Young people on the frontier went about armed from an early
age. In
“Thoughts on Kentucky Rifle in the Golden Age” Joe Kindig Jr. shows a 30
inch barreled youth’s rifle he attributes to Wolfgang Haga. This is an early gun with a brass box and
raised carving. Kindig also notes that
he owned another boys rifle by Fredrick Zorger dated 1805 that was engraved and
had a patchbox. Nathan Boone related
killing a deer with a rifle in 1793 when he was 12 years old. He also stated he had a smaller “bird
rifle" before that. (We have what
is very likely a copy of Nathan’s deer rifle in the auction donated by Ed
Fish.) So in addition to cut down, old
muskets we know that some lucky young people received some classy purpose built
firearms.
Terry Methe has
made a grand style boy’s or girl’s smooth rifle for the auction. This gun is 35 1/2 inches in overall length
with a 23” barrel, 5/8 of an inch across the flats. A 36 caliber, the gun is light and handy with
a 11” length of pull.
The diminutive flintlock is one of this guns
most striking features. Carefully
crafted in an English style, the lock is perfectly sized for the rifle, and it
is lightning fast.
This smooth
rifle has engraved brass furniture, raised carving on the highly figured maple
stock and a nice patchbox. Terry Methe’s signature is engraved on the barrel.
This nicely made rifle will probably make a life-long shooter out of some lucky
young person.
Terry Methe’s contact information is 636 394 6865
Copy by Heinz Ahlers with photos by Ric Lambert
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