ALR Museum: A fine Southern Rifle named "Dixie" (URL is fixed)

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

Another fine iron mounted Southern Rifle fondly referred to by its owner as
"DIXIE."

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=4247.0

(The URL is now fixed. Sorry I goofed)

Please add your comments and replies here.
Hurricane

[G-Man]

That is a beautiful piece.  The gun looks to me to have a lot of Bull family characteristics - so my guess would be Tennessee or Alabama.  The buttplate, the shape of the guard (although the configuration is a little different), the patchbox, the entry thimble and the mixed iron and brass, and the architecture - all look to me to have strong Bull family ties.  I have seen similar features on guns by both John and Elisha Bull.

On the other hand those triggers are unique  - I've never seen any exactly like them.  Although the Jacob Young/William Whitley rifle has a smaller pierced tab on the back of the front trigger - it was probably made in middle Tennessee or Kentucky.

Guy

[gibster]

Great example of a Southern rifle.  Thanks for sharing.  I would enjoy seeing pictures and information on other prior entries in the "antique section" as mentioned in the post.
Gibster

[Ken G]

I love this gun.  I'm glad it was reposted and it will be in the Library.   Special thanks to Tim for allowing us all to enjoy and study this along with other rifles.   
The one thing that strikes me as strange is the toe patchbox release. It seems to be a complicated set up compared to the typical TN nail release.  The trigers are fancy but the forged hardware is crude in comparision to other Southern rifles. 
The short tang says Carolina but the strong concave shape of the upper wrist, between the lock panels and tang, says TN. 
I think Guys hit it on the head, late middle TN rifle.

[Sam Everly]

Hey Ken ,when i look at this gun is see Soddy-Daisy . I think the butt plate and butt look like guns from that area. I would say south east Tenn. Even south west North Carolina. Lets say the southern border of Tenn-NC.

[WElliott]

I would attribute this rifle to western North Carolina, southeastern Tennessee or western South Carolina.  It is not by either of the Bull brothers.  Sam's attribution to the Soddy-Daisy school may be correct.  I once had a rifle made in western South Carolina which had similar butt and wrist architecture.  So, probably made somewhere within 100 miles of the confluence of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Alabama.  How's that for narrowing it down.       
Thanks for adding to the Library.
Wayne

[Ken G]

I see Soddy in the comb for sure and a little in the butt shape.  I haven't seen a Soddy rifle with a short tang like that but I've not seen near as many as you guys either.  I see Western Carolina in the rounded trigger guard bow and the forward spur. 
I love rifles like this that are a little bit of a mixed bag.  Good learning tools for guys like me.

Ken

[northup87]

Beautiful rifle, great addition to the museum....

[LynnC]

Has anyone noticed the top view at the breech.  This gun is noted to have a swamped barrel and the side plate panel seems to be parallel to the side barrel flat and not the bore?  Looks like a nice equal flare on both sides.

Southern guns seem to be rule breakers all around. ...................Lynn