Author Topic: Pictures of Robert "Bob" Watts rifles (Read 21597 times)

whitebear · « **on:** December 01, 2010, 04:58:26 AM »

I would like to see pictures of rifles produced by Bob Watts an extremely talented builder of the Atlanta, Stone Mountain area. If I can get enough information and pictures I may do a pamphlet or book on him.

lhill · « **Reply #1 on:** December 01, 2010, 06:02:31 AM »

I, too am a big fan of Mr Watts. The only pictures I have found are in Foxfire 5. and Weils book. Would love to see others....good luck.

Don Getz · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2010, 04:32:38 PM »

I didn't check this out but I think there are some of Bob Watts guns in Bob Weil's book on Contemporary Guns. I knew
Bob from Friendship. I always enjoyed his visits to my booth, his deep voice, great southern gentleman.............Don

whitebear · « **Reply #3 on:** December 02, 2010, 06:04:13 AM »

Don, I had the pleasure and privilege of going to Bobs Stone Mountain Armory several times. My wife worked in a picture framing shop and Bob always had something he wanted framed so we would trade out the framing bill with him.

I always wanted him to build me a rifle but he passed away before it could be accomplished. He was a true southern gentleman with his deep slow drawl.

One thing you might not know, he was an accomplished fly fisherman. He would come down here to Milledgeville Ga to visit a friend of mine and if we were having a rifle match that day he would go to the pond and fly fish while we were shooting. Go figure!

willyr · « **Reply #4 on:** December 03, 2010, 12:28:49 AM »

You might want to contact Bob's brother, Jack Watts. Jack and other of Bob's family live in the Columbia, Mississippi area. There are a lot of Bob's rifles in Mississippi. You can telephone Jack at 601 736-1249. I don't have phone numbers for any other family members.
Bob certainly built some beautiful rifles. He also did not mind sharing his knowledge with a novice builder like me. I wish you well with your endeavor.
Be Well,
Bill Ridout

bama · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2010, 04:55:42 AM »

Hey Bill this has nothing to do with this post about Bob Watts. I just wanted to say hi to you, one of these days I am going to stop by a shoot at ya'lls new range there in Jackson. Oh by the way I do happen to have a barrel that was breached by Bob that has an unusual threaded in powder chamber. I have no plans to build a rifle around it, I got it in a trade. I just thought I would keep it as a momento of Bob. Although I never meet him I have met Jack at one of the MS. matches and he seemed like a good southern boy himself.

Jim Parker

willyr · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2010, 05:03:25 PM »

Jim; good to hear from you. we shoot the first Sunday of the month for monthly shoots and first weekend in October for the state shoot. We will also do some kind of two day shoot in April or May. I don't know exactly what that will be because, thank God, someone besides me will be making that decision this year.

Be Well,
Bill

whitebear · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2010, 09:47:54 PM »

Quote from: willyr on December 03, 2010, 12:28:49 AM

You might want to contact Bob's brother, Jack Watts. Jack and other of Bob's family live in the Columbia, Mississippi area. There are a lot of Bob's rifles in Mississippi. You can telephone Jack at 601 736-1249. I don't have phone numbers for any other family members.
Bob certainly built some beautiful rifles. He also did not mind sharing his knowledge with a novice builder like me. I wish you well with your endeavor.
Be Well,
Bill Ridout

Bill, I did call Jack and had a really nice conversation with him until I got a call from work and had to go. Thanks for the info I will be contacting him again.

D. Buck Stopshere · « **Reply #8 on:** February 09, 2011, 08:07:57 AM »

I just started here on the forum. You can see my posts on the "Lewis Sanchez Rifle" Thread.

I can provide you with photos of two of Bob Watts' flint longrifles here in NC. A .45 caliber flintlock bought in '77, belonging to my friend over in Asheboro, "NC Hawkeye", and Me.

Mine is a Southern Mountain .40 caliber flint left-hand longrifle that was bought by by my late business partner, Lewis Sanchez, when he was at Friendship in '75. I was tending the store back in Fayetteville, NC, and he figured I wouldn't turn it down for $375.00. He was right.

