Simon Lauck Rife or his shop?

[wildcatter]

This is an auction for a Simon Lauck rifle or someone from his shop.  The lock plate and carving are certainly the same.   I don't have any relation to this auction just posting it for all to see. 

http://www.antiqueguns.com/auction/item.cgi?robles/robles-41640

[flintriflesmith]

I believe it is a Frederick Sheets. He worked in Romney (now) West VA. I'd have to dig out a couple of references but off the top of my head I think he and Simon Lauch were both trained in Winchester, VA.

Here's a link to another Frederick Sheetz.

http://www.flintriflesmith.com/Antiques/fsheetz_gb.htm

Gary

[rich pierce]

Nice rifle!  Would love to see it with a properly fitted lock.  Other than that, great condition.

[wildcatter]

Yep, looks like the same hand.  Here is a link to a Lauck rifle with a wrist repair http://www.aspenshadeltd.com/inventory_lauck.html.  Maybe Simon and Frederick worked together at some point.  Yes they both worked in Winchester but I believe Simon was trained in Lancaster County?  Irregardless these 3 guns have some very, very similar characteristics.  

[G-Man]

Really is nice - a classic of the style.  

Looks relatively early to me too - maybe mid-1780s to early 1790s would be my guess.  Hard to say without the original lock to give us a clue.  

The guard has some interesting similarities the guard on the Thomas Simpson/Mansker rifle. 

Thanks for posting.

Guy

[flintriflesmith]

Yes Simon Lauch got some of his training in Lancaster County. As I recall he started north toward Boston with Morgan's Riflemen as a teen, dropped out of the march in PA where he had family and is believed to have served some part of his apprenticeship there.
The questions about whether he had already served some time as a apprentice in Virginia has not, as far as I've heard, been resolved yet. When he joined Morgan he was of an age where a young man would have normally been 3-4 years into an apprenticeship.
The earliest know rifle by Simon does have a Lancaster style daisy finial box but the rest of his work seems to be pure Winchester school.

[Hawken62_flint]

I believe that Gary is correct in that it appears to be a Sheetz rifle from Hampshire Co, Virginia (now West Virginia).  It has many of the tell-tale markings of a Sheetz rifle--double incised lines the length of the forestock, double engraved lines along both sides of the patchbox lid, similar if not exact patch box engraving as found on other Sheetz rifles.  Not an expert by any means, but have seen several original Sheetz rifles.

[BGC]

I'd venture a guess that it is a Jefferson County W(VA) Sheetz rifle.  Most of the Sheetz family were in Jefferson County long before most of them moved to Hampshire County. Considering all the detail and carving, I would think a gun from an earlier time period.