"Extreme Rifle Make Over" for Doug Swartz by Mike Brooks

I would like to show case Mike Brook's work. I purchased a rifle from the old Naragansett Arms company several years ago. I like the way the rifle shot and handled, but wanted a more period correct appearance for a 1760's long rifle.

I contacted Mike and after explaining what I was looking for as well as what I had to work with in my budget, here is what Mike came up with.

Mike re-did the barrel finish. The old finish was very rough almost abrasive. Mike also engraved a design in the barrel at the breech end. Mike removed quite a bit of wood from the stock, making it much more light weight and balanced. Mike did some relief carving at the breech, where wood was taken out. Mike then removed a silver cheek piece vent pick hanger, and silver toe plate, pinning in a new piece of wood, where the toe plate had been. Mike removed a silver wrist plate and replaced it with a brass one and engraved my initials in it. Mike left a silver cross in the stock as I wanted to leave it there, as it reminds me of my salvation in Christ. Mike carved my name into the stock and aged the entire stock to match the barrel, entirely re-doing the color phase of the stock, which now has a very pleasing reddish warm color. Mike also removed excess wood from the wooden patch box.    

Copy and photos supplied by Doug Swartz.

Mike Brooks Rifle with Curt Lyles Hunting Pouch and a Scott Sibley Powder Horn

This rifle has a Burton Aweight 38 inch .40 cal barrel. The lock is from Barbie over at Chambers an the black walnut stock blank came from Curt Lyles. The mounts came from Track except Mike made the sideplate an nose cap himself. This is Mikes 343rd gun. The gun weighs 7lbs. The goatskin bag is from Curt Lyles an the southern horn is by Scott Sibley.

Copy and photos supplied by Allen Reed.

1750-1770 Virginia Longrifle by Mike Brooks

.40 caliber, 46" swamped octagon Getz barrel. stocked in curly maple, brass trim, Jim Chambers flint lock

Copy and photos supplied by Track of the Wolf.

Mike Brooks

Carolina gun stocked in beech. 42 5/8" 20 bore barrel by Bob Hoyt. 

All hand wrought brass mounts. 

Distressed finish. weight 6lbs. 

Copy and photos supplied by Mike Brooks.

Mike Brooks Rifle

My interpratation of a possible "early" or F&I war gun. I used mainly European styled mounts, archetecture and decoration. The barrel is a rifled .69 caliber swamped 44" with a 1 1/4" breech. The barrel is decorated at the breech with some very germanic styled engraving as well as some "folksy" carictures bracketing my signature and location. There is a stylized bird at either end of the signature and a boars head surrounded by a hunting horn. The front sight is copper and "clenched" into the barrel. The lock is a German export styled lock and large and single bridled as was the norm in the early period. The side plate is French from a trade gun, I perposely chose it as it doesn't quit flow with the side panel and shows that it was reused from an earlier gun. The trigger guard and triggers are very Germanic in style. The butt plate is large, 5" X 2 1/4"and has a stepped finial. The sliding wood box cover is made with out a rear plate. The rear pipe is made in the Dutch fashion.  The stock is a piece of stump maple, with intense curl in the buttstock and nearly plain for the balance of the stock. There is a patch on the lower forestock that covers a large bark inclusion. The stock is stylisticly slightly plump with a very Germanic cheek piece and a simple volute coming from the rear of the cheek piece.. The carving at the comb is very Dutch in style. The forestock has upper and lower forestock moldings which I feel gives a nice early appearance. The carving at the barrel tang and rear ram rod pipe is vagely shell like and relates to no particular school or location.

The barrel is by Bob Hoyt, the lock is a Davis Colonial lock. The trigger guard is a local casting of a casting of a casting originating with Reeves Goehring. The buttplate is also cast locally from one of my own pattern pieces.

Copy and photos supplied by Mike Brooks.