Contemporary Makers: James Frost

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

2020 CLA Live Auction: COLONIAL FOWLER by James Frost and Powder Horn by Mike Small

When it comes to sheer versatility in the field, few period firearms can compare to the smoothbore fowler. Capable of taking a wide spectrum of wild game, fowlers saw extensive use in early America as humble meat guns. But in a very real sense, the weapon helped shape the United States. During the early days of the Revolutionary War, New England militia units regularly took to the field armed with smoothbore fowlers, employing them in the epic fights for liberty at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill.

For this year’s CLF fundraising auction, artist and gun builder James Frost has created an exceptional example of the classic New England fowler. The gun, explains Frost, combines French and English stylistic features and is a typical fowler from the middle to the third quarter of the 18th century. This gun started its life as a kit from Jim Chambers Flintlocks, and demonstrates that top quality materials, paired with an individual maker’s unique creative talents, can result in a first-rate example of fine craftsmanship.

Frost constructed this gun around a 10 gauge, 46 inch long, octagon-to-round barrel. The barrel is married to a remarkably patterned stock of curly maple, and the artist finished the wood with a combination of alcohol-based stains and a hand rubbed finish of English red oil. The fowler features brass furniture; the barrel, as well as the Chambers lock, were given a cold rust brown finish.

The fowler is accompanied by a stellar powder horn by artist Mike Small. This robust 18” horn is well-paired with Frost’s 10 gauge fowler. Featuring a gracefully turned cherry base plug 3” in diamenter, and hickory stopper, the horn was aged with natural vegetable dyes. Patterned after horns typical of original examples from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, this screw tip horn is an exactingly crafted masterpiece.

For more information on the work of the artists, contact them directly:

James Frost: jimboblues@yahoo.com

Mike Small: wbgv1@yahoo.com

To see all the Artists' contributions to the 2020 CLF Live Fund Raising Auction, visit our website at http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/2020-live-auction/

Saturday, August 12, 2017

2017 CLF Auction Item: Rifle by James Frost

The early history of the rifle in America is always fascinating and problematic. We know that rifles were in use on the frontier prior to the French and Indian War. John Fraser mentioned the loss of seven “rifled guns’ at the Battle of Fort Necessity. Even earlier, in 1743, the trader John Armstrong stole a “rifled gun” and a horse from a Delaware Indian. Armstrong’s murder when the Delaware caught up with him is recorded in the Pennsylvania Archives.

Who these early gunsmith’s were and what their rifles looked like is primarily an area of conjecture. The known dated early rifles tap out around 1760. Some rifles may be earlier but they are not dated. And early rifles are seldom signed or even initialed. There are a few gunsmiths that reliable documentation suggests were active before 1755. Jacob Dubbs is one of these gunsmiths and so is John Fraser who appears to have apprenticed to Dubbs. Dubbs worked in the Lehigh Valley and a rifle in Rifles of Colonial America is now attributed to him. This is rifle number 59, a rifle with a number of early characteristics.

CLA artist James Frost has created a rifle, loosely based on RCA number 59 and some other early guns from Lehigh and Northampton to Berks and Lebanon. John Bivins noted in 1968 in Longrifles of North Carolina “‘The early rifle, dating before the end of the revolution, tended strongly to exemplify strongly the simplicity of the so-called Queen Anne period. . .”

This rifle captures that spirit which Blevins called “a subtlety of curve and a certain haughty simplicity.”

This gun uses simple but elegant architecture set off by the striking piece of curly maple. James has used engraved brass castings for the furniture in the manner of the engraved castings that were imported from Europe by early gunsmiths. He also used a cast chevron nose cap. These contribute a tough of flash to the clean simple architecture. This rifle has a 38" swamped B weight Colerain barrel, in 50 caliber. It has a nice balance with the heft of an early rifle.

James Frost has been making rifles for over 30 years and the workmanship and fit on this rifle is flawless. Ray Franks of Sitting Fox Muzzleloaders graciously donated the components for this auction rifle.