Traditional Firearms > Flintlock Long Guns

poor boy

<< < (15/15)

Mike R:
The southern iron mounted rifle is mostly [as  known from surviving examples] a product of the 19th cent.  Alot of folks grew up with them--they were part of the link from old time to modern day longrifle use, used in overthelog shoots and other such surviving events, still used for hunting in the southern mountains of my youth [I am 64]....alot of builders during the heyday of buckskinning built them.  The problem began when folks started to want to reenact 18th cent or take part in 18th cent events--they kept asking for an 18th cent version.  There are darn few such survivors.  Yep, the iron mounted southern rifle is way overdone for 18th cent, but was very common in the 19th cent and even in my youth in the 20th cent...by the way, Steve, whose beautiful rifles are posted above, is one of the leading makers in the world!  Glad he is here to share with us.  .....I have been away a long time, but I am glad to be back here, too....

jtwodogs:
"Poor Boy";I believe that is one of the terms the Antique gun dealer used when he was describing my gun I have posted as a civil war era piece. He said they were often made as cheaply as possible, for the common man, and often were made of parts there were available, thus iron and brass mounted.
I also read somewhere that gunsmiths often order locks from England by the barrel, and just fitted a particular lock to all the rifles that that particular smith put out at that time. Mine has the back action lock more commonly seen in shotguns, but was probably all that was available to the particular "Smith" at the time.
I think "She" (My gun) is so ugly, "She's" pretty.
I just wish "She" could talk of game taken, maybe even of defense of hearth and home. Neat.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page