Lew and I switched out on working our booth in the sheepshed on commercial row at Friendship. He would take the Spring shoot and I'd take the Fall shoot. Then, the next year, we'd switch that around. I took my rifle to the Fall Shoot and met Bob Watts at his booth. The only regret is that my rifle is un-signed, unless Bob marked it on the bottom flat.

I'll talk to "NC Hawkeye" at the Dixie Deer Classic on first weekend in March, and we'll see about getting some photos for your use. It might take a few months to accomplish the task.

My e-mail address is: Buck100-10X@nc.rr.com

Buck Buchanan
Field Rep-NC
NMLRA

Don Getz · « **Reply #9 on:** February 09, 2011, 04:53:57 PM »

Buck........are you "the" Buck Buchanan? It's been a long time since our paths crossed. We don't do Friendship any
more, and was really surprised when you chimed in here. Had a lot of good laughs together....."wanna buy a teddy bear?" Take care, good to hear you're still kicking around. You should try to make it to the CLA show, would be great
to see you again................Don

D. Buck Stopshere · « **Reply #10 on:** February 09, 2011, 06:42:35 PM »

Yes, Don. The "one and only" (Thank God, Says some) Buck Buchanan.

Been tending my own store, Fayetteville Arms Room, after closing Cumberland Knife & Gun Works in 1999.
Had I known that half of Fort Bragg (Pop 50,000) would have left town in 2003-2005 for the war in Iraq and dealing with the recession in '08, I might not have opened the business.

Missed not shooting on the pistol line at Friendship for past ten years, and going to Fort Fred. But now that I'm 65 and fully "retarded" and drawing SS, I've got more time to travel and visit.

Will make it a point to convince Jerry Fisher and/or Mike Ehinger to come to 2011 CLA Show. Might come to Williamsburg in April for the Southern Show. Have to watch the mileage though, my GMC Suburban is heading for the "BIG 4" as in 400,000 miles on engine.

Need to get back in the loop and see my good friends from Friendship & Fort Fredrick. Still have my Bivins .50 flint longrifle, John's first left-hand rifle, made in '77.

I thank God for Lew Sanchez's partnership that enabled me to meet a few of the Legends of gunmaking; Fred Riley, Jack Haugh, Tom Dawson, Carl Pippert, Mark Silver, Robert Ditchburn, John Bivins, & Monte Mandarino.

I still remember sharing the humor with y'all at Fort Fred, with Jim Hash at the Daniel Morgan Rifle Frolic and with Jerry Kirklin & Bob Watts at Friendship. Great years & great memories.

Still got the "Stash", Don? (soup strainer)

Cal Watford · « **Reply #11 on:** April 16, 2016, 06:12:52 PM »

Not sure where to start. I read old posts about Bob Watts rifles and wanted to reply if anyone is still interested, I own two flint lock rifles that Bob built for me in the early 70s. One is .45 cal. in the Penn. and Kentucky style. Brass mounted and beautiful stocked. The other is a Southern Appalachian. .50 cal and Iron Mounted. Both beautiful rifles. Bob said the Southern Appalachian was typical of those rifles later shortened in the Hawken style for easier handling on horseback. Bob became a great friend and is sorely missed.

Curt Lyles · « **Reply #12 on:** April 21, 2016, 01:41:18 PM »

Cal I would like to see your Watts rifles if you dont mind and Im sure most others here would too.If you cant post them here you can send them to me at clram@bnin.net.Thanks Curt

Curt Lyles · « **Reply #13 on:** May 17, 2016, 04:12:07 AM »

The following email was sent to me today. If any of you out there know John Adcock, I'm sure he'd enjoy hearing from you!

"Hey just reading post on long rifles site looking for Bob Watts stuff! Reading old post on there I recognize some folks when I was a kid! I am not
A member of that site but as several of those posting there will know my Father John Adcock he and Bob were great friend and I spent much time there. That being said we have several of his guns at my dads ! Many will remember one flintlock he made for my father it was flintlock that was on cover of muzzle blast and a few others! I was looking thru things last week and guess we have about 8 or 9 of
His guns. If you could share
My name on that site and my email my dad now blind would love to hear from the friendship crew he ran with! FYI the guns are not for sale lol!
Regards
Jay Adcock"

Curt Lyles · « **Reply #14 on:** May 17, 2016, 04:13:30 AM »

I have pictures of three different Bob Watts rifles. If someone would be willing to post them, I can email you the pictures.

davebozell · « **Reply #15 on:** May 17, 2016, 04:36:18 AM »

Send them to me, Curt. I'll post them for you.

