My favorite Ugly.

[Jacob_S_P]

I have had this mess for a little while - and for certain reasons it is one of my favorites. I would appreciate thoughts on it. It came from a small collection in SW VA and I believe it to have originated there as well.






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[vanu]

It's a "Franken-Honaker/Schafer"!!!

[Jacob_S_P]

It is indeed a Honaffer. Certainly wish I could talk with it.  Also wish no one had cut it down.

[Chris_B]

I can see nothinŽugly either! Would love to have it

[wormey]

I find it hard to believe that the person who made that gun also made that triggerguard.  You guys seem to know the smith, but he seems to be a pretty good craftsman, but that guard is kinda ghastly. wormey

[Bob Roller]

I find it hard to believe that the person who made that gun also made that triggerguard.  You guys seem to know the smith, but he seems to be a pretty good craftsman, but that guard is kinda ghastly. wormey

The trigger guard was an expedient but adequate for the job.
The lock was what my grandfather called a gunsmith's lock
and sold for 50 cents.He  said he bought a grocery store in
Roane County,WV and there was a barrel full of them in the
inventory. The triggers are a better quality than the lock and
the whole gun IMHO is not bad looking.
Bob Roller

[Dphariss]

The guard was made by someone who was not even a good blacksmith. Rest of the rifle appears to have been made by someone who could do good work. I agree with Bob Roller on the lock. Birmingham turned out masses of gun locks from low end export versions to very good quality stuff for the English trade. But most of the locks that came here were middle quality or much worse. They were shipped in barrels of oiled sawdust, or so I have been told.

Dan

[Jacob_S_P]

Thanks guys..... I call it ugly as compared to some of my other rifles it is a pig. It wasn't always a pig, it was originally a full stock and as some one mentioned it probably brought home a lot of food.
The lock appears to be a J&S Warranted percussion, and at some point the screw fell out and someone staked it back on. The stock is a very plain piece of what appears to be maple, and was sadly cut down. The rear entry pipe was very well made.... Much nicer than the copper pipes soft soldered on over the dovetails for the original pin loops. The barrel intrigues me with it's charcoal blue over the hammer strikes now exposed by the half stock. The trigger guard is very crude but the architecture speaks volumes- as does the very pronounced step wrist.
Jim Webb called it a 'Beef Gun' and agreed with me it appears someone wanted a rifle very like one they had seen and set out to make their own version of it. Likely unable to afford what they actually wanted.
The very foundation of the Appalachians - "Can't buy it - make it!"
More pics soon.

[Jacob_S_P]

Barrel is pretty straight with no swamp or taper to it, over 1" at the muzzle and bore is over 1/2" (I have not put calipers to it.) Rifling albeit a little rusty is quite well formed.
The tang is a typical sort of SW VA 2 screw.
If you look closely at the surface of the stock you can see that it was scraped (poorly) with a knife. Wallace saw this rifle and he felt it was probably done post 1900.
Ultimately a parts gun modified, but I would love to know who 'J W' was.
Again..... If it could talk a little louder.






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