“Southern Fowler” Tennessee Smoothbore

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I’m posting the photos of this gun here so folks can discuss or comment on it. I picked this one up a few years ago. I don’t know much about it, except it was so unique I wanted to study it “in person”. The previous owner cleaned it up just little by waxing the stock and replacing a screw or two. The lock appears to come from a Portuguese Baker Rifle. This is no buttplate. The barrel is 45 1/4 inches long and 70 caliber. The triggerguard is a wonderful iron Tennessee style guard. The wood has wormholes, so I suspect it is of European origin. Please comment and provide any observations you want to share.

[Robert Wolfe]

Thanks for posting. A quick question. Would you explain what you mean by "The wood has wormholes, so I suspect it is of European origin."? I'm not sure why worm holes mean European. I must be missing something.

Thanks

[LynnC]

I just found this thread. Thank You for starting this topic. I will move some of my thoughts over here.

[LynnC]

In response to “wouldn't this be considered a smooth rifle?”  I replied as follows.

With an Octagon to round barrel, single trigger and no cheek piece (photos seem to indicate) I would put this in the same class as the Kentucky Fowlers in Grinslade’s Flintlock Fowlers book. The vast majority of those Kentucky fowlers pictured have a rear sight.

Though rifle in style, the trigger guard is the one ironclad identifier for southern origin. Tennessee or Southern Mountain fowler would seem appropriate.

Can we confirm there is no cheek piece?  Just my thoughts. Still a very rare gun.

[gibster]

I had a chance to look at this fowler at the Alabama show this past weekend and it is an interesting and well made piece.

[JTR]

Sequatchie Rifle, Send a message to Mark Elliott and request the gun be submitted to the museum committee for submission.
John

[Avlrc]

In response to “wouldn't this be considered a smooth rifle?”  I replied as follows.

With an Octagon to round barrel, single trigger and no cheek piece (photos seem to indicate) I would put this in the same class as the Kentucky Fowlers in Grinslade’s Flintlock Fowlers book. The vast majority of those Kentucky fowlers pictured have a rear sight.

Though rifle in style, the trigger guard is the one ironclad identifier for southern origin. Tennessee or Southern Mountain fowler would seem appropriate.

Can we confirm there is no cheek piece?  Just my thoughts. Still a very rare gun.

Agree, if a gun is everything fowler & then you install a rear sight on it , a fowler it still is.  Yes, lots of fowlers with rear sights.

[LynnC]

This is a really rare Southern Fowler in my opinion. 

Over the years there have been a few discussions about southern fowlers, most ending in the conclusion that they just never existed.  I think that this is only the second one Ive ever seen.

I believe that at one time there must have been a few mountain fowlers made over the years.

Perhaps quickly used up in the opening year of the Civil War where anything that would shoot was pressed into service. Truly a Rare survivor.

I agree, it should be preserved in the ALR virtual museum. Again Thanks for starting the topic

[Dennis Glazener]

Sequatchie Rifle, Send a message to Mark Elliott and request the gun be submitted to the museum committee for submission.
John

I will take care of doing it if Bill will agree to let me put it in the library.
Dennis

[Sequatchie Rifle]

Thanks Dennis, please add it to the virtual library.

[Sequatchie Rifle]

Thanks for posting. A quick question. Would you explain what you mean by "The wood has wormholes, so I suspect it is of European origin."? I'm not sure why worm holes mean European. I must be missing something.

Thanks

Wormy wood is often a sign of European origin. Antique European wood items are full of wormholes. Antique furniture we brought back from Germany had to be treated for worm and other critters. I was told time and time again that wormy wood is a sign of European origin. I suspect this stock originated in Europe because of the worm holes.

Below is copied form an article on the European worm infestation of 18th century Europe:

“Environmental catastrophe, economic collapse and a pandemic – prominent in today’s public discourse, but also crises that were wreaking havoc in 18th century Europe.  On that occasion, the shipworm, a sea-living mollusc that scavenges floating and submerged wood, was to blame. Although relatively harmless today, at that time the creature was responsible for one of the world’s largest environmental, political and economic disasters.   “It is still unclear why the shipworm population exploded in the 1730s, but these molluscs destroyed nearly all wooden structures along the North Sea coast in a few years,” says Michael-W. Serruys, principal investigator on the EU's SHIPWORM project, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions individual fellow and historian studying the shipworms’ impact on western Europe.   “As the shipworms destroyed the wooden dikes that prevented the Low Countries from flooding, the region faced an ecological disaster.”

[Sequatchie Rifle]

In response to “wouldn't this be considered a smooth rifle?”  I replied as follows.

With an Octagon to round barrel, single trigger and no cheek piece (photos seem to indicate) I would put this in the same class as the Kentucky Fowlers in Grinslade’s Flintlock Fowlers book. The vast majority of those Kentucky fowlers pictured have a rear sight.

Though rifle in style, the trigger guard is the one ironclad identifier for southern origin. Tennessee or Southern Mountain fowler would seem appropriate.

Can we confirm there is no cheek piece?  Just my thoughts. Still a very rare gun.

No cheek rest.

[Robert Wolfe]

Thanks for posting. A quick question. Would you explain what you mean by "The wood has wormholes, so I suspect it is of European origin."? I'm not sure why worm holes mean European. I must be missing something.

Thanks

Wormy wood is often a sign of European origin. Antique European wood items are full of wormholes. Antique furniture we brought back from Germany had to be treated for worm and other critters. I was told time and time again that wormy wood is a sign of European origin. I suspect this stock originated in Europe because of the worm holes.

Below is copied form an article on the European worm infestation of 18th century Europe:

“Environmental catastrophe, economic collapse and a pandemic – prominent in today’s public discourse, but also crises that were wreaking havoc in 18th century Europe.  On that occasion, the shipworm, a sea-living mollusc that scavenges floating and submerged wood, was to blame. Although relatively harmless today, at that time the creature was responsible for one of the world’s largest environmental, political and economic disasters.   “It is still unclear why the shipworm population exploded in the 1730s, but these molluscs destroyed nearly all wooden structures along the North Sea coast in a few years,” says Michael-W. Serruys, principal investigator on the EU's SHIPWORM project, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions individual fellow and historian studying the shipworms’ impact on western Europe.   “As the shipworms destroyed the wooden dikes that prevented the Low Countries from flooding, the region faced an ecological disaster.”

Thanks for the explanation. I have an old timber frame barn whose wood is riddled with holes as are a number of wooden items that were stored in it. I would not discount an American origin.

[LynnC]

“No cheek rest”

Thanks SR

As to powder post beetles ie worm holes.... my shop and barn are plagued. Its not just European wood. Its American pine, oak, cherry and many more specie.  I certainly would not attribute your stock to European origin.

[LynnC]

I’m studying the photos.

The most important feature is the distinctive southern trigger guard. It looks nicely made. Does anyone see a particular makers hand in it or perhaps an area where you see the features of this guard?