. I am going on the word of a gunsmith who repaired a part in the lock (hammer wouldn't stay cocked). He took it apart and said there were not marks anywhere that he could find. He said he could not find a part that would fit what he needed so he had to fashion one. I will see about taking the gun apart.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Please don't disassemble the gun, without some experience you could do a lot of damage. That is a very fine rifle built by a skilled maker, it would be a shame to damage it. All I can tell you is that it is of the general style of a Lancaster Pennsylvania rifle from the early 19th century. It is of the style of a flintlock which has been converted to percussion using the common drum and nipple conversion. I'm not saying this rifle was originally flint, just that it is of that style.
I think you should treasure it for the family tradition and for it's beauty and not concern yourself so much with who actually built it, just be content that it was a skillful builder.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Please don't disassemble the gun, without some experience you could do a lot of damage. That is a very fine rifle built by a skilled maker, it would be a shame to damage it. All I can tell you is that it is of the general style of a Lancaster Pennsylvania rifle from the early 19th century. It is of the style of a flintlock which has been converted to percussion using the common drum and nipple conversion. I'm not saying this rifle was originally flint, just that it is of that style.
I think you should treasure it for the family tradition and for it's beauty and not concern yourself so much with who actually built it, just be content that it was a skillful builder.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[sky hawk]

So you recommend not disassembling the gun? I have experience with caplocks and even one flinter, but I don't have experience with any longrifles (except this one). I usually don't take apart guns except for removing the barrel, stock, sights, etc. Anything with a screw, I'm comfortable with, pins not so much. I definitely don't want to damage the gun though. Anyone know someone in the piedmont area of NC that will look at it for me and maybe take it apart?

 

[Shine]

It looks contemporary to me but very very well done.

 

[sky hawk]

Update: The rifle was taken to a seminar on "North Carolina Schools of Long Rifles" on Saturday at the High Point Museum, featuring WIlliam Ivey, Kenneth Orr, and Michael Briggs, and Joe Byerly. They looked at it, and very quickly identified it as made circa 1970 as a percussion rifle built in the style of the original flintlocks. Two of them agreed that they thought it was likely the work of a man named Jack Spain (sp.?) from the piedmont of NC. There is another name crudely scrawled on the barrel flat, that I do not believe to be the maker (and neither did they).

Anyone have a directory of gun builders that includes this man (Jack Spain) or know anything about him?