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Author Topic: Georgia Longrifles  (Read 8891 times)

Offline whitebear

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Georgia Longrifles
« on: July 27, 2010, 06:57:01 AM »
Moderators if this is in the wrong place please move it.

I am looking for pictures and/or information on longrifles built in Georgia.  Especially full stocks, flint preferably, or cap lock, or halfstocks flint or cap.  I am a resident of Georgia and have a hankering to reproduce a longrifle maid in this state.
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David G

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2010, 03:18:24 PM »
Hello Whitebear, one that comes to mind was Wiley Higgins located in the Indian Spings area. I believe he began building in the 1820's but don't hold me to it. I''ve seen some of his guns at various shows and I recall a few being highly decorated, numerous inlays(silver),etc... I'm sure there are pictues of some his guns on the internet but I don't know where to direct you. There were other builders as well. By the way I'm located up in Chatsworth.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2010, 03:20:41 PM by David G »
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Offline woodsrunner

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2010, 03:43:27 PM »
I'm sure that Dennis will join in as soon as he sees this! The Gillespie Brothers, John & James from my home county, Union, (Blairsville) migrated out of NC and settled over between Blairsville and Young Harris, Ga. and made rifles.
A good friend and I have scoured the whole area looking for original Gillespies and have found several. There were several other makers around the Augusta area also, but the names escape me at the moment. Jerry Nobles has several Georgia makers ID'd in his series of books IIRC.
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Offline Dr. Tim-Boone

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2010, 04:02:02 PM »
Wayne Elliott is about to publish a book on GA gunsmiths. That will help us a bunch. He has some great pictures.  Also check the ALR library on this site. their are some on there.

Good to see you Doug!!
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David G

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2010, 04:24:58 PM »
Quote from: DrTimBoone on July 27, 2010, 04:02:02 PM
Wayne Elliott is about to publish a book on GA gunsmiths. That will help us a bunch. He has some great pictures.  Also check the ALR library on this site. their are some on there.

Good to see you Doug!!
  Tim,good news about the book! Wonder if he plans on having a few copies at the upcoming CLA Show?
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Offline Ian Pratt

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2010, 06:34:11 PM »
  A great iron mounted Georgia rifle right here in the ALR library, along with the original bag / horn set and some interesting information on the gunsmith  -


http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=3626.0
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Offline Dr. Tim-Boone

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2010, 06:58:53 PM »
Quote from: David G on July 27, 2010, 04:24:58 PM
Quote from: DrTimBoone on July 27, 2010, 04:02:02 PM
Wayne Elliott is about to publish a book on GA gunsmiths. That will help us a bunch. He has some great pictures.  Also check the ALR library on this site. their are some on there.

Good to see you Doug!!
  Tim,good news about the book! Wonder if he plans on having a few copies at the upcoming CLA Show?

Not quite so soon I am afraid......
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Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others. – William Allen White

Learning is not compulsory...........neither is survival! - W. Edwards Deming

SuperCracker

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2010, 07:50:02 PM »
Quote from: DrTimBoone on July 27, 2010, 04:02:02 PM
Wayne Elliott is about to publish a book on GA gunsmiths. That will help us a bunch. He has some great pictures.  Also check the ALR library on this site. their are some on there.

Good to see you Doug!!

!!!!!!!

can't wait for that.

I live in Fl but I'm first gen here. All the rest of the family are in and from Ga back to the 18th century. I've been meaning to look into rifles from Ga but was waiting til I finished my current project before I sidetracked myself.
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Offline woodsrunner

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2010, 07:54:53 PM »
Thank You Pratt, for calling this rifle to my attention! For some reason I've missed it in the past!

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Offline Ian Pratt

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2010, 03:14:39 AM »
  Also the "Gamecock Rifle" by Wiley Higgins  -    http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8233.0

  There's also a Higgins pistol pictured in the Library.

Jerry Noble's "Notes on Southern Longrifles - vol 2" has several pages of photos of some Georgia made rifles including the Allen gun, several Higgins rifles and a few later percussion era pieces.
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Offline whitebear

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2010, 08:08:04 AM »
Thanks so much to all of you for the information.
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Offline Dennis Glazener

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2010, 03:31:54 PM »
Quote
I'm sure that Dennis will join in as soon as he sees this! The Gillespie Brothers, John & James from my home county, Union, (Blairsville) migrated out of NC and settled over between Blairsville and Young Harris, Ga. and made rifles.
A good friend and I have scoured the whole area looking for original Gillespies and have found several. There were several other makers around the Augusta area also, but the names escape me at the moment. Jerry Nobles has several Georgia makers ID'd in his series of books IIRC.
Rich is right, John and James Gillespie moved from NC to Union County GA in 1849. The both were gunmaker up to their deaths in the late 1800's. James had a son, a cobbler by trade but he also made a few rifles. His name was George Washington Gillespie.

Many of James Gillespie's tools and a boys rifle by him are in the Atlanta History Museum, in the Folk Life section. There are several other GA made rifles on display their.
Dennis
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SuperCracker

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2010, 03:47:40 PM »
Quote from: Pratt on July 28, 2010, 03:14:39 AM
  Also the "Gamecock Rifle" by Wiley Higgins  -    http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8233.0

  There's also a Higgins pistol pictured in the Library.

Jerry Noble's "Notes on Southern Longrifles - vol 2" has several pages of photos of some Georgia made rifles including the Allen gun, several Higgins rifles and a few later percussion era pieces.



aaaaaaannnnnd I'm sidetracked!

I love this rifle. Especially the rooster on the cheek piece. Does anyone know what caliber it is?

Quick, dumb question. What is the tube under the cheek piece for? Vent  Pick? Seems a bit large for just a pick and would be an odd decoration.
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Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2010, 05:20:29 PM »
Thanks for pointing out the Allen rifle- I'd also missed it!  Wonderful lines.
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Offline Elnathan

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2010, 06:07:24 PM »
Quote from: SuperCracker on July 28, 2010, 03:47:40 PM

Quick, dumb question. What is the tube under the cheek piece for? Vent  Pick? Seems a bit large for just a pick and would be an odd decoration.

Awl holder? Apparently some southern rifles came with what Gusler calls an awl, a combination tool for knapping flints and possibly use as a pin punch.
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Offline WElliott

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #15 on: July 28, 2010, 07:54:59 PM »
Whitebear, somehow I had missed this post, but you are getting some good advice.  Hopefully, the Georgia Gunsmiths book Dr. Whisker and I are publishing will be available this Fall.  We will certainly post information on ALR about ordering it as soon as we have it to start shipping.

The tube under the cheekpiece on several of Wiley Higgins longrifles was intended to hold a vent pick.

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Wayne Elliott

Offline whitebear

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #16 on: July 29, 2010, 08:18:38 AM »
Mr Elliot, thanks for the post.  I am looking forward to the book.  I had wondered if the tube under the cheek piece was a feather holder?
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Offline WElliott

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Re: Georgia Longrifles
« Reply #17 on: July 29, 2010, 08:55:31 PM »
I believe that the tube under the cheek piece was to hold a vent pick- could have been a feather or an iron one.
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Wayne Elliott
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