I have a custom barrel ordered from Rayl. It is a 54" 54 caliber smoothbore octagon to round. I also have a Davis Colonial American flint lock. This is a flat faced lock. I am leaning toward a smooth rifle design for this project, but haven't figured the exact school I want. I like the early Virginia guns. However most of the ones I've seen seem to be Rev war or later and I would like to keep early enough for F&I war events. I have both books: Colonial Longrifles of America and the Flintlock fowlers book. Also I plan forge my mounts. Any pictures or references that might help me make a more accurate interpretation would be appreciated.
If you want to base your early Virginia gun with forged iron mounts on originals, you have just a couple options I know of. Wallace Gusler wrote a couple articles in Muzzle Blasts about the "Old Holston Gun" and related pieces. These were "black rifles" stocked in walnut with forged iron mounts and dating to around the Relutionary War and slightly later. I have seen guns patterned after the Old Holston Rifle by Ian Pratt and maybe Marc Tornichio.
Smooth rifles seem to be predominantly a product of Pennsylvania and even there, to have been made in certain areas in greater numbers than others. It s hard to find an actual Bucks County original with a rifled barrel, for example, and Northhampton and Lehigh originals are often smoothbores. If you are looking for a Revolutionary War era or earlier Virginia smooth rifle or even fowling piece stocked in curly maple, and having forged iron mounts, you will likely find little to go on. Folks thought the Newcomer smoothie was Southern because it was in an English style, but Newcomer was a Lancaster PA gunsmith.
Nothing wrong with fantasy guns and I like many of the iron mounted, "back-dated" contemporary rifles, smoothbores and smooth rifles that are being made now.
