Pictures of a rifle made in Colonial Williamsburg in 1975

[flintriflesmith]

This rifle has been on my web site for some time but I recently had a chance to take some more detailed pictures of the carving and box. I post them as part of the continuing history of CWF Gunshop work from the 1970s.

http://www.flintriflesmith.com/GunshopEraGuns/nc_rifle.htm

I have also discovers an online article from the Colonial Williamsburg Journal about the shop. It was written in 2000--ten years after I left.

http://colonialwilliamsburg.org/foundation/journal/Autumn00/gunsmith.cfm

[Scott Bumpus]

great pics.  i like the close up of the carving.

[Majorjoel]

Thanks Gary for shareing your website here with us. I really like the darker look this rifle has taken on over the last thirty years. When you worked at the Williamsburg shop did you ever build any rifles for yourself? Or was everything made to order and sold?

[gibster]

Great rifle.  Thanks for sharing the pictures with us.  Great detail on the carving and engraving. 
Gibster

[flintriflesmith]

... When you worked at the Williamsburg shop did you ever build any rifles for yourself? Or was everything made to order and sold?

For the first 20 years of the Gunshop's history all the staff was allowed to use the shop and tools after hours for personal projects. At that time the head of the department believed, correctly, that a lot of the learning went on when visitors were not around. For example, Wallace and I learned to forge weld rifle barrels by using the Blacksmith Shop forge after they went home for the day. That was while I was a summer helper in 1965.

Of course after putting in 8 hours in the shop working and talking it was sometimes hard to get motivated to come back after dinner. We usually managed several hours per week. Unfortunately since the rifles we made were not for shop orders most of them were not officially photographed.

Here is a link to one of my night work rifles:
http://flintriflesmith.com/GunshopEraGuns/62_caliber.htm


Gary

[Tim Crosby]

 Gary,
  I asked this question on another post, you may not have seen it; How may long guns, rifles and smooth bores, have been made at the shop in Williamsburg over the years? How many had all the components made at the shop?   

 Thanks, Tim C.

[Jim Kibler]

Sure do admire the NC style rifle.  One of the most beautiful boxes I've ever seen. 

[flintriflesmith]

Gary,
  I asked this question on another post, you may not have seen it; How may long guns, rifles and smooth bores, have been made at the shop in Williamsburg over the years? How many had all the components made at the shop?   

 Thanks, Tim C.

I saw your question but I don't have the answer. Maybe some time I'll try and reconstruct the sales records but that will not include those made in the evenings for our personal use or those made for use within the Foundation by the militia, etc.

Gary

[flintriflesmith]

great pics.  i like the close up of the carving.

Thanks. The point I was at back then is where a lot of folks are today -- trying to produce carving that is "workman like." Not overly finished and still reasonably representitive of quality Americn work. A whole book can be written about just what that means depending on the when, where, and who questions about the old work.

Gary

[Tim Crosby]

Gary,
  I asked this question on another post, you may not have seen it; How may long guns, rifles and smooth bores, have been made at the shop in Williamsburg over the years? How many had all the components made at the shop?   

 Thanks, Tim C.

I saw your question but I don't have the answer. Maybe some time I'll try and reconstruct the sales records but that will not include those made in the venings or for use within the museum by militia etc.

Gary

 I was just wondering, it always seemed like you all were very busy and had years of backlog orders.  After 45 years I would think there are quite a few out there but you don't see many of them. I visited Williamsburg many times over the last 45 years or so but the main reason was a visit to the shop. No matter how many times I went it was always interesting. You did a day long seminar about 25 years ago that my brother and I attended,  I always thought it should be repeated. We moved to Ohio about a year ago
from Central Va so the 5 or 6 trips a year to W'burg have come to an end but we plan on comming back.

Thanks, Tim C.

[J. Talbert]

Gary,

I have to agree with Jim, (as I seem to often - he must have great tatse, Ha!ha!).  Great NC rifle,  AWESOME patchbox.