Samuel Lafayette Click

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

... Samuel Lafayette Click rifle recently come to attention by Chris Hirsch .... Please give  specs and comment Chris ........

[cshirsch]

The barrel is probably recycled from a much earlier gun.  It's swamped and there is a filled in dovetail where a tenon was.  It's about a .42 caL 

[oakridge]

It looks like a full-stock that was converted into a half-stock. That fore-end cap and the distance back to the entry pipe makes me think that. It just looks unusual for a half-stock.

[cshirsch]

Nope, this one was made this way

[cshirsch]

My Click rifle.  These photos are a little better.

[LynnC]

Boy I wish I could see all the other photos. Very interesting history here.

[LynnC]

Interesting late rifle. Thanks for fixing those photos that could be.

[mountainad82]

Here are some old photos of my Click rifle. Will try to take some better ones soon.










-Adam

[Tanselman]

There are so many differences between the two rifles, and so few points of similarity [except the S L C initials] it is hard for me to believe they are made by the same gunsmith. Stock architecture in particular is very different. When I can't see vestiges of one rifle in another, I begin to doubt they came from the same hand, despite the similar barrel initials. One looks like it could be a TN rifle, the other...not backwoods enough. Could there possibly be two gunsmiths with the same initials?  Shelby Gallien

[cshirsch]

Click was a blacksmith and a gun maker.  He worked in Northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Virginia. 

There are so many differences between the two rifles, and so few points of similarity [except the S L C initials] it is hard for me to believe they are made by the same gunsmith. Stock architecture in particular is very different. When I can't see vestiges of one rifle in another, I begin to doubt they came from the same hand, despite the similar barrel initials. One looks like it could be a TN rifle, the other...not backwoods enough. Could there possibly be two gunsmiths with the same initials?  Shelby Gallien

[mountainad82]

Shelby,

I definitely agree that there are few similarities between the two rifles, however, I am certain that my rifle was made by Sam Click as I have seen another nearly identical rifle to mine that has direct family provenance.  Sam Click boarded with this SW Virginia family and made them a rifle in the 1890's.  That rifle is almost identical to the "not backwoods looking" rifle that I own.  I have noticed that extremely late rifles sometimes lose regional characteristics due to the availability of mass produced parts, changing styles etc.  I have seen this progression is several late era Tennessee gunsmiths that I study.  It is my opinion that Chris's rifle is a much earlier example of Sam Click's work. 

[MGillman]

I have a late Wythe County rifle that is signed by James Hedrick that has similar stock architecture to your Samuel Click rifle. I love the SWVA guns.

Shelby,

I definitely agree that there are few similarities between the two rifles, however, I am certain that my rifle was made by Sam Click as I have seen another nearly identical rifle to mine that has direct family provenance.  Sam Click boarded with this SW Virginia family and made them a rifle in the 1890's.  That rifle is almost identical to the "not backwoods looking" rifle that I own.  I have noticed that extremely late rifles sometimes lose regional characteristics due to the availability of mass produced parts, changing styles etc.  I have seen this progression is several late era Tennessee gunsmiths that I study.  It is my opinion that Chris's rifle is a much earlier example of Sam Click's work.