Virginia Style Rifle Questions

[grabenkater]

Would a Jaeger style buttplate and triggerguard be incorrect for an early Virginia style rifle?

[Mike Brooks]

Would be ok for a restocked gun.What do you consider "early"?

[Longknife]

Now I am NOT an expert on these "Early Virgina" rifles but it is my understanding that the "southern" guns followed the "English" style.,,, Right???...Ed

[G-Man]

Like Mike said.  The Faber rifle has hardware that looks like it could have come off of a Jaeger and a fowling piece.  Also, there is a smooth rifle in RCA I that is now attributed to one of the Haymakers, that has very Germanic looking hardware.

The southern/English thing has been carried overboard a bit with regard to identifying features.  Although English features on a rifle often lead one to suspect a southern origin as they are not typical on Pennsylvania guns (but never say never - the Newcomer gun with the English looking fowler hardware is a prime exmple), the absence of them does not necessarily indicate a Pennsylvania origin as the overall predominant characteristics of early Virginia guns still show strong influence of evolution of German gunmaking styles carried up the Valley and all the way to southwest Virgnia.  Many German gunsmiths and lots of German gunmaking influence throughout the major gunmaking areas of Virginia.   Lauck, Honaker, Sheets, Haymaker, etc.  


Guy

[Ed Wenger]

I don't think it would be "incorrect".  While there was a strong English influence in the Colony, especially along the coast and tidewater areas, there were plenty of non-English folks around.  I was just reading last night about some history here in Fauquier County, and about all the German immigrants who settled the area.  In fact, there was one whole community (Germantown) that was founded by seven German families who had paid off their indenture.

Also, another good example of German influence is the Kleete rifle out of Stevensburg...


           Ed

[rich pierce]

I guess it all comes down to "when is a (or an early) Virginia-styled rifle not a Virginia-styled rifle?"
Another way of asking it is, "Could you use /re-use some jaeger hardware on a rifle and still have people think, "early Virginia"?  Hardware styles are often useful signatures used to differentiate schools, regions, and periods of riflemaking.  If you have enough signatures present on a new build, people "get it".

I have felt the earliest rifles stocked or restocked here will often lack regional "signatures" or "tells" that became the norm at later periods.

So a lot depends on how early the rifle will be, and how well you want it tied to early Virginia.  What are your planned "signatures"?

[grabenkater]

Thanks for all of the input.