1800's John Conway Jefferson Selvidge Tenn. Hog Rifle

[dfargo]

We have this family heirloom.  My wife's great, great, great grandfather used this rifle to feed his family in the Cleveland, Tennessee area.  The Lock is in need of repair and I have been requested to post pictures of it here for your enjoyment.  We are NOT interested in selling this piece.  However, we are curious as to it's value for insurance purposes.  We also have the original powder horn and shot mold.

Here are some specifics...
58 inches overall length, 42 inch long barrel, 40 caliber.  There is no patch box.
If you have any other questions, I will try to answer them.  However, I am not an experienced collector of antique firearms.
Enjoy.

[Majorjoel]

An interesting cheek piece on this rifle. A left handed shooter with the lock on the right side. I wonder if the cheek piece is an added piece of wood or part of the buttstock? Thank you dfargo for showing us your family treasure.

[bgf]

Thank you very much for taking the trouble.  If you are interested, there is another rifle by John Selvidge shown in a May 1996 Muzzle Blasts (magazine of NMLRA) article by George Shumway, reproduced in vol. II "Longrifle Articles Pulbished in Muzzle Blasts 1965-2001".  The rifle in the article is maple with a capbox and round cheekpiece, but the hardware (triggerguard and ramrod pipes for example) is very similar, and the signature is identical to yours, it appears to me.  It is esp. interesting to me to have two rifles stocked and trimmed quite differently but signed by the same maker.  According to that article, that rifle was the only Selvidge known, so you may have doubled the world's inventory, but I don't know if others have been found since it was published.  That article also references two other books that have some biographical information on Selvidge (who worked near Cleveland, TN), and pictures of him and his tools.  Your rifle looks to be in good, original condition, and left-handed to boot.  I'm not a collector, but many here are, and they should be able to tell you more.

[C. Cash]

That is quite the family treasure....would be neat if we could hear it talk.    Thanks for posting!

[Robert Wolfe]

Given that the stocking is so different from the Muzzle Blast's Selvidge and the funky cheekpiece, could this be an old restock?

[bgf]

I don't think it is a re-stock, just a different time period and "trim level", but I could be wrong.  My opinion is that they did build to a price or specification when asked, and the walnut was at the lower end of the spectrum than maple (just as generally iron was cheaper than brass), and the shaping is less refined/more efficiently done.  I also notice other "features" that may be time savers, such as the 2-sided filing on the triggerguard versus the 3-faceted filing on the Muzzle Blasts rifle, but that could just be stylistic evolution as well -- Selvidge worked over a very long period.  Also, the stock profile is very similar to the Muzzle Blasts rifle in concept and architecture, just different in small details, which again could be characteristic of a lower-cost, more utilitarian walnut stocked rifle from him or just changes in taste over time.

[TMerkley]

Gentleman,

It appears the cheekpiece was not a separate piece of wood, as the grain lines match up.

[dfargo]

I took a close look and the cheek peice is not a separate piece of wood.  The stock and cheek piece are carved from one piece of wood.  According to conversations I have had with family members, the original owner of this gun would most likely have been "dirt poor".  Therefore, when he would have asked John Selvidge to make him this Hog Rifle, he would not have very much money, or may have even bartered a trade.  If he paid cash for it, it could have been one of the most expensive purchases he made.  That could easily explain the simple/utilitarian style of this rifle.  I will be glad to address any other questions.  I thank you all for the information you have provided so far, I never dreamed this rifle could have such a history when I first say it many years ago.

[JTR]

Thanks for sharing the pictures of your rifle with us! It's a fine family treasure for sure!

As for fixing the lock, that's an easy fix to repair the tumbler shaft and threads, fit a new screw to attach the hammer, and age it to be unnoticeable. And while your at it, you might as well replace the new screw in the forward trigger guard with a more appropiate looking one, also aged to match the gun. Shouldn't cost more to have the work done than a nice dinner and a good bottle of wine!

John

[jcjefferson]

Hello there. Was thrilled to see another Selvidge longrifle! We also have one of John Conway Jefferson Selvidge's longrifles. He was my husband's Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather. Would love to share photos etc. FYI there are a couple of books out there which make reference to JC Jefferson's longrifles. There is even a picture of him, some of his tools, etc. Perhaps you have already seen the books? You said you were looking for a value for insurance purposes. My husband's uncle (in Georgia) recently purchased a Selvidge longrifle at a gun show and he paid around $1800 for it. Please feel free to email directly at selvidgd@ns.sympatico.ca
Thanks, JC Jefferson (AKA Sherry Selvidge )

[Collector]

The grain in the butt stock really looks like oak... probably just the photo, right?

Great family piece and thanks for sharing it with us.

[timM]

dfargo,  Another big thank you for taking the time to post your family’s heirloom.  I really enjoy these Appalachian rifles and this one is in nice condition and a bit unique.   This is likely another instance where a broken part (tumbler) may have saved this piece and others from being used into oblivion.

jcjefferson   sure would love to see your family’s Selvidge longrifle!  Please do post photos and if you need any help with that, I would be pleased to help.  tim

[posum]

The wood could be ash as it was readily available to farmers and I have seen several done originaly and restocked that way. Most farmers and blacksmith/gunsmiths out in the rural areas knew oak was to heavy and would split and twist but ash would work as an alternative to maple if they didn't have any at the time although it wasn't popular in general

[halfstock]

I'd say the stock wood is more than likely walnut.

[Curt J]

A great rifle by a famous, but seldom seen, maker.  The stock wood does look like something other than walnut in the shot of the cheekpiece, but it's hard to tell from one picture. I have a rifle stocked in ash that looks similar, and I formerly owned one stocked in red elm that also looked similar.

[Collector]

With that grain structure, I'd go with Ash.

Oak?... well, if anything, it did provoke a discussion.

Personally, I like the rivet through the (toe of) the butt plate and the toe plate... very cool (and intact) detail and the open end of the muzzle cap and... well, what's not to like.  Considering the use that these rifles endured, the words original and (completely) intact, seldom appear in the same sentence.

Great rifle.

[nosrettap1958]

Raises the question that if the rifle was built for him why a check piece on the same side as the lock?
I could see if the cheek piece was added later as the rifle was handed down to a left handed son but originally built for a left handed shooter?
That doesn't make sense.

[dfargo]

I have an update about this rifle...
I found someone who can fix the lock and took the rifle to them.  They have it now and we should have it back in 5 or 6 weeks.  It needs some work on the trigger spring also.

From this gunsmith, I learned that the stock is Walnut, and is most likely Not a restock, but is the original stock.  It is a left handed shooter, with a right hand lock.  The right hand lock was used probably because that was what was most commonly available to the original gunsmith.  The hand forged barrel is rifled and appears to be in good shape.  When finished, the gun should be in firing condition, but he recommends we do not fire it because there may be some flaws in the bottom of the barrel that are not visible and firing it may cause damage.

I would like to thank everyone who replied to this thread for all the emails I received about John Selvidge and the referrals to get it repaired correctly.

[MartinJ]

We  have what we believe to be a John Selvidge Long Rifle. It came out west with our family when they left Tennessee. I t has some stock damage around the lock mechanism. We are questing whether we should get it restored or leave as is? Also looking for a rough value for insurance purposes. I can provide additional photos if needed. I do not believe the ram rod to be original.
Any information would be most appreciated.

Length over all is 63 1/2"
Barrel 47 1/2"
Stock 17"
Double trigger
raised rectangular area on the left cheek area of the stock - looks original but not sure.

[mountainad82]

MartinJ,
You have a great family heirloom there!  Indeed, this rifle was built by John Selvidge who lived near Cleveland, TN.. If it were me, I would probably leave it alone. Thank you for sharing iit here!

Adam

[JTR]

That's a fine rifle and you're lucky to have it!
As for the crack, you should have that repaired/glued. As it is, with a little accidental mis-handling you could easily end up with a front half and a back half in your hands!

John