J. Roop rifle

[Nate McKenzie]

Hi. I would like to share with you a smooth rifle I recently acquired. I have so many pictures that I'm going to try to split them up into several posts. My humble apologies to those with dial up connections but I think these pictures are worth some study. I know very little about J. Roop other than what  JWH1947 posted a few days ago. Any further information from some of you guys would be greatly appreciated.

Marked J Roop on lock and smooth-bored barrel.
Barrel is 41 1/8" straight tapered,  1.14" at breech and .98" at muzzle.
Smooth bore .70".
OAL 55 1/2"
Pull 12 1/8"
Drop at heel 4 1/4"
Drop at toe 7 3/4"
Wrist height 1 3/4" , width 1 7/16"
Balance point at rear entry thimble just in front of rear sight.
Butt plate: W-1 5/8", H-4 3/8", heel-2 11/16"
Lock panel widths: front-1 9/16", rear-1 11/16"
Width of forearm at rear wedge: barrel-1 7/64", wood-1 21/64"
Width of forearm at front wedge: barrel- 1", wood-1 3/16"

I took this gun apart to fix a splintered forearm and replace some missing wood. I'll put some detail pictures in another post.

































Hope you enjoyed these. More detail  to come.

[mr. no gold]

A very classy little rifle from the bench of a seldom seen maker! Seems to me that I have been exposed to no more than two or three of Roop's guns over the years (or should I say decades). Love the patchbox with its fine engraving. The architecture is just great and the gun must have been a hoot to shoot.
In my experience, a gun will occasionally turn up with a Roop lock or even a barrel, but usually not the whole rifle. He was clearly highly skilled.
Wonder if one won't turn up soon that will rival the best of the Shell's work or that of Brooks?
There were a whole lot of known rifles by those makers that were rather plain, but lately some great pieces have turned up.
Thanks Nate, for letting us take a look at your new find. Now, get out there and find some more to show around! Will you be putting this into the Library, by the way?
Regards-Dick

[jwh1947]

You have a really cool rifle here!  People, take a look at the engraving on the patchbox.  That in all its relative simplicity is the hand of I. Roop.  Having seen more than a few, I could have suggested attribution from that engraving alone.  Those rounded floral presentations on the lid and sideplates are strong indications.  One thing I especially like on this example is the patchbox finial.  Never saw another exactly like it out of the Roop shop.  Stock architecture also normal for the maker.  In other words, a classic Roop.  An eminently desirable Dauphin Co. longrifle.

[smshea]

Ive had a couple of Roops in my shop and both of them had the signature engraved in script. Just wondering Wayne If the majority of the ones you have seen have had block lettering of a signature on the barrel?  Or was there more than one Like the A. Angstadts and others?

[jwh1947]

Scott, most interesting.  I have seen at least a half dozen good examples up here and they were all signed in block letters, "I. ROOP."  Two were signed also on the lock, as is this most recent example.  Try to get a pencil rubbing of that signature for your records, and please make a copy for me.  I have always assumed that there were script signatures out there, and, sight unseen, I would not be surprised if the rifles you have examined are early Roop products.  Incidentally, I suspect that his shop was along the Swatara Creek between Hummelstown and Middletown, as he was taxed in Swatara Twp.  I base this on the flow of the water there, the availability of "roads" to the towns at that point, and the terrain, based upon my understanding of geographical conditions at that time.  Again, conjecture here.  Best regards.  JWH

[smshea]

Wayne

 Here are a couple of pics of a rifle that I have permission to pass around. The other one I had in the shop is very similar with the box being more like the one Nate has posted.

[jwh1947]

Thanks.

[northmn]

What would you date these at?

DP

[jwh1947]

Dr. Shumway located tax records for J. Roop, Jr. in 1805 and 1815.  For Roop, Sr., a tax report is extant for year 1805.  Jr. was taxed in Swatara and Lower Paxton townships.  Sr. was taxed in Lower Paxton.  I know that this would be earlier than many would suppose, but there is evidence that these men worked in this era.  My guess is that at least one of them worked into the late 1820's, at least.  For those unfamiliar with the area, on the map this would be the terrain east of Harrsiburg, PA, in the Hershey-Hummelstown-Middletown area, lower Dauphin County.  Due to the dates, I would not be surprised if many of the specimens we now have were made by Jr., but I have no way of proving this.