Thanks for the comments fellows!! Like i said before, I wasn't trying to make an antique, but make a gun that looked about twenty years or so old that was well used and well cared for. I was not trying to make a copy of anything but a rifle made in the Moravian community and influenced by those great makers. Eric, I too like low and tight sights on those original guns but I cannot see them well enough for good shooting. I finished this gun in December and with the mild winter have had plenty of opportunity to get a good feel for it. Its a great shooter, great barrel, and using the loading principles I learned here from Daryl and Leatherbelly, I can shoot all day with no wiping.
Some of the things I did, like the forestock were conscious decisions based on guns pictured on pages 51, 65, 103, and 131 in the 'Moravian Gun Making' book. The butt plate was modified and does look kind of Lancastrian. My thinking was that these guns were the root to what would become several different schools of architecture and this one would lean towards that direction, maybe I morphed it a bit too much. I used aqua fortis for the stain and rubbed it back in typical wear areas. It is much darker than the photographs show, I lightened them to show more detail, and in real life, it has a warm glow to it, that makes you want to pick it up and shoulder it. Though Albrecht was the primary influence while making this gun, almost every gun in that book has been an influence in what came to be the final product. I still have the bookmarks. Thank you all again for your thoughts, it is much appreciated.
Robby