Dave

Curt Lyles · « **Reply #16 on:** May 17, 2016, 06:29:21 AM »

Dave I will send them in the morning.Thanks Curt

davebozell · « **Reply #17 on:** May 18, 2016, 12:58:15 AM »

Here are the pictures of the three rifles that Curt sent:

brokenflint · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2016, 04:21:02 PM »

Bob always did make some fine rifles, I was introduced to his work by a friend in town here who owned a couple. I stopped by Bob's shop a couple of times but it was always closed. I found out later he was taking care of his ill mom and not working in the shop much. I always felt like I missed a great opportunity in not meeting him.

Timberdog · « **Reply #19 on:** December 18, 2020, 02:29:47 AM »

Anyone care to share some Bob Watts rifle pictures (I'd appreciate it). He's one of the artists interviewed for the FoxFire 5 book, he was from Marion County Mississippi but I knew him in his shop over in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

He drew a short straw too early in life, been some 20 plus years, and my memory is fading on what his rifles looked like...even forget what his personal "Turkey Gun" looked like, but it was magical back in the day...

RIP Mr. Watts

TonyM · « **Reply #20 on:** December 18, 2020, 05:59:27 AM »

I have shot against him many times. When he showed up you best bet was second place.
At a live turkey shoot in Ga some 30 yrs back, Bob pulled a good one.
Turkeys in cages at 90 yds behind a log(had to be a head shot), hams on a string at 40 yds.
Yes he did it. Lined on the far left side of the range and fired. A ham dropped and a turkey started flopping.

art riser · « **Reply #21 on:** December 18, 2020, 06:34:19 PM »

https://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2009/08/robert-watts.html

Timberdog · « **Reply #22 on:** December 18, 2020, 07:42:07 PM »

Tony M - I saw the few targets he had in the shop, have heard he was “man to beat”, and shot with near extended arm style. Thanks for the memory!

Art - thanks; I can’t remember the trigger guard on his personal gun; that might be the style it was.

Bob made the best rear sight ever.

D. Buck Stopshere · « **Reply #23 on:** December 25, 2020, 07:17:41 PM »

I own one of Bob's .40 caliber Southern Mountain Rifles. My "Partner in Grime" at Cumberland Knife & Gun Works, the late Lewis Sanchez brought back on his second trip to Friendship in '73, a beautiful left-handed rifle made by Bob. I have never seen a curly maple stock with as much premium +++++++ wood as this one. However, it's unsigned.

I always attend the largest shootin' match in the Southeast, the Brushy Creek Rendezvous in Lenox, GA. About five years ago, I found two other right-handed Watts rifles that were signed. I set all three in a rifle rack and took photos of the trio to show the similarities in the moulding lines, and architecture. A near perfect match. A friend of mine in the Uwharrie Woods near Albemarle has a Watts SMR in .45 caliber.

Through my lasting working relationship with Lew Sanchez, I was fortunate to talk with Bob at his booth at Friendship, when we had our booth between Mick Koval and Erwin Fagel in Commercial Row. I will always remember that Bob did have a tendency on the phone to "extend" his pauses in conversations, so much so that you felt that the phone line went dead.

Bob also crafted neat ball starters that incorporated a solid wood cylinder "head" that was hollowed out about an inch on each end, where a lead .69 cal. round ball was placed. On each end, a thick leather round pad was glued to the end as a "cap". The lead ball added heft to the head to act as a "hammer". I have one for my Bivins rifle and one for the Watts rifle.

Like the other deceased artists of the art of the longrifle, he left us too early.

Timberdog · « **Reply #24 on:** January 01, 2021, 03:48:03 AM »

D. Buck Yes I know exactly what you’re talking about on the ball starter and I have one from Mr. Watts and have made a couple of others! I use every time, Smack that ball home! I’ve always used it, I don’t get around many other shooters, so I forgot it was unique.

Sure would love to see some pictures of those rifles if you ever get a minute. Thanks for the memories.

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Author Topic: Pictures of Robert "Bob" Watts rifles (Read 21597 times)

lhill

willyr

willyr

Cal Watford

brokenflint