Some characteristics of Reading guns

[smart dog]

Hi Folks,
I am working on a Reading gun.  I will be attending Dixon's for the first time this year and hope to meet many of you.  I also will visit the Reading show and I hope to see some Reading guns first hand.  Right now I am working from photos in RCA volume 1 and some that HIB sent to me.  It appears on some of the early Reading guns in RCA that the sides of the comb where it joins the wrist are slightly concave such that the top swells a little.  Is this just an optical illusion owing to the finish and lighting?  Also, the forestock transition around the rear ramrod thimble often seems somewhat bulbous.  Was that a feature common to many Reading guns?  Thanks for some help with this.  Again, I hope to see some originals soon.

dave   

[Stophel]

Just about everything about these earlier Reading guns is bulbous.  I got to see and handle "Gun #21" several years ago and made a more-or-less copy of it.  Yes, the carving above the rear rod pipe is bulbous, and the transition between there and the narrow moulding on the fore end along the ramrod groove was SO HARD to do... gave me fits.  I don't think I ever got it "right", but just "ok".  The whole fore end is very full and ROUND, and probably thicker than with many other styles of guns.  The cheekpiece is sort of "pushed out" from the side of the stock...  Some describe it as a "pregnant" appearance.  The cheekpiece surface itself I found absolutely horrible.  Very concave and dished out with the cheekpiece edge jabbing me in the chin.  Extremely uncomfortable.  My "copy" has a flat cheekpiece (the way a cheekpiece should be!    )  The front end of the comb is VERY narrow, but not concave on the sides in the sense that the comb is scooped out like many modern rifles.  The areas around the lock panels/tang are a little concave (where many other gun types have these areas basically flat).  Everything about it is different.  Very "sculptural".  Think bulbous and rounded.  VERY hard to get any of these details from the picture books.  Nearly as different... and difficult, as a Lehigh gun.

[bob in the woods]

So…what if the maker [ just supposing here …] wasn't a very good gunsmith ?  As someone else said once; sure , you could make one; but why would you want to ?      

[galamb]

If you take a look at this link you will get a 360 view of a Wolfgang Haga rifle (from James Julia's website).

I find these rotating pics "priceless" if you can't handle a rifle http://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-2358-relief-carved-curly-maple-kentucky-rifle-attributed-to-wolfgang-haga-50067/?threesixtyimg

If you are unfamiliar with the website if you "left click" and hold down the mouse key you can move the pic back and forth through the 360 degree rotation.

There is, no doubt, other Reading rifles that had the 360 view on their site, this one happens to be on I have bookmarked.

p.s. - here is one more link to a George Shroyer (Shreyer). While it was probably made in Hanover after he moved back, he most likely finished his apprenticeship in Reading (as a student of Haga) after his first teacher (Nicholas Hachen (Hawken), Wolfgang Haga's brother) died part way through the process. So might be safe to assume (ya right) that the influence was somewhat Reading.

Anyhow, here is the link http://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-2348-relief-carved-york-county-rifle-signed-george-shreyer-49766/?threesixtyimg

p.p.s. - will see if I can find you at Dixon's and say hello.

[Dan Fruth]

Hi Dave,

  If you call Dorothy Shumway, she will sell you scans of the rifle you are interested in. She charges $1 per scan, and you can blow them up on your computer. I have found them very helpful when trying to "inspect" an area of the stock. The scans are sharper than what is in the RCA book.

Dan

[smart dog]

Thank you,
Chris, always useful info on Berks guns.  Thanks.  Graham, those links are great, I just wish they showed the entire gun.  I will see you at Dixon's.  Dan, thanks for the info about Dorothy Shumway.  I will definitely take advantage of those scans.  Thanks again.

dave

[tallbear]

Dave

The effect that you are seeing at the nose of the comb is present on a couple of Early reading Rifles but it is more subtle than the pics show in RCA.The painted light technique used by the photographers make these details tough to read.The nose of the comb also sits on top of the wrist if you know what I mean.Tough to describe in words.

Reading guns like you say tend to be bulbous in some areas.The cheekpiece area particularly looks like it was blown up with an air hose.

The thing to remember about these Reading guns is even the ones lumped together as unsigned "Haga " guns probably had 3-4 separate makers.Pick a gun you like and follow the details from that particular gun rather then blending the details from several guns.Reading guns have several little details(like the forestock moulding relived on different sides) that make then unique but those details don't show up on every gun.

Look me up at Dixons and we can disscuss it if you like.I'm a big Reading fan.

Mitch

[bob in the woods]

Thank you for that, Mitch. You have described exactly what I was getting at in my somewhat facetious, poor attempt at humour posted earlier.     I love some Reading guns, but I don't want to duplicate what I consider to be less than desirable aspects on other Reading guns. 

[smart dog]

Hi Mitch!
Thank you.  That is very useful.  I will visit with you at Dixon's.  I will have to blend features a little because I am working from a stock that someone else began.  The original maker clearly had a Reading gun in mind but the stock has 4.25" of drop at the heel and maximum LOP of 13 1/4".   I am making it for Morgan's Rifle Corps so it has to look like a Rev War period gun.  Anyway, the upshot is that it doesn't exactly fit any of the original examples for which I have photos but it can come close to several of the early guns (RCA 21, 22) taking into account the drop at the heel and scaling it down a tiny bit.  I think I understand your description of the comb sitting on top of the wrist.  The Reading guns have a well defined seam at the base of the comb that is somewhat similar to the ballister wrist found on many English guns and muskets.  It makes the comb look a bit like a fin was glued on top of a round broomstick rather than gradually blended in.  Thanks again Mitch.

dave

[tallbear]

Dave

#21-22 are good examples to follow,they are two of my favorites.You got my point about the comb perfectly.Also pay close attention to the forestock molding as it is different than most other makers.Look forward to seeing you at Dixons!!!

Mitch