Gary Brumfield on the Blog

[Ken G]

Gary,
Your rifle on the blog is impressive on it's visual merits but knowing the barrel and lock are forged along with everything else being really takes it beyond just being described as just impressive.  You are in a league with very few players.  I thank you for your contributions to the board and to keeping the craft alive and well.

Cheers,
Ken

http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/

[Jim Kibler]

It's a beautiful gun for sure.  The box is really interesting to me, in that the engraving insprired from that on an 18th century clock face.  Unique and beautiful stuff.  Just look at all the fantastic stuff that was done 30 years ago.  Makes me wonder if we're making that much progress anymore.

[TXEBONY]

I love that rifle, one of my favorites

[rich pierce]

It's a beautiful gun for sure.  The box is really interesting to me, in that the engraving insprired from that on an 18th century clock face.  Unique and beautiful stuff.  Just look at all the fantastic stuff that was done 30 years ago.  Makes me wonder if we're making that much progress anymore.

I agree 100%- the work that was done then, with all the handwork involved, was stunning then and is more stunning today

[Darrin McDonal]

Absolutely beautiful Gary! Any idea where this gun is these days?
Darrin

[J. Talbert]

Gary,
I've seen this rifle many times on your website, but it never gets old.  I think it has some of your best, signature carving and engraving.  It's also got some wonderful little details.
I love the long, graceful trigger guard, and the way the structure of the trigger itself flows into a beautiful scroll, is just awesome.
I'm sure I'd find more little goodies, if I was able to handle in person.

Jeff

[flintriflesmith]

Thanks for the kind remarks about this rifle.

I'm sure some readers may have wondered why I decided to pick up design ideas from a clock plate rather than a rifle of the time/area. There were three factors that I considered at the time:
(1) I wanted to make a rifle with a possible resemblance to something that might have been made in Williamsburg or at least eastern Virginia. There were (are) no known examples of guns so I elected to use the inspiration of the art from a clock plate that was engraved in the region.
(2) I also wanted to be able to talk about and illustrate that a gunsmith did not live in isolation. He was exposed to many design influences from textiles and furniture to coins. As an example of this it is believed by some that the engraving on the John Davidson box finial was inspired by that found on some imported English snuff boxes.
(3) There were gunsmiths and clock makers who worked together--both in Williamsburg and in the Valley of Virginia.

I made a lot more rifles that were based on strictly gun art but I don't think reaching out to other sources from the period is necessarily a bad idea.
Gary

[rich pierce]

In that vein, in the Grinslade book on fowlers, there is at least one New England fowler made by a clockmaker.

[J. Talbert]

In sort of a chicken or the egg discussion, the KRA Moravian book has pictures a coffee mill signed "A A" and dated 1777 (I think), which has a sliding wood cover over the bottom section that bares striking resemblance to a sliding wood patchbox lid.  It is especially similar to the design of the Edward Marshall rifle, as well as others.

Jeff

[heinz]

Mr Brumfield, that rifle sets muzzle loading rifle building back at least two hundred years.  Keep the faith :-)