I've been reading this forum and learning a lot and am finally joining. I built a couple of rifles while in college and since then, I have been building 18th Century furniture reproductions, with a keen interest in Philadelphia and Delaware Valley furniture. I'm slowly getting back into building flintlocks and started with a English trade gun, to get the rust off my gun building. And now, I have just finished a 1730 pattern Bess.
I'm wondering if there are examples of Philadelphia gun making prior to the Revolution? I have Grinslade's book on Fowlers, but the 4 pictured are from the later part of the century. Are there any fusils or fowlers attributed to that area and dating to the French and Indian war, or Revolution? I'm assuming that a cosmopolitan city like Philadelphia would have had competent men building guns.
Thanks for your help.
Bill