I don't mean any of this in an offensive manner, but you all are assuming that the only customers interested in these rifles are reenactors, people who want to essentially attempt to relive history and/or immerse themselves in a historical milieu. From this vantage point, of course a heavily-aged gun might seem silly save if one is perhaps recreating the Rev War period and is carrying a 17th century doglock. However, there exists today an equally large - and rapidly growing - customer base amongst individuals who have absolutely no interest at all in reenacting. These individuals, in general, are primarily interested in the old antiques as art form and to our eyes in 2008 the 200+ years of patina is an integral part of that art form. The 'aging' of these antiques hints at a myriad of stories and adventures that to their minds may evoke the same sense of appreciation for the past, really a wistfulness for the past, that a reenactor may feel at Ticonderoga when the sun sinks and a hundred small fires spring up, all the while the low hum of conversation and laughter mingling with smoke to thence drift aimlessly across the fields. I can only speak for myself when I state, fairly emphatically, that I can not warm up to a shiny new rifle. My interest has always been antique firearms, whether it be Edward Marshall's rifle (which first impressed itself upon me at age 11) or a fine old Winchester lever gun. With any old arm, it is the basic fact of its age and antiquity which captures my imagination and my appreciation. The years of crusty rust browning blanketing the barrel, the evidence of repairs by various unknown individuals lost to the fog of time, the long-faded trail of calloused hands smoothing the wood and rendering it a slick, almost-otherworldly material... Whether it be a genuine antique or a modern work of fiction, there is often a story waiting to be told; most of us will not live long enough or hard enough to impress our own upon an arm constructed here in 2008. As a gunbuilder, I very much enjoy 'helping' the story along in a tangible manner. It would seem, judging by the volume of 'aged' arms which are being now created, that many other individuals also enjoy this particular form of narrative as well. This is not a new phenomenon: furniture makers have been throwing chains, rocks and tools at new-made chairs and tables for many years. Many luthiers are now joining the fray as well, for the skyrocketing prices of antique and more recent 'vintage' instruments have created an entirely new market for more affordable items which nevertheless look equally old. It would seem that many people, myself included, find solace in opening a familiar, dog-eared book from time to time; as with all old friends, one does not feel obligated to incessantly revisit the first page.
