ALR Museum: Alfred Gross, Tennnessee. This gun is reputed to be the most ornate

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

Who can now doubt that Southern Gunmakers made spectacularly ornate guns, this being held as amongst the most ornate Kentucky Longrifles known to exist.

Challenge: To all those owning rivaling guns, please send us pictures to
        <parifles@earthlink.net> or <nordata@earthlink.net>. I am sure there
        is competition for this gun out there, particularly among Ohio
        and Western PA makers. Then  we can vote???

The URL:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=4476.0

Please post your comments as a "reply" here.
Hurricane

[G-Man]

Thanks for posting that one.  I've always been intrigued with it since seeing the photo in the Bivins book. 

It's easy to get lost in all the decoration, but I've always loved the architecture through the wrist, comb and cheekpiece, and general form of the tang, and the mounts.   That gun would look great even without any embellishment.

Guy

[Levy]

Am I mistaken or does it appear that it might have had a double-based front sight at one time?  There are two dovetails at the muzzle.

James Levy

[Ken G]

I don't know what to say but WOW!  That's a beauty for a TN rifle.  Something really special.  Many, many thanks to the owner for sharing and allowing us all to view. 
I'm curious to the meaning of the hand and rifle engraved on the barrel inlay. 
I can't imagine how PO'ed I would be if I did all that inlay work and then ran one letter over on my barrel inscription. 

[JTR]

Yeah, that is quite the rifle for sure!
Can you imagine the bragging rights the original owner must have had! You'd have to have been well to own it then, and well, well off to own it now too!
John

[J.D.]

That is some piece of workmanship. Like Guy, my eye got lost in the ornamentation. It's almost too much, but still a nice gun. I love the architecture, once I got past all of that silver.

I don't think I have ever seen such a long return on the BP or such a long toe plate.

All in all, a spectacular piece.

[Curt J]

There was a paper published by the American Society Of Arms Collectors as the result of a presentation at one of their meetings, by the late Robin Hale, that featured a number of pictures of this rifle. That was probably during the 1970's. I'm thinking that Robin might have once owned this rifle, but might be wrong. In any case, it's as fine a rifles as anyone made...anywhere! The architecture alone, makes it outstanding. The ornamentation is one-of-a kind.

[Tim Crosby]

Man, WHAT a rifle!

Tim C.

PS: Do you think the side plate was planned or a fix?

[WElliott]

Alfred Gross had the ability to make a wonderful example of the intersection of decorative art and mechanical function, resulting in a show-stopper!  Having had the opportunity to examine this rifle up close, I thank the owner for making a photo record available to all of us for ongoing reference.

[Mike Brooks]

I had a fully silver mounted Tenn. rifle come through here a few years ago. I don't recall the maker's name now....Anyway, Jerry Nobel came over and took pictures of it, I think it is in one of his later books, #3 or #4 I think.
 It had a iron trigger guard with a silver overlay just like this one. Oddly, it had a back action lock. The patch pox was a typical banana shape in silver. pretty cool.
Unfortunately I didn't have a digital camera back then. The gun is local, I should get a hold of the owner again and get some pictures.

[Ken G]

i have to ask just to make sure.  The inlays are Sterling Silver, not German, right?
Ken

[T.C.Albert]

Just wondering by the pitting of the barrel at the vent, was this rifle ever percussion...?
TCA

[Dphariss]

Just wondering by the pitting of the barrel at the vent, was this rifle ever percussion...?
TCA

I would be on it, metal erosion says *percussion*, the chlorate salts really eat the metal more than just rust, almost dissolves it. BP fouling is not nearly as aggressive.

Dan

[Mike Brooks]

i have to ask just to make sure.  The inlays are Sterling Silver, not German, right?
Ken

The one that came through my shop was german silver.

[Ken G]

Wow.  Thanks Mike.  Was German Silver very common on late period guns? 
Ken

[WElliott]

My observation has been that after about 1840 German Silver was more commonly used for decoration on longrifles than sterling silver or coin silver.
Wayne