Broadside Article: Contemporary Maker, Mark Wheland

Mark Wheland is one of the most gifted young builders in America today. His enthusiasm for the building of longrifles is unmatched. His work is a joy to behold. His latest piece, a bench copy of a Bonewitz might even fool the old master himself. Mark has a real eye for detail and his subtle ageing is most convincing. His range of projects is far reaching. He is as comfortable building an early Christian Springs rifle as a much later style East Tennessee rifle. His attention to detail is unrelenting. Mark is as personable as he is gifted. He is a delight to talk with and his enthusiasm is infectious.

Mark’s has won numerous awards at Dixon's Gunmakers Fair including Best Of Show in 2005. His work has appeared in Muzzleloader, Westsylvania magazine and Muzzle Blasts. 

This rifle is styled after Leonard Reedy. It is stocked in sugar maple. The rifle has a 44 inch 50 caliber. Getz barrel and a Chambers large Siler flintlock. The Butt plate and trigger guard are sandcast brass. The remaining brass parts are all hand made.

Q: Mark where were you born?
A: I was born in Central Pennsylvania, where I live today.

Q: How did you develop your interest in longrifles?
A: I saw my first Pennsylvania longrifle when I was a teenager, and I was fascinated immediately.

Q: When did you start building?
A: I began to build my own rifles in 1992. In 1999, I apprenticed to Allen Martin. I am now a full-time gunsmith.

Q: What style guns do you build?
A: I specialize in historically accurate reproductions of American Longrifles and Fowlers of the 1750 to 1820 period. My styles include examples of the Allentown or Lehigh Valley, Berks County, Lancaster, Christian's Spring, Wommelsdorf, and others.

Q: Do you limit yourself to the schools that we just discussed?
A: No not really, I am constantly working to broaden my creative horizons, adding new styles and new designs, exploring the vast and varied world of historic rifles.

Q: What is your approach to building longrifles?
A: I take tremendous pleasure in recreating the beautiful and distinctive firearms of our history, using the finest materials available and traditional methods. No rifle leaves my shop until I feel that it is the very best work that I can do. I stand by my words, always offering "the finest custom-crafted American Longrifles". Each of my rifles is hand-crafted from a select curly maple blank and the highest quality American-made parts available. I use Getz Barrels and Jim Chambers locks. Butt plates and trigger guards are sand-cast brass. Patchboxes and other parts are hand-made as needed. Each stock is scraped and burnished, not sanded, then finished by hand-rubbing several coats of oil-varnish to give a warm natural glow. I custom-fit each rifle to the client.

Q: What have you been working on lately?
A: I recently completed a bench copy of Kindig's gun no. 78 on page 209. I used a 45 caliber Getz barrel 45 1/4 inches long. The lock is a large Siler reshaped to the proper appearance. I strove to put every detail in it's proper place. All of the hardware was custom made. The 4 piece brass patchbox is elegantly engraved as was the original. The relief carving was done exactly as the original. 

This handsome rifle is a bench copy of a Bonewitz, Kindig's gun number 78 on page 209. The barrel was made by Getz and is 45.25 inches long in 45 caliber. The lock is a reshaped Siler. The hardware was all custom made.