Star of Bethlehem - inspired by RCA #52

[smart dog]

Hi Folks,

I always liked that rifle in Shumway's first volume and felt it would make a good shooter for me.  I am not fond of the decoration on that gun but the architecture really appeals to me and I think it is an early piece, perhaps made before the Rev War.  I think it is a Northampton County, PA gun but its provenance is unknown.  Anyway, I made a scale drawing of the gun and adapted it to my build adding some drop and shortening the LOP.  I used a 62 cal. Getz D-weight swamped and rifled barrel, and a red maple stock blank.  I regret the stock wood because, although dense overall, it had some hidden soft spots that coincided with areas for carving such as behind the cheek piece.  Its penchant for chipping and shredding made carving at times a frustrating challenge.  I did not copy any of the carving on the original gun but constrained it to simple designs and motifs consistent with the time and location of the original. Unlike my previous Reading gun, I did not limit my time spent on tasks but after planning my moves, I attacked each task with deliberation, efficiency, and speed, not fussing overly.  I really like the look resulting from that strategy, at least for now.  It seems authentic. The trigger guard and butt plate are castings and the lock is a modified Davis Colonial American flintlock.  I made all of the other components. The wood is stained with ferric nitrate, filed, scraped and burnished (no sandpaper at all), and finished with Sutherland-Welles polymerized tung oil.  I kept the engraving to a bare minimum (something really hard for me to do) and appropriate for the gun.  Finally, I added a silver star burst in an unconventional location as a final touch to the "Star of Bethlehem".       

dave

[davec2]

David,

Beautiful rifle.   l love the patch box, your name and town engraved on the barrel, and especially the Star of Bethlehem.  And, with a .62 caliber barrel, I think you should plan a trip up to see Taylor and Daryl so you can shoot a moose.....or a bear.....or a Buick....something really BIG.

I can also relate to your comment about it being hard to keep engraving to a minimum.  If I see a bare spot on the metal, I feel an overwhelming obligation to engrave something on it ....even when it should not have any engraving on it.  I am trying hard to taper off some and ween myself.  You did a great job on this one.  Congratulations.

Is this the first rifle to come out of your new shop?

[Scott Bumpus]

I like it.  The star works and fits in really well. 

[Majorjoel]

Very fine Dave!  I'm sure that keeping the early nature of a build straight, means you must control yourself in the embellishment department!  Your rifle's a real gem to behold! Well done sir!

[flatsguide]

That is a exceptionally fine looking rifle. Cookies for you.
Richard

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Dave:  I'm with the rest of the crew - I like the rifle.  Is that a big open-"V" rear sight I see?

There is one spot that for some reason I would have preferred to see done a little differently.  And that is the carving forward of the cheek piece, flowing up to the comb.  To my eye, it looks a little stark, or shrill, or - can't find the word.  But that only a personal thing to me, and does not take away from this great rifle.  You achieved a very nice finish without sandpaper...kudos for that.

Really nice early rifle, and as has already been mentioned, a great 'bull tosser'.

[rich pierce]

Much more elegant than the original.  I like it a lot.

[jerrywh]

 Dave C.
  You should build a European gun. Then you can engrave every bare spot you can find and still be PC.

[PPatch]

One word Dave: Tasteful.

Restrained is another, a very fine looking rifle in anyone's book. I love it.

dave

[smart dog]

Hi,
Thanks for looking and your comments.  This is a big gun but am glad some of you think it is elegant.  It measures almost 1 3/4" across behind the lock. Taylor, I understand and appreciate your critique of the cheek piece very well.  Notice that there is no carving there other than the simple molding line.  I could not conceive of something that would fit the architecture of this rifle but without making it look more elaborate and less primitive than it is; or more like a later Lancaster gun.  The original has a horrible molding and the volute looks like a pasted curl from the hairdo of a 1920's flapper.  My design flows better when seen in 3D but it is still "shaker-like" strict and direct.  In addition, the red maple stock was a nightmare to carve because of hidden soft spots and is my only regret on this gun.  It chipped horribly and worse, little chips would come off corners after I applied stain and heated to blanch the acid.  It was the worst hardwood I've ever carved although generally it was pretty dense. There were a few rough words heard in Braintree more than once as I completed the gun but I just blended, smoothed, and moved on.  Despite some tribulations, I am really happy with the gun.  It is for me and handles incredibly well. The big barrel balances in just the right place and after I tuned the lock and balanced the springs, it makes sparkler sparks.  The rear sight is a shallow "U" with a notch at the bottom, which centers the front post immediately in my sight picture.  It is kind of like the pebble that always settles automatically to the same spot in the bottom of the bowl. This gun means business

dave

[greybeard]

Dave, I can't think of a single person that would not like to own a gun like this one. Nice!
      Bob

[smart dog]

Hi Dave C.

I forgot to answer your question.  This is gun number 4 from my new shop in Vermont.  My next will be a swivel breech using Dave Price's barrels and action, then an early New England fowling gun, then an early 18th century English rifle and fowling gun, and lastly on my current list is a decorated wheellock pistol carbine with detachable shoulder stock.  I'll be pretty busy but happy.  Take care.

dave

[bob in the woods]

That rifle is an absolute beauty . It is one of the very few that I have seen that would tempt me to trade my .62 Edward Marshall .  It begs to be taken moose hunting. Or at least bear hunting.  I sincerely hope that it will be used    My compliments to you on a job well done.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Dave, I see why you like the architecture!!  I think you have made it into a very elegant rifle that should serve you well. I hope you have a place to display it. It is easy on the eyes and visitors will enjoy seeing it I am sure!! Enjoy it!!

[smart dog]

Hi Folks,
I am bad.  I need to acknowledge Bob Lienemann who helped me a great deal with information about the original rifle.  He provided a great deal of precise information and I thank you Robert.

dave

[bama]

Very nicely done!

[TimberGhost]

That gun is a looker, but I'm sure it's a shooter as well. Great job!  I wouldn't trust myself with a .62 cal build yet for fear I'd make it clubby.  The lines of this rifle are wonderful and they effectively subdue what a big gun it is.  I'd love to be toting a gun like that come elk season!

[Pete G.]

Beautiful gun and a beautiful concept. It is an historical piece without being a copy of someone else's work. Good job.

[KLMoors]

WOW!  Sweet work Dave. 

Regarding the molding line at the front of the cheeckpiece/wrist.  This is an area where my taste must veer from everybody else.  I really like a simple transition in this area.  I have seen very few guns that look good to my (jaundiced  LOL) eye when they have elaborate carving in this area. It looks distracting to me.  This is the one place where I am sure that my tastes wander way off the reservation, so I almost never comment on it.  Sweet gun and thanks for the pics!

[rich pierce]

Studying the original, the carving there at the front of the cheek piece is better on this contemporary piece.  Whenever basing a new build on a single original, there are difficult decisions to make.  Sometimes I've used the approach of building one similar enough to the original that it would be recognizable as "like that one" and also plausible that it represents something that could have come from that maker in that period.

[Tom Currie]

Very nice Dave. I applaud doing something different with the star . You're being quite prolofic out of your new shop.