Virtually everything we do is an interpretation at best. Perhaps "fantasy" guns if you will. We are carrying on a tradition, just like those before us we build on the art that preceded us. Be they makers of the 18th century or guns that were made by our mentors in the 1970s.
Exact copies of original guns are impossible to do, as Bill suggests, unless you have the original in the shop and thus can really get a feeling for the lines. Photos can be very misleading. Light, the lenses used etc etc. can change how the rifle appears in print.
Then we have missing parts, worn off carving etc etc that can make copying the original rifle impossible without examining it in person with a magnifier. In this case how does one deal with the damage done by the blacksmith or lower quality repairs of the wrist? This alone makes and absolute copy of the rifle as it left Schroyer's shop impossible.
For the most part the best that can be done is to make something that appears as if it came from the same shop by the same hand, or even a supervised apprentice since few of us have the access needed to make a true copy of anything.
If Schroyer made another rifle with the carving used on the "Pea Picker" it would not be identical so a change to a different Schroyer patchbox or some variation in carving is not a valid complaint unless the rifle is supposed to be an exact copy which this is not by Snyder's own comments.
We might nit-pick if the rifle was representative of the work of the time by the maker in question. Look for errors in line, lumps, bumps, corners and angles. If it contains no departure from Schroyer's work then it would pass the test of being a
proper representation of his work if the lines are good.
So I do not believe that making an approximation of the Pea Picker is unacceptable.
I am of course prejudiced, I made an approximation of the Antes' swivel that I like very much. But as I generally do I changed things, but its not intended to be a museum quality copy. I am someone carrying on the art now 250 years out. The carving on this rifle behind the cheek is very unique as well. Putting certain rifles off limits just because they have some unique feature would greatly reduce the number of rifles we could copy or use as guides.
<Paragraph containing radial thinking and "extreme"comments concerning guild like forum to improve the art deleted to save me from being verbally pummeled>
Dan
