Montana Historical Gunmaker's Guild

This rifle, in the style of Melchoir Fordney, was built as an instructional project by members of the Montana Historical Gunmaker's Guild.  Approximately a dozen members, half of whom were first-time or inexperienced builders, worked on the piece.

The project entailed research of Fordney's work, selection of artistic embellishments, preparation of necessary drawings and a combination of classroom and hands-on instruction followed by supervised work on the rifle and its component parts.  The gun was scratch built from a blank using a commercially purchased lock, barrel and brass castings.  A Dreppert lock was made, but not used, because it was not ready when the time came to inlet the lock (See Wheeler-Johnson Lock on the Blog, June 13, 2008).

The members breeched, coned and lapped the barrel, made the set triggers and all of the furniture, except the buttplate and triggerguard, and did all stock shaping, inletting, carving and engraving.  The stock was finished using member-made aqua fortis and varnish oil.

Photos and copy by Bill Madden

Past-President, Montana Historical Gunmakers Guild

Montana Historical Gunmaker's Guild

A flintlock in the style of Lancaster lockmaker John Dreppert ("Drepperd"). It is hand-made out of bar stock from scratch by Rich Wheeler and fellow Guild member, Paul Johnson, so we are calling it the "Wheeler-Johnson" lock. Moldings still has to be filed and decorative engraving added, which will be done later once the Guild members have worked on engraving techniques.

Originally, the lock was intended to be put on a flintlock in the style of Lancaster gunsmith Melchior Fordney being collectively built by Guild members largely from scratch, but containing a production barrel, butt-plate and trigger guard. Unfortunately, the lock was not ready for inletting when we needed it, so we went with a production, Ketland lock. Consequently, the Wheeler-Johnson lock will go on the Guild's next rifle project or, perhaps, be raffled, auctioned or sold separately.

Bill Madden, President
Montana Historical Gunmaker's Guild