I drove over to the Old Barn Auction this morning to inspect the G. Mefford rifle, but did not bid on it. The barrel had a great signature, the first I have seen by George Mefford. The patchbox was interesting, with engraving just unsophisticated enough to be from Kentucky, and the guard had two flats on the outer surfaces which looked good. But the stock carving looked too late for when Mefford worked...he was in KY from 1785 to 1814 when he died; I also would not have expected a rounded comb on a Mefford rifle, since he was trained in Lancaster, PA and later worked in KY, both places where tall butts with straight toe and comb lines were most prevalent. The gun had been worked on in the past with several small wood splices installed, and patchbox screws were modern, so I was not comfortable enough with the overall gun to bid on it. But it was neat seeing for the first time a good, well engraved George Mefford barrel signature. Shelby Gallien
