Mark Elliott Early Virginia Rifle

This is an early Virginia rifle that I made in 2004 as part of a class I took at the NMLRA Gunsmithing Workshop. Rather than being based on a particular gun, it is encompasses the features of several pre-Revolutionary rifles from the Valley of Virginia. The cheek side carving is based on work from Rockbridge and Augusta counties in the central Valley of Virginia. The tang carving is typical of the Winchester area. It employs butt piece and guard castings from Reaves Goehring. All the other mounts and hardware are hand made. The rifle has a 42 inch, 54 caliber, C weight, Colerain barrel. A White Lightning liner is installed. The lock is a Chambers Early Ketland. The stock is a piece of fairly curly, slab cut, red maple with the grain running nicely through the wrist. The stock is entirely scraped and burnished and the rifle is generally finished in a workman like manner. The stock is stained with aqua fortis and finished in oil. I have fitted the hickory ramrod with a plain sheet steel ferrule on the breech end that will accept a 10-32 threaded wiper. M.E.E.

The technical details:

Stock: Fairly curly, slab cut Red Maple
Lock: Chambers Early Ketland
Barrel: Colerain 42", 54 caliber, C profile with Chambers White Lightning liner
Trigger: Hand forged single trigger pinned in stock
Mounts: Cast brass butt piece (early butt piece from Dixie) and guard (Reaves Goehring #10), rest of mounts from brass sheet.

More of Marks' work can be seen on his web site.

Photos supplied by Mark Elliott.