Honaker Family Rifles

[R.J.Bruce]

I have been interested in the Honaker family for some time now. I have not been able to answer this question for myself. Which is, did the three generations of the Honakers in what was first Virginia, and later West Virginia, ever use long tang breech plugs on their rifles? I have searched online, and keep getting hints in various places that they did so, but have not been able to confirm it with hard facts. I was hoping that those of you who are far more knowledgeable than I am might have an opinion.

Thanks

[Nordnecker]

A friend of mine owns a Honaker rifle and I copied it some years ago. I sold it and, unfortunately, do not remember and don't have any photos of the tang. I do remember the sideplate had double rectangular piercings. The TG and buttplate were easy matches from TOTW and a stock Rice Bbl was almost a perfect match. The patchbox on his original was a pretty simple affair with rudimentary engraving. It did not have the flower petals around the screw heads if I recall correctly.

I'm interrested in others' observations of Honaker rifles.

[B.Barker]

Maybe Ian Pratt will see this post. He has seen several and made a few also.

[Carper]

The later Honaker rifles ,Mostly half stock.  Which I have seen maybe 20 did not have tangs long enough to notice as such. Johnny

[R.J.Bruce]

The later Honaker rifles ,Mostly half stock.  Which I have seen maybe 20 did not have tangs long enough to notice as such. Johnny

Thanks, Johnny.

I talked to Lowell Haarer yesterday, and he had no real opinion as he has never handled a Honaker rifle. I had hoped that he might know something as he, more or less, specializes in Virginia rifles.

[Carper]

I helped a Honaker collect about all the rifles that I knew the location of about 25 years ago.  A whole Mercedes trunk load.  I know you’ve heard this before but the coolest Honaker.( by the way “o” is pronounced long ) I ever saw was a about a 30 cal with a 1” barrel half stock and the the top flat had a rattlesnake engraved on it the full length . It was so barrel heavy I thought the wrist would snap in my hands. The picture of the gun smiths of WV of a Honaker is fairly typical of the ones I mostly encountered which were all late . I’d bet after the Civil war. The nicest one being a JAB which was decently engraved. My family competed against them for a Couple of generations of riflemaking. So I knew well of them.

[Leatherbark]

The first muzzleloader I shot was a Honaker in .30 caliber in 1968.  A friend just got back from Nam and found the rifle under the floor boards of an old cabin in Wyoming county WV.  He got a few things from Dixie Gun Works to get it shooting.  He let this 14 year old child shoot it.  This was my introduction to something that became an addiction. The friends name was Tony Shields. In addition to his muzzleloading he was an avid arrowhead archeologist from the area.

Bob