LongRifle Restoration

[tadslc]

Hello,

My uncle recently died and left me with a longrifle, origin/history unknown.
The stock is cracked pretty bad and I'd like to find someone to repair and possibly do a couple other things. Can anyone recommend someone near me, Birmingham, AL.

I understand the value of not overdoing anything so not to worry about that.

Here's a link for pictures:
http://s903.photobucket.com/albums/ac240/tadslc/Long%20Rifle/


Thanks,
Tad

[T*O*F]

Can anyone recommend someone near me, Birmingham, AL.

Tad,
One chooses a craftsman,not by where he is located, but rather who is capable of doing the work correctly.  It's a fine looking gun.

[tadslc]

OK, I'll change my question- Can anyone recommend a gunsmith to work on the rifle? I'd like one with an excellent reputation.


Thanks,
Tad

[G-Man]

Mr. Louie Parker, who posts on here sometimes, does exceptional work.  I do not know his contact information or if he is actively taking work.

I agree - you look to have a nice rifle.  Any chance we could see some enlarged photos?  It looks like it could be southern to me, maybe even a Kennedy family piece from North Carolina or Alabama, but I could not get the photos to open up larger than thumbnail size.  Would be good to see a detail of the patchbox finial and engraving.

Guy

[JTR]

Tad,
Have you looked on the top barrel flat for a makers name or initials?
If one is there, it would be more or less between the rear sight and the breech of the barrel. You might need to look very closely to see it. Sometimes shining a flashlight at about a 45 degree angle to the barrel helps to pull out names or initials that otherwise could be missed.

I suppose someone has already suggested that you not shine up the brass or remove the old finish from the wood.

John 

[flintriflesmith]

...Any chance we could see some enlarged photos?  It looks like it could be southern to me, maybe even a Kennedy family piece from North Carolina or Alabama, but I could not get the photos to open up larger than thumbnail size.  Would be good to see a detail of the patchbox finial and engraving.
Guy

Guy, A quick solution is to click on "view as a slide show" in Photobucket. The top of the finial is cut off in the last picture so it doesn't help a lot there.
Gary

[G-Man]

Thanks Gary - I just caught that as well.  Any thoughts on the origin?

Guy

[realtorone]

Tad
I lived in B'ham for 20 years and am a past Pres.of Ala Gun Collectors Asso.
Try Jim Blackburn who is an old time Gun Dealer and Collector 985-0409 .He may be able to recommend someone if he doesn't know.
George Hebling

[JTR]

Actually a couple more pictures would help. The ones you have show close-ups of various areas, but leave a lot out.
If you could take a picture of the rifle, showing it from the butt plate up to about the middle of the forearm would be great. One picture showing the side with the patchbox, and another pic showing the side with the cheek piece.
If possible, also a picture showing the barrel tang area, and another showing the brass piece on the bottom of the forearm would be nice too.
Also, are there any other inlays on the rifle? Maybe one back at the toe of the butt stock area?
And, if you put the rifle on a lighter colored background, the pictures might show the rifle better.

You have a nice rifle there, and it's mostly all there too! If the crack you mentioned is the one going through the lock area, when or if you ship the gun to someone to be repaired, be sure to support that area very well! The last thing you want to happen is for the rifle to get broken into two pieces through that crack!

John  

[G-Man]

I wonder if this could be an Alabama or Georgia product of a gunsmith who migrated from North Carolina. I'm not very familiar with the products of the Kennedys after their move to Alabama in the 1820s.  There are some interesting things about this gun - and the more I look at it, the more I see that looks southern and possibly North Carolina, Georgia or Alabama.

The hardware is very Kennedy-esque as is the architecture.  And I believe   the engraving on the patchbox lid is similar to at least one of the Kennedy attributed guns shown in Jerry Noble's books.  However the construction of the box and the finial form call to mind some Georgia and Alabama rifles.  Specifically, the side panels being set off from the lid with wood showing between, and the way the hinge extends all the way across the top ends of both side panels, and that masssive geometric finial, call to mind the Richard Allen rifle, although I don't think he made this.  The finial form is also similar to some southwestern Virginia attributed guns.  The wriggle engraving on the side panels (hard to see in the photos) looks sort of like a folky interpretation of the popular guilloche/"braided" side panel engraving you see on some fine North Carolina rifles, and the simplified wriggle version also crops up occasionally on mountain rifles. 

It would be great to see a clear shot of the patchbox finial and to learn a bit more about its history - was your uncle from Birmingham as well -  a lifetime resident of the area, and do you know how long he had it?  Just in the interest of the chance that has been in northern Alabama for a long time.

Guy

[Sequatchie Rifle]

Tad,
See personal message.  I live in Huntsville and have a couple of names for you.

Bill

[tadslc]

I wonder if this could be an Alabama or Georgia product of a gunsmith who migrated from North Carolina. I'm not very familiar with the products of the Kennedys after their move to Alabama in the 1820s.  There are some interesting things about this gun - and the more I look at it, the more I see that looks southern and possibly North Carolina, Georgia or Alabama.

The hardware is very Kennedy-esque as is the architecture.  And I believe   the engraving on the patchbox lid is similar to at least one of the Kennedy attributed guns shown in Jerry Noble's books.  However the construction of the box and the finial form call to mind some Georgia and Alabama rifles.  Specifically, the side panels being set off from the lid with wood showing between, and the way the hinge extends all the way across the top ends of both side panels, and that masssive geometric finial, call to mind the Richard Allen rifle, although I don't think he made this.  The finial form is also similar to some southwestern Virginia attributed guns.  The wriggle engraving on the side panels (hard to see in the photos) looks sort of like a folky interpretation of the popular guilloche/"braided" side panel engraving you see on some fine North Carolina rifles, and the simplified wriggle version also crops up occasionally on mountain rifles. 

It would be great to see a clear shot of the patchbox finial and to learn a bit more about its history - was your uncle from Birmingham as well -  a lifetime resident of the area, and do you know how long he had it?  Just in the interest of the chance that has been in northern Alabama for a long time.

Guy

Guy, just to clarify the possible area this gun was produced, my uncle lived in Milford, MI (just outside Detroit) in a farm house that had been in our family for many years. We had no idea he had the gun, we found it under his bed after his death, when we were cleaning up his belongings.


Thanks,
Tad

[G-Man]

Location-wise, I guess we need to consider the possibilities of this being a midwestern gun or even western PA.  Still has an a lot of things about it that look southern to me though. 

Guy