Southern Fowlers

[LynnC]

Dennis posted about a "NC Fowler" and that got me to post this question.

After buying Grinslades book on American Fowlers and finding NONE listed any farther south than perhaps Maryland,  It has gotten me interested in finding some examples made in the southern states.

Can anyone point me in a direction to find some pics of southern flint fowlers?
Thanks.....................Lynn

[smokinbuck]

Lynn,
You might try Jerry Noble's 4 book series; Notes on Southern Rifles. It's primarily on rifles but you may find something . Jerry can be contacted at 309-582-2852. His address is; 414 N.E. 7th Ave., Aledo, illinois 61231.
Mark

[LynnC]

Thanks Man - Any one or two of the books in particular I should get? Would love to have them all.  I don't suppose he offers a four volume discount price............Lynn

[woodsrunner]

My thoughts would be to call Jerry. I have all 4 of his books, and these aren't formatted to where you could quickly identify any that may be fowlers. He's a wealth of information and he likes to talk!

[northmn]

I am supposed to wait until Christmas to get a camera.  I purchased a walnt half stock, iron mounted, single barrel shot gun, back action percussion, patent breech with a wooden grip rail that I thought may be Southern.  It had that flavor. I am currently restoring it as the pieces are in shooting order though the stock ahs a little dry rot.  Some knot head ran a bolt into the barrel to try to hold the underpinning lug into the stock.  It has no underrib, the thimbles are attached directly to the barrel and the ramrod passes under the wedge as in a double gun.  The trigger guard is very basic with V shaped pointed ends. 

DP

[G-Man]

Here's a nice one - Mark Elliot posted these photos of a nice original fowler by Simon Lauck  (Winchester Va.) a few months ago with pictures on his website:

http://www.valongrifles.com/SLauckFowler.htm

The fowler follows the basic English influence you see in other areas.  Lauck worked in the last quarter of the 18th and first quarter of the 19th centuries and along with the Sheets' the Laucks were among the best known and most prolific Virginia gunmaking families.

Whisker's ""Longrifles of Virginia" has one Virginia fowler in it as well, I think.  A halfstock, with English influenced hardware as I recall.

Guy

[Levy]

In the 1700's thousands of trade guns were imported into the South by the English (Type G Carolina Guns) and by the French (Type C and D).  Maybe these were adequate for use by the settlers too? Woodsrunner found a reference to a relative of his (in the Militia) using a trade gun.  I don't know what to speculate about the 1800s except that they may have imported a lot from England/Birmingham.  I have a small single barrel perc. shotgun with the lock marked W. Chance and the barrel is engraved, Imported by S. N. Hart, Norfolk, Va.  They are obviously rare as hen's teeth, but I'll bet there are a few Southern Fowlers out there somewhere.

James Levy

[LynnC]

Guy - What a Nice Lauck Fowler - Kentucky Style  - Thanks for the link.  That's the stuff I'm lookin for and will print that one out.

Levy - trade guns may be a possibility, but I'd be willing to bet that anywhere guns were made throughout the south that some fowlers where built............Lynn

[G-Man]

It's nice of folks like Mark and others to share photos of nice pieces like this on their websites.  There are so many great old guns that haven't made it into the books. 

Guy

[LynnC]

Guy - Thanks again for the link.
What is Marks website - From the link you posted I couldn't get to his front page or whatever it's called.  I'd like to see what else he's up to.
Thanks..........................Lynn

[G-Man]

Lynn - go to the top of this page and click on the longrifle logo - it will take you to the home page and there is a link to Mark's website on there.  I think his website is "Virginialongrifles.com". 

There is a great iron mounted appalachian rifle on there now.  In Mark's description he notes how heavy the rifle is.  A lot of southern mountain rifles were very heavy pieces.  I've been doing a lot of reading about the Cherokee/ Chickamauga wars lately and there is an interesting account of Lt. Hobbs from southwest Virginia killing the half Scottish/ half Cherokee warrior Bob Benge in 1794 with a "20 pound bear rifle" that shot an "ounce ball". 

Benge's raids had inspired so much terror from Middle Tennessee to Kentucky and Southwest Virginia that Hobbs was subsequently rewarded with a "neat" silver mounted rifle by the state of Virginia, at the recommendation of Col. Arthur Campbell.

Sorry - I guess this is straying pretty far from the original topic...

Guy

[LynnC]

Thankyou Guy - I found him under links and builders.  Lots of new stuff since I last visited his sight.

BTW - Interesting rambling is alway welcome................Lynn