Lancaster rifles

[Eric Smith]

I have read many times on this forum that Allen Martin is the Lehigh Master supreme, or at least one of the top Lehigh builders. My question is who is the top rated Lancaster specialist? A very subjective question, but what say you?

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Well there are many but I would have to say Bill Shipman is surely the first name that comes to my mind.
http://www.billshipman.com/Index.html

[rich pierce]

+1.  But Mark Wheland, Allen Martin, and a host of other guys could do it justice as well.  Eric Kettenberg could also if the build was interesting/funky enough like Kindig's #27 or 37.  I'd love to see him do a Fainot if he has not done that yet.

Within any school (even Bucks County) there was a lot of variabilty.  I'd pick a different builder for an Isaac Haines, an early Dickert, a Fainot, a later Fordney, etc.

[Don Getz]

Years ago Charlie Heistand did a Melchoir Fordney for the late George Myers of Camp Hill, Pa.    It was an  outstanding
gun, don't really know where it may have gone after his death............Don

[Ezra]

Brad Emig deserves honorable mention.  He is capable of and has, manufactured every component of Golden age flintlocks from scratch, although the price of a scratch built rifle is prohibitive (at least for me) and he does not do it on a regular basis.  A very skilled gun maker in every sense.


Ez

[Eric Smith]

I'm not in the market to buy, just wondering if someone specialises in Lancaster rifle to the extreme.

[B Shipman]

I'm 2 builds away from doing the Fordney in the NRA collection. This was done by Fordney using parts from Henry Albright. One of Fordney's best. I'm going to do this as close as I can in terms of the carving, but use Fordney furniture and typical horsehead box so as not to make a Chinese copy but the best Fordney did. I've been looking forward to this for a long time and it will be maximum effort.

[JTR]

^^^^^
I'll be looking forward to seeing that one!

John