ALR Museum Gunmaker: Peter Gonter

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

Day 4:The Museum and Library Committee plans a 12 Day Holiday Spectacular celebrating the First Anniversary of the ALR Museum and Library and  the "Community of Collectors" efforts to promote the study and collection of the "Kentucky Longrifle". To date we have exhibited more than 250 guns; probably the largest and most varied collection of longrifle exhibits ever presented publicly. This was only accomplished because of the support of the collecting community; we thank them and wish them the best for the coming years. We hope others will join in in the future

Peter Gonter. This gun is signed and clearly demonstrated the architecture of a fowler, but has a patchbox.
Please read the comments about this. A fie gun, nevertheless.

Here is the URL

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8065.0


Post your comments as a "reply" here.

The Museum and Library Committee

[msmith]

As to the patchbox.If you look on page 203 of  Tom Grinslade's Fowler book,there is a Haga attributed fowler with a simple patchbox.This patchbox is similar to  the Gonter Fowler here.The patchbox release is in the buttplate on both guns.Could it be that Gonter got this idea from his father-in-law Wolfgang Haga?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I know this is the collecting forum, but I can't help commenting on the gun itself.  What a great hunter!  I really like the lines, butt curve, barrel keys/slides, rear sight way down the barrel, simplicity of the thing.  Just a practical and lovely gun.

[scooter]

A very nice gun. Depending on strength/ thickness of barrel it may be what Germans called "smooth rifle" made exactly like a rif;e but never rifled.

[msmith]

Talked to a Fowler collector from New England the other day,He said he seen this same patchbox on a Gonter Fowler several years ago.Also found a good article on Peter Gonter by John M Musser, KRA 1980.

[jwh1947]

Since my initial comments, I have seen a Gonter fowler with same pattern engraving on bow of trigger guard.  Site makes me more keen to comparative analysis and suspended judgment.