"barn gun"

[Jim Kibler]

All this talk about "barn guns" convinced me I should give one a try.  Couldn't help but to give it a touch of carving.  It needs a new home so check out the for sale section if interested.  Any questions / comments welcome!  Sorry about the crummy pictures.  Maybe I'll get the motivation to take some better ones.
  
Jim

[M Tornichio]

I was fortunate enough to handle this rifle yesterday. It fit me perfectly. The lock and trigger are crisp. Nice rifle . Pictures really don't do it justice. I know Jim's rifles don't need me to help sell them. I would have purchased it if I was not in the middle of trying to sell my house.
Marc

[Dennis Glazener]

All this talk about "barn guns" convinced me I should give one a try.  Couldn't help but to give it a touch of carving.  It needs a new home so check out the for sale section if interested.  Any questions / comments welcome!  Sorry about the crummy pictures.  Maybe I'll get the motivation to take some better ones.
  
Jim

Nicely done, now you should think about building a southern mountain rifle
Dennis

[Jim Kibler]

Thanks guys.  Sorry about the photo trouble.  I used the crop function in photobucket and things were getting all distorted for some reason.  Think I have it sorted out.  You can think of this as a "Southern barn gun" Dennis

[Micah2]

Nice gun Jim!  Ill check out the for sale section!

[Don Getz]

Jim..........now, wasn't that fun, and you gave your eyes and nerves a little break.  Forget about the carving and work on
the architecture.   That's a neat looking gun, now, lay it on the floor and throw your ring of keys at it a couple of times.....
aw, forget that part, I just can't imagine you doing that......Don

[Kermit]

I've never thought of doing that, Don! I have one that it might help.

[Mike Brooks]

Now you're getting it!

[C Wallingford]

Way to go Jim. I like that a lot.

[B.Barker]

I'd never thunk you would make a rifle like that. Nice job. Did you have it at the Log Cabin Shop last weekend? Wished I could of handled it.

[Acer Saccharum]

The architecture is really nice, nay, beautiful on this gun, Jim. Color and style are killer.

However, I think this 'barn gun' category needs another name.

Why?

I have a problem with such nice architecture on a nominally utilitarian piece. My mental image of a 'barn gun', would be a little cruder in fit and finish, and certainly the architecture would suffer along with those. But that's my only gripe, and it's purely a philosophical one; a personal perception of what a barn gun is or isn't. My reasoning goes along these lines: if a guy doesn't have the money for the buttplate, patchbox and carving, would he spring for the 'extra fine architecture' package?

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Mebbe the builder just couldn't bring himself to carve poor architecture...... was against his principles..........  But I would sure have a hardtime leaving out in the  barn...... nice piece of working sculpture!

[Mike Brooks]

I have a barn gun relic that will change your mind, great workmanship and archetecture. I'll try and get some photos of it.

[Dphariss]

I only know of one real barn gun. The guy that knew the family well said he thought it had done something bad and had been relegated to the barn as a result. Its a 1894 Winchester.
I often wonder, with the militia's propensity for confiscating arms for military use in parts of the Colonies, if these cheap things were not made in response to this. Might keep them from taking a good gun that was better hid.
Dan

[Brian]

I only know of one real barn gun. The guy that knew the family well said he thought it had done something bad and had been relegated to the barn as a result. Its a 1894 Winchester.
I often wonder, with the militia's propensity for confiscating arms for military use in parts of the Colonies, if these cheap things were not made in response to this. Might keep them from taking a good gun that was better hid.
Dan

Good point Dan.  I suspect  you may be right on the mark about that in a lot of cases.  Hey, if the government is going to swipe your gun - why give them your "good" one.

Your first point about guns being banished to the barn reminds me of something I once read about Lewis Wetzel.  Apparently in his later years, when he was "retired", he was living with his Brother somewhere.  Wetzel's Brother's Wife apparently would not let Wetzel keep his rifle in the house because it had killed so many people she considered it evil  - so it stayed in the barn.  Don't know if that is true or not.  Many myths about Wetzel.

[Acer Saccharum]

I have a barn gun relic that will change your mind, great workmanship and archetecture. I'll try and get some photos of it.

I'm all ears, said the elephant. I'm just posing these thoughts, because they came to mind; and it might be good material on another separate thread.

This is no refection on Jim's work. It's just poking into the theory behind what we have been calling 'barn guns'. I like what Dan has brought up, a junker to draw the attention away from the good guns.

[Kermit]

All that needs to happen is for someone to make a movie or write a novel where that's an element of the story. That will enshrine it as truth forever. Funny how fiction works.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

We love stories,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Jim Kibler]

Thanks everybody.  You can come up with another name for it, Tom   I realize this type of gun might be pushing the limits in terms of what really ocurred,  but that's okay.  I've always favored something cool over perfect historical correctness.  Now I like cool and historically correct, but it's sometimes not as much fun to follow this path!  Any questions, just ask.  I'll do my best to answer.

Jim

[davec2]

Jim,

The term "barn gun", to me, conjures up an image of a two by four with a length of old 1/2 inch galvanized water pipe held on to one edge with nails and plumbers tape.  This one certainly does not fit into my idea of a barn gun.  Beautifully done.  And I love the trigger guard.  Is that something you made or is it an available casting?

Dave C

[Jim Kibler]

Thanks again guys.  What's in a name anyway.   The guard is one of my favorites.  Wallace originally made the pattern in the 60's from what I understand.  It was used by the CW gun shop for a number of years and at some point, Reaves "borrowed" a filed up example to use as a pattern and began to offer it for sale.  Most things from this time period haven't stood the test of time, but this certainly has in my view.  I like to re-shape it a bit with some forming and filing, but think it finishes up pretty nice.

[James]

Jim,

The term "barn gun", to me, conjures up an image of a two by four with a length of old 1/2 inch galvanized water pipe held on to one edge with nails and plumbers tape.  This one certainly does not fit into my idea of a barn gun.  Beautifully done.  And I love the trigger guard.  Is that something you made or is it an available casting?

Dave C

That describes the one I saw at auction last Fall. Barrel held to a roughly shaped pine board with copper pipe straps, unfinished buttplate and trigger guard held on with modern wood screws, a flintlock with gaps all around. It was obvious it had been shot some.  Jim's gun is wonderful, even without that gun as comparison. 

[k gahagan]

Nice piece Jim. Clean lines, great architecture and wonderful color.

[davec2]

Jim,

If I wanted to order one of the trigger guards from Reaves, what would I ask for?  Is there a number or name associated with it?

Thanks

Dave C

[Jim Kibler]

I would just tell him you were interested in the guard that was a pattern Wallace Gusler made in the Colonial Williamsburg gunshop in the 60's.  He should know what your talking about.

Jim