Last summer I posted a request for information on requirements to ship an antique longrifle across the border, from Canada back to the States. A number of people were helpful, and the rifle eventually arrived down here. The gun is an early rifle made in Kentucky, where I collect, research, and specialize. The gun is an important find; it is [in my "humble" opinion] the finest known example of the newly discovered "Clark County School" of rifle making in Kentucky. The rifle has a full family provenance behind it, from its original owner in Montgomery County, Kentucky down to the present day, and a couple of interesting stories about how it was used at different times in its life.
One intriguing issue is the ignition system. The family said the gun was originally flint and had been converted to percussion later. Close inspection of the lock shows it to be a replacement for an original, very short lock that was probably flint. But note the very short nose on both the front and rear side-facings, and the rear side-plate. I had Frank House look at it for an opinion on if it was originally flint...because if so, it was a very small lock, with a short nose. He thought it might have been an early pill lock, which has a short nose, and used for a few years and then replaced with a more reliable percussion lock. A pill lock would be odd in Kentucky, but the first owner was a well-to-do medical doctor, so perhaps it could have been built that way. But early Bluegrass rifles in KY generally have small locks, often pistol size, so maybe there was an early lock that was small enough to fit this rifle. The gun has a pick inlay on the bottom of the toe with a hole over an inch and a half deep, also suggesting the gun was originally flint. So while we continue to figure this rifle out, I thought you may enjoy seeing what was such a pain in the butt late last year to get back across the border to where it belongs. Barrel is 47-1/2 inches with .33-ish bore. Barrel is signed on silver plate "L. Harmon," probably Lewis Harmon of Clark County. It's one great Kentucky-made rifle!
Shelby Gallien
