Leonard Day Club Butt Fowler

[Tommykid]

 I recently acquired this Club Butt Fowler built by the late Leonard Day. There isn’t much information about Mr. Day on-line, although I can recall seeing examples of his work many years back at Dixon’s Gun Makers Fair. I got this from a gent in upstate NY, who said he purchased it at a rendezvous in the Niagara area. It’s quite the long shot, but I’m curious if anyone recognizes this. It previously had a brass flash guard on the lock, but I removed it and added a new English flint. It has a nice aged patina to it, so it has some age to it. It doesn’t appear to have been shot in a while. I’m curious to its story. Also, it would be neat to see other examples of Mr. Day’s work if anyone on here would like to share.
The few things I’ve found on line about Mr. Day was that he was someone I would have liked to know and I’m honored to have this example of his work.
Tom

[rich pierce]

Cool snaphaunce! Leonard was around for a long time, and offered a range of early, pre-flintlock ancestry flintlock guns. His family is still around and some of his locks are available. I think he’d also made swivel breech actions.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Is anyone still running the business?  I remember Leonard (Sr) and his son Leonard (I guess jr?) from my years at Ticonderoga, and they were real close with Phil Ackermann so those guys were together a lot.  And I remember Leonard Jr at Dixon's a few years with some French stuff.

Leonard Sr was a VERY knowledgeable guy when it comes to the early work and was always up for a good conversation.

[WKevinD]

I've shouldered this gun (or another like it) and was amazed at its balance and fit. I used to call it the electric guitar gun. Leonard made a number of nice (odd) historic locks and his sons have been promising for years to make more but so far they are empty promises.
The lock you have was his 1650 English Flintlock. Somewhere I have one of his flyers, if I find it I'll send it along
That lock has a very interesting sear/trigger arrangement, the trigger hangs above the sear that is to push horizontally not vertically
Kevin

[Seth Isaacson]

Neat gun. Technically not a snaphance since it doesn't have a separate pan cover and frizzen.

[rich pierce]

Neat gun. Technically not a snaphance since it doesn't have a separate pan cover and frizzen.

True!

[Flintandsmoke]

Is anyone still running the business?  I remember Leonard (Sr) and his son Leonard (I guess jr?) from my years at Ticonderoga, and they were real close with Phil Ackermann so those guys were together a lot.  And I remember Leonard Jr at Dixon's a few years with some French stuff.

Leonard Sr was a VERY knowledgeable guy when it comes to the early work and was always up for a good conversation.

Eric, his sons are restarting the business. They had a list of potential guns At Kempton if i recall last year.

[WKevinD]

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[/quote]

Eric, his sons are restarting the business. They had a list of potential guns At Kempton if i recall last year.
[/quote]

We have discussed this at Ft Fredrick, Dixons, Carslisle,... etc. They have had the list and orders for years. Life gets in the way

Kevin

[Tommykid]

Here’s a pic of the inside of the lock before cleaning. Very interesting mechanism.

[Tommykid]

This was taken from a 2017 article in GunMag.

[Mike Brooks]

Stock style is commonly called a "club butt", not a "club foot". Hard to keep body parts straight at times.

[Tommykid]

Stock style is commonly called a "club butt", not a "club foot". Hard to keep body parts straight at times.

Thanks for the correction! Butt it is.

[cable]

i have one of his wheelocks, that is a copy of john aldens wheelock and has a similar buttstock to your gun.   it is beautifully made and talking with Mr Day and arranging this order was a real pleasure.    he was a fine gentleman.  i would post pictures but cant find them right now [ i am in montana right now and the gun is in my home  alaska ] 

i also have a beautiful caplock swivel breech 50 cal, that he made.  it is a fine rifle and a pleasure to use.

[cable]

found a few pictures of my Leonard Day wheelock:

[BigSkyRambler]

Mr. Day's sons are seeking unique examples of his work. Last year I sold them, for a little more than I paid, a numbered pair of flintlock swivel barrel pistols. Hey, I gotta eat too you know. Apparently early and no records. Possibly the only pair like it. I have a contact number I can PM if interested.

[TF Black]

Great thread and beautiful club butt.

I've been looking to acquire one of Day's guns for a couple years now and have yet to find one. As someone new to collecting and shooting flintlocks, I'm sorry I missed my window with him-by all accounts a good guy and good guns.

And his departure left collectors looking for quality early colonial guns (matchlocks, wheellocks, English locks, doglocks) with one fewer semi- custom / custom option in a collecting niche that was already fairly choice constrained and seems to be getting smaller by the day!

(I wish his sons well, but am told their waiting list is long and their projected start date has repeatedly slipped. Fingers crossed...)

[Wmasswolf]

The lock is an English Lock (known for that cool external sear) - I have one Leonard's fishtail matchlocks in 20g that I love! He built everything from matchlocks to percussion swivel breach .

I recently acquired this Club Butt Fowler built by the late Leonard Day. There isn’t much information about Mr. Day on-line, although I can recall seeing examples of his work many years back at Dixon’s Gun Makers Fair. I got this from a gent in upstate NY, who said he purchased it at a rendezvous in the Niagara area. It’s quite the long shot, but I’m curious if anyone recognizes this. It previously had a brass flash guard on the lock, but I removed it and added a new English flint. It has a nice aged patina to it, so it has some age to it. It doesn’t appear to have been shot in a while. I’m curious to its story. Also, it would be neat to see other examples of Mr. Day’s work if anyone on here would like to share.
The few things I’ve found on line about Mr. Day was that he was someone I would have liked to know and I’m honored to have this example of his work.
Tom

[Flintandsmoke]

That appears to be one of Mr Days Enoch Bolton fowlers. Beautiful guns, congrats!!