Review of The Longrifle Makers of the Davidson School By C. Michael BriggsReview by T. Dennis Glazener
As you might suspect, this book is about Longrifle makers and the rifles made in the area that is today's Davidson County NC. My first thoughts were about the Ledford gun makers. Maybe some will think of the Long family. But maybe you, like me, will be surprised to read that Benjamin Merrill (the martyred NC Regulator hung for treason against the British Crown in 1771) was also a Davidson County gun maker. Or possibly other listed Davidson County makers that I was not familiar with. You might also be interested in seeing the signed Davidson County rifle found on top of Pike's Peak!
Chapter 3 has a complete listing of known Davidson County gun makers that also includes a history of each maker.
Chapters 4 through 4e contain 170 pages of detailed color photos of Davidson County longrifles and powder horns, many with helpful information by the author. Also, there are detailed color photos of what might be the only known Davidson County pistol (based on photos and information provided, you can decide).
Appendix 1 through 12 contains 72 pages of photos, family histories, Davidson County decorative arts, author's notes, etc. Lastly, there is a 5-page index giving page numbers for persons mentioned in this book.
This book is softbound with full-color front and back photos of a signed Solomon Farrington longrifle (cover design credit to Ken Orr). The book contains 314, 8.5" X 11" pages full of Davidson County information that Michael has compiled over many years of collecting and studying North Carolina longrifles and accouterments.
I enjoyed reading this book; I found it very interesting and informative. I know I will be referring back to it in the future. It would be a great birthday present for a friend, or maybe a hint or two will encourage someone to gift you one for your birthday or for Santa to put a copy under the tree for you! It's a great addition to anyone's library, especially those interested in North Carolina longrifles.
Ordering information for this book and others by Michael are shown below:
