Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Siegfried Mau After a Shuler Rifle

A Shuler rifle I build for myself. It has a 44“ Green Mountain swamped barrel, 50 cal.




Photos supplied by Siegfried Mau.

Billy Griner Horns

Billy Griner now has a web site to show case his work. The above horn is 2 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches in the butt and 5 inches along the inside curve. The engraving is Satilla River.

This Georgia Horn is 12 inches overall with a 2 inch butt. Carved tip. Beehive plug held in place with 23 small flat headed nails. Turned rings are heat applied and pinned in place. Nut wood butt. Near copy of The Allen Horn.

Copy and photos supplied by Billy Griner.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

David Rase Canoe Gun

This Blanket/Canoe Gun was built back in 2001.  The rust blued 20 gauge barrel is 18 1/2" long.  The stock is black walnut with a hand forged steel trigger guard, accompanied by brass mounts on the remainder of the gun.  The braided hemp rope going through the buttstock is a shoulder sling used to carry the gun over the shoulder and under a blanket or capote.










Copy and photos supplied by David Rase.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Jim Kibler Rifle

Rifle is heavily carved and molded. 44" 54 caliber Rice barrel. 






Photos supplied by Jim Kibler.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Antique Flintlocks

Nicholas-Noël Boutet, French, Versailles, 1761–1833, Directeur-Artiste of the Manufacture d'Armes de Versailles, French, Versailles, 1761–1833

Steel, engraved, blued, and damascened with gold; walnut, carved and inlaid with engraved silver; silver, cast and chiseled; horn; mahogany; velvet
L. overall 43 1/2 in. (110.49 cm) Wt. 6 lb. 7 oz. (2920 gm) Caliber .64


The Revolution of 1789 and the subsequent rise of Napoleon, first as consul (1799–1804) and then as emperor (1804–14), brought about a dramatic change in the design and decoration of French firearms. The principal innovator was Nicholas-Noël Boutet (1761–1833), who was named directeur-artiste of the newly formed Versailles Arms Manufactory in 1792. While the Versailles factory was the principal producer of regulation weapons for the French armies, Boutet was also charged with creating richly decorated arms for presentation to military heroes and foreign heads of state.
Firearms of this period, like the rifle illustrated, show an unequaled technical perfection and precision of workmanship. The delicate Rococo style associated with the ancien régime was abandoned and replaced by the more masculine classicism of the Empire style with its references to Greco-Roman and Egyptian motifs. Gunstocks were inlaid with engraved sheet silver and gold, and the mounts were often of heavy silver cast in bold relief. The decoration included trophies of arms and scenes of classical battles and victories that implied France's military glory.

Samuel Brunn, England, London, recorded 1795-1820

Steel, walnut, silver, gold
Length overall 16 in. ( 40.64 cm) Length barrel 10 1/8 in. ( 25.7 cm) Caliber .603

These pistols are the finest known examples of English neoclassical-style firearms. Each stock is inlaid with engraved sheet silver and embellished with heavy cast-silver mounts. This decoration was inspired by contemporary French Empire firearms, such as those by Boutet also in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (acc. nos. 36.58a–c, 42.50.7a–n, and 1970.179.1). Several of the motifs are based on ancient Roman sources. On the sideplate, for example, the Nereid riding a sea-leopard derives from an engraving of 1762 depicting a wall painting in the recently found ruins of Herculaneum. On the trigger guard, the oval medallion representing Hercules with a defeated Amazon is copied from a well-known antique gem. The Medusa head on the butt also derives from classical art, but here the idealized model has been transformed into a grimacing but almost humorous caricature of the legendary gorgon.


Copy and photos from The Metropolitan Museum.

Sir John Caldwell's Powder Horn c.1770's

Obtained while an officer in the British Amy at Ft.Detroit
Collection of the Museum of Civilization Ottawa, Canada

Photo's: David Weidner

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Antique Flintlocks

Pierre Le Bourgeois, French, Lisieux, died 1627

Steel, chiseled, blued, and gilt; wood, inlaid with silver, brass, engraved mother-of-pearl; gilt brass, bone
L. overall 55 5/16 in. (140.49 cm) Wt. 5 lb. 11 oz. (2580 gm) Caliber .59 (55mm)

This fowling piece is one of the earliest firearms equipped with the flintlock of French construction. It was made for Louis XIII (r. 1610–43) in the workshop directed by Pierre Le Bourgeois's brother, Marin (about 1550–1634), to whom the invention of the flintlock mechanism is traditionally ascribed. The decoration of the gun includes the crowned monogram of the king.

Jacob Kuntz, American, Pennsylvania, 1780–1876

Engraved steel and brass; maple inlaid with engraved brass, silver, bone, horn
L. (overall) 59 1/4 in. (150.5 cm) L. (barrel) 43 in. (109.22 cm) Wt. 9 lb. 13 oz. ( 4451 gm) Caliber .46

This rifle is an early example of Kuntz's work, perhaps made about 1810, when he moved from Northampton County, Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia. The restrained carving of the stocks and the confident treatment of the engraved brass inlays demonstrate his early mastery of the techniques that distinguish him as one of Philadelphia's finest gunmakers.



Copy and photos from The Metropolitan Museum.