Carving

[Capt. Jas.]

In addition to my first post what I term as "comman man" which I feel for the most part as a man and his family either share cropping several hundred acres or doing so on their own land . Lots of hard work getting by struggling for any small advancement they were lucky enough to achieve. Be it weather ,insect or animal caused damages to the crops they were working not to mention sickness that could take them at every turn .
 That is why in my opinion is what a comman man of the time would be , one struggling to keep what he had most of the time .

If in the south and closer to the earlier part of Shawnee Mike's given time frame, I would see him with a Carolina gun (not a Jackie Brown style) or some form of cheap imported fowling piece as opposed to a more expensive rifle unless he was a hunter.

I agree , probably a smoothbore of fairly plain appearance . A utility piece for both putting meat on the table and protection of his family . A common sence choice that would do all he needed it to .

But "plain appearance" in the period might not meet with some guys' modern thinking of plain.

This is a link to an original "Carolina" type gun. It has export engraving on the lock and the hardware although crude, also has engraving. These were imported by the thousands and were available to the "common" man.
Today, most do not consider a lock engraved like that to be a plain gun but is was run of the mill then.
http://www.flintriflesmith.com/Antiques ... adegun.htm

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Capt. Jas. you brought up an interesting poin, many people today have a problem with understang what being a poor commoner was like 1 or 2 hundred or more years ago ? If , as most people , born in the last 40 years , few have ever had the " unique ' experience of having to just survive .
        All the reading and research in the world  can't convey to someone who has never experienced it , what it;s like to be REALLY hungry or cold with nowhere to turn to get relief ! So what is considered  "plain " from their point of view ,  might well be elaborate to some one raised in a different enviorment .

[Capt. Jas.]

There are many " documents " from history that mention or allude to military weapons falling into the hands either legally or by "chance ' into the hands of both white "ccommoners "and/ or" Native Americans '
      By the year 1640 the Dutch out of New Amsterdam (New York city area ) and Fort Orange Albany area , had been trading guns to the Native Americans in the area of New York state for several years ! There are letters and reports from the  " pilgrims " of Plymouth colony to the Privy consul in England  of their concern of how proficeint the Natives became with the weapons traded and given to them . There has come to light in recent years many documets from the archives in England not easily obtainable prior to the computer age .
       And one thing I consider as beeing paramount in getting weapons into the hands of civilians  were the many weapons gleaned from the battlefiels and scrimages along the frontiers .
        If you engauge in some minor research , the nos. of weapons that coukd have and did , wind up in the hands of the "common " man were considerble.

Gordon, I am in firm agreement with you that to really discuss this thread topic correctly,  along with defining the common man, we must narrow time frame and narrow location by a vast degree to get real answers.

I have never been one who bought into the battlefield pickup idea to any vast degree.

 There are records of military arms being issued to the poor among the militia but those arms were not the property of the individual if I am not mistaken. Like I said, I am not as versed in military arms. i am sure some military arms came into civilian ownership but I believe from an overall standpoint, commercial arms made the bulk of the "common man's" firearm ownership. They were available in all grades down to dirt cheap at the nearest store.

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Capt. Jas. You no doubt, have been to reestored  Williamsburg and the many documents that have been preserved there!  I make this assumption on the fact that you certainly have greatr knowledge of American /world history and you list your location as  Va.  Not too long ago I had read one of the official muster rousters from that area , and as you say they listed individuals being issued weapons who were no doubt on the bottom of the econimic ladder of the time.I have read and even have some original town and military rosters from the area of Vermont , New York ,Mass. , Rhode island N.H. etc. Thease records would confirm the fact that all able bodied men of the colinies were issued weapons and munitions anytime the officials of thease political entities deemed it was possible that they were under threat or to satisfy the officials of the british Gov.
        What i feel is that many folks , myself included forget that untill the 1780s we were British subjects and were bound by British laws and customs. One of them being that the majority of weapons and munitions were stored in an armory . and only put into the hands of the "average" subjects  when deemed nessacarry by the British officials in charge  
        In part , this was what lit the fuse for the Rev. ie. Concord/Lexington.
         Although tor the most part I think we agree, I have to take issue as to the nos. of arms gleaned from the various battles by the commoners. One prime example would be the numbers of weapons left on the field of battle when Gen. Braddock was severly defeated in his attempt to beat the French. at the forks of the Ohio. If I'm not totally incorrect there were some 2000 casualtys and Geoge Washing had to hustle his butt back to Va. The weapons were not recovered by the English  but by the Indian allies of the French and many wound up in the hands of French commoners  that stayed in the area and settled there .
        This sitiuation was repeated many times on a lessor scale for the next half century.  

[Captchee]

Couple things  I would add .
1) what  would we consider carvings ?
 Myself  finals on a lock mortise don’t really come to mind  when people say carvings .
 that’s just something that seems to be part of the mortise architecture..

 I think also we  can get a relive idea buy looking at  basically common guns of later periods that do survive.
 I think  SXS would make a very good example as many    lower end , low cost examples do survive.
 While most do carry checkering , the checkering isn’t of quality . Many also carry no engravings at all  . Those examples that do , the engraving is very basic.
 In some cases  the whole gun is very basic and plain