Author Topic: Circa 1690 Bead Decorated Trade Gun (Read 3983 times)

Robert Wolfe · « **on:** September 08, 2023, 09:22:04 PM »

In 1690 a fleet of ships left Boston to attack Quebