Left Hand Flinter Artifact?

[Loyalist Dave]

Hey folks, other than on a SxS smoothbore or double rifle, are there any examples of a single barrel, left hand, flintlock fowler or rifle?  Can you share the location or collection?

LD

[Feltwad]

Have a s/b 12 by Patrick of Liverpool   UK , this was a left hand flinter converted to percussion and dates from 1810 .Has a matter of interest this was a lady gun maker.
Feltwad
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Roaddog]

That's a good lookn gun. I have never seen a old lefty beforn.
 How did a gal get away with doing men's work back in the day?

[Feltwad]

It was common practise for a woman to work along with her husband has a gun maker.If a husband died then the wife carried on the business with hired help such has a journeyman gun smith plus local men.
Feltwad
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Loyalist Dave]

That's pretty cool.  Anybody else have something or know of one in a collection?

LD

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Feltwad , thanks for the information , I now know there is at least one leftymade "back when" and there were Lady gunsmiths.

[Capt. Jas.]

"Gunmakers" were not always or more correctly rarely gunsmiths. They were often just merchants.

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Capt.jas. interesting concept , can you give us more information as to the difference between "Gunsmith " and "Gunmaker"? Too often words become intercahngable over the years and lose their distinction .

[Two Steps]

Gordy...if you can get ahold of the Jul/Aug issue of Muzzleloader, Mark Sage talks about this in his Northwest Trade  Guns article.
Al

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Thanks Al , seems there were more care taken years ago in what constituted a journeyman from a master etc. This was true for most trades . carpentry , cabinet maker , blacksmith etc. I,m not saying that because a person didn,t climb the ladder from  helper to master craftman they arn,t good at what they do. But I think much important information gets lost in the process.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Capt.jas. interesting concept , can you give us more information as to the difference between "Gunsmith " and "Gunmaker"? Too often words become intercahngable over the years and lose their distinction .

Gordon,

I would suggest reading English Gunmakers by De Witt Bailey and Douglas Nie as well as Blackmore's Gunmakers of London 1350-1850 and supplement volume. They discuss this subject in depth. All very interesting and very important for those interested in guns used in America during colonial times as they were imported here in number.

James

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Capt.Jas.  thanks for the refferences , I,ll check for them through the lebrary to see if a copy might be available on the interloan system.

[Capt. Jas.]

You won't be sorry when you get your hands on them.

[Feltwad]

The 1790 {Book Of Trades} referes to several trades to building a gun ,for the barrels these are produced by a barrel forger, the lock by a lock maker and the the stock by a stocker.and like wise the engraver All of these trades worked for several gunmakers who then built the the gun from the parts of the trades mentioned ,in other words they were builders of what we would today call kits.
The gun smith is known has a repairer of guns this became more popular in the breech loading period from the pin fire onwards
The journeyman gun maker was mostly an apprentice just out of his apprenticship who travel from town to town and working part time for several gun makers.Records show that most of these journeymen lodged at the local workhouse,when he had saved enough money he would start  a business of his own which depended on the gentry and gentlemen farmers of the area who would be his clientele.
Enclose are some of the charges he would have charged from a 1845 bill
Cleaning a d/b gun and repairing the stock      2 shillings  6 pence
Polishing barrels, cleaning locks ,stock and furniture fit a new nipple 3shillings 6pence
New ramrod  3 shillings
Accessiors
4lb of gun powder      10 shillings
1 bag of shot               7 shillings  6pence
2 sheets of best white wadding 2shillings 6pence
1box of anticorrosive caps        3 shillings 6pence

Feltwad
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Loyalist Dave]

OK so I am guessing that since only one example was offered up, and nobody even referenced a written inventory of a lefthanded single lock flinter, they were very very rare indeed.?

LD