Reference for building an East Tennessee rifle

[chumney]

I know this is an unusual request from a first time poster.  I have several references for building Pennsylvania longrifles.  The Art of Building a Pennsylvania Longrifle, Building the Kentucky Rifle, Longrifle Construction Manual Edition 1.2 and The Gunsmith of Grenville County.  Other reference material would be helpful.  My main intrest lies in theupper East Tennessee around the 1790's to the 1815 time frame.  I am planning a build around that time frame. I have looked at TN Hog Guns by Ken G and most of the links back to this site.  Even if I did grow up in Northeast Alabama the Tennessee rifles are more to my flavor.

The build would be similar to a Bean manufactured long rifle.  I have several options to make it a challenge.  What would be a more period correct lock and barrel profile?  I know my limitations are great, but it is something I want to accomplish. I did finish a Southern Mountain rifle for my first build with all my warts it does look and has acceptable accuracy even if it it not completely sighted in for the distance I would like.

[WadePatton]

Gunmakers of Greasy Cove and Buffalo Valley is a good East Tn reference book. Bean and Bean-trained gunmakers, Lawing, and others documented there.

The bbls were heavy for caliber.  I'd use B weight if trying to replicate, maybe even C with a ton of filing to reduce the swamping.  But that's a pile of work and chunky to handle.

38 to 45 would be my caliber.

take your pick of English locks.  I like the Late Ketland or Manton best so far.  Shape the tail and panels to suit yourself.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

This is a great website with some awesome tutorials

http://tnhogrifle.com/ 

I looked to it a lot when building mine

Coryjoe

[chumney]

I should have referenced the web site as tnhogrifles instead of Tennessee Hog Guns.  I have thought about the book about Gunmakers of Greasy Cove and Buffalo Valley.  Thank you both.

[WadePatton]

I should have referenced the web site as tnhogrifles instead of Tennessee Hog Guns.  I have thought about the book about Gunmakers of Greasy Cove and Buffalo Valley.  Thank you both.

It's not a great big book, and all the photos are B/W, but it's spot on East TN.

[JCKelly]

Jerry Noble, Illinois, has put out four paperback books on southern longrifles.
Dunno if he still sells them or one must pay amazing prices for one on abebooks.com

Single best article is the one by the late Robin Hale, Tennessee Rifles, a paper presented at the Fall, 1970, meeting of the American Society of Arms Collectors, Houston, Texas. My copy is in the bound (paperback) LONGARMS IN AMERICA VOLUME II,  compiled by George E. Weatherly, from the ASAC

Also look at Cowan's auction site for past auctions, maybe two years ago they had quite an array of Southern rifles.

Do use a fairly late English style lock. Germanic locks (e.g., Siler) were rarely used in the South. Pennsylvania guys were all German anyway & bought their locks from Germany. In the American south the connection was with England, culturally and for locks.