Dillon,
I think the best "primer" on Tennessee rifles was written by Robin Hale in the
American Society of Arms Collectors Bulletin 23:6-23. The entire text of this article is online as a PDF right here:
Tennessee Rifles
Also, if you can get ahold of some back issues of
Muzzle Blasts magazine, or if you have access to the digital versions online, look for an article entitled, "The Mountain Rifle of the Alleghenys," in the September 1964 issue, page 12. I regret that I neglected to write down the author's name. However, this was the first article or document I know of that was devoted entirely to a discussion of southern mountain rifles as a distinct, regional style. Up to that point, many people regarded them as poor imitations of the more glamorous Pennsylvania rifles. My dad was interested in them, and collected four or five original Tennessee rifles back in the fifties. I think a couple were regarded as just "old guns" by former owners, and they were gifted to my father. I know he bought one, in shootable condition, for ten bucks by mail order from Red Faris. In any event, I'm glad these interesting rifles are now getting the attention they deserve.
This topic of Tennessee rifles has also been addressed several times recently, right here on this forum. Here are links to a few threads that have good discussions:
"What makes a Tennessee Mountain Rifle?"
"TVM Southern vs. Tennessee?"
"Poor Boy Rifle"
Also, if you look in the upper right corner of your screen, you'll see the word "Search." Click on that and it will open up a little window with a couple of blank spaces you can fill in. Type in
Tennessee Rifles and you'll get several pages of links to threads on this forum that mention or discuss Tennessee rifles.
I'm not giving you a hard time, and I hope you are not offended. It never hurts to open up a topic anew. Most of us here are garrulous old
farts fellows who relish the opportunity to tell the same stories over again, and fresh discussions seldom fail to bring up new information. However, if you really want to canvas the forum for information on a topic, a search may be helpful.
Best of luck to you!
Notchy Bob