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Origin of gun inlay styles?

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Daveboone

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I am starting to plan my upcoming Kibler Colonial rifle. I out of necessity will be keeping adornment quite simple, but I think the beautiful lines of the gun can speak for itself. That said, What do folks think are some of the more traditional inlay designs and thier origins? Say, like (probably my favorite) the crescent moon, star, etc?
 
I like the Hunters star cheekpiece in lay.

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Since we can't discuss religious symbols on the Forum. I'll do what I can. Stars have religious connotations. One type of star was used as a compass. A stationary compass can allow the user of the gun to better assess position once he begins moving in a definite direction towards a distant object. Fish are a deeply religious symbol , and secularly a symbol of plenty. Moons, can denote seasons , harvest , hunting seasons, starving times , planting seasons , ie. , times when things happen. Birds , such as the Pa.German Distel Fink , or , Yellow Thistle Finch , was a welcome bird to a farmer to rid a field of invasive thistle seed. The Eagle is the symbol of our country. A cutlass , cannon , soldier with a musket , all military connotations. A bust of an Indian on a Lehigh Valley rifle in Pa. could denote a secret society of patriots during the Revolution. A long inlay between the rear of the entry ramrod pipe and the front of the trigger guard , could denote that when the ramrod hole was drilled ,the drill , in error , came out the bottom of the forearm. A common fix for an all to frequent occurrence. Religion on the early frontier , was frequently mixed with superstition , so good luck charms were often used to ward off bad luck. .......................I hope you get some ideas for some inlays ................oldwood
 

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