Author Topic: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith  (Read 20052 times)

Offline Tom Currie

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #25 on: February 20, 2016, 07:15:10 PM »
Michael, Congrats on your find and thank you for sharing it with us. I find the story and the rifle very interesting. 

Offline Sequatchie Rifle

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #26 on: February 21, 2016, 04:22:13 AM »
Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing it, and the photos. Look forward to purchasing the book at the Tennessee Rifle show.
"We fight not for glory, nor riches nor honors, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.” Declaration of Arbroath, 1320

Offline wildcatter

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #27 on: February 21, 2016, 06:01:50 PM »
Michael,
Congrats on the find!! Glad you could acquire and restore it so that we can all study and learn. Awesome!!
You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four.

Offline jdm

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #28 on: February 21, 2016, 06:38:53 PM »
A collector and historian saves another piece of our history. What a thrill for you! A thrill for us also to read the story and see the pictures. Thanks for your sharp eye. JIM
JIM

Offline BOB HILL

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #29 on: February 21, 2016, 11:06:15 PM »
Michael, What an exciting find this is. Thanks for sharing. I,as well as many others I'm sure, am looking forward to the publication of your new book.....Bob
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Offline mbriggs

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #30 on: February 22, 2016, 06:44:54 PM »
I want to thank everyone again for their nice comments.  

There have been too many negative posts and comments on this board lately. I decided to write something that hopefully would be positively received and I am glad to see that has been accomplished.

I will attempt to answer some more of your questions.

[sqrldog] The barrel on the rifle is 47 inches long.  The top flat is 1/2" wide.  The caliber is larger than most I find in North Carolina, I would guess .48 to .50. I think the barrel does have a small swamp to it.  My guess is the rifle was made between 1795 and 1805. As I do not build rifles, only collect them, I often do not remember to get measurements.

[Bigwolf] Thanks for your comments on the current condition of the rifle.  That to me is the mark of a great restoration, when an object still shows patina and use, but looks to have survived in such great condition that you cannot tell it has been restored.  The rifle did start life as a flintlock, was converted to percussion during the period of use, and was converted back to flint as part of the restoration.  As I mentioned earlier, most of the rifle was still intact when found, but some of the stock was missing along with a thimble and the nose-cap. My restorer is very talented.

[MajorJoel] The term "stepped butt-plate" came from the restorer.  I had not noticed it until he pointed it out.  Arnie Dowd (who's comments have been greatly missed on this site) mentioned to me in an email that it reminded him of the "panel-butt-plates found on the [Wiley] Higgins rifles."  If one-side sticks out further than the other it is not by much.  Go back and look at the close up photos of the patchbox.  You can see a profile of the butt-plate in those photos.

Thanks again to everyone.

Michael Briggs          
« Last Edit: February 22, 2016, 09:49:21 PM by mbriggs »
C. Michael Briggs

macr0w

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #31 on: March 26, 2021, 07:07:26 AM »
This is very interesting to me being that I am an Alexander who is a native of Mecklenburg co. The Alexanders on my dad's side of the family can be traced back to the 1700's in Mecklenburg co. I'm going to look at our family tree and see if I can find anything.

Offline yesterdayschild

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #32 on: March 26, 2021, 12:57:48 PM »
Is there anyway that we can see the pictures again?

Offline mountainman70

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #33 on: March 26, 2021, 02:46:44 PM »
Ok,what happened to the pics this time? geez Dave :-\ :-\

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #34 on: March 26, 2021, 04:19:20 PM »
 When I read the fine article that was the build up for the pictures I was very excited to see the photos, so where did they go? The pictures seem to have disappeared.

  Hungry Horse

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #35 on: March 26, 2021, 04:52:19 PM »
Yeah, me too.
Being an Alexander from Mecklenburg Co. I was very excited to find this article and disappointed to see all the pics gone.
Maybe I can find them on the internet somewhere.  :P

Offline WESTbury

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #36 on: March 26, 2021, 09:17:04 PM »
Excellent sales strategy Mike! ???
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
President Lyndon B. Johnson October 21, 1964

Offline mbriggs

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #37 on: March 26, 2021, 10:08:30 PM »
Kent, I hope that was intended as a joke.

If you spend a thousand hours researching and writing a book like this and then spend ten thousand of your own dollars to have it published would you still want to give it away for free?

Michael
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Offline WESTbury

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #38 on: March 27, 2021, 01:32:07 AM »
I did spend 2005 to 2013 traveling to the Springfield NHS for research in their micro-film files, writing, and taking close to 2000 photos, while working a full time job as a machine designer and ultimately plant manager (retired at the end of 2011), for my book, which Dennis very kindly posted on this forum in Aug 2019.

Also, if you review my posts, you will see that I did post many of the photos from my copyrighted proof copy of the book, over the past year. I made sure I noted on the photos that they were copyrighted by me. If somebody gets some enjoyment and useful info from them, I am pleased.

I do not have any of your books, but I understand they are great. How you handle your material is strictly you affair. My interest in longrifles is limited to Lancaster. You can take my statement as a friendly ribbing from one author to another.

Kent
« Last Edit: March 28, 2021, 05:53:14 PM by WESTbury »
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
President Lyndon B. Johnson October 21, 1964

Offline Tim Crosby

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Re: My greatest find - Zenas Alexander, early Mecklenburg N.C. gunsmith
« Reply #39 on: March 28, 2021, 05:20:39 PM »
 Sales info on the book is now in "Recent Books":

    https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=65291.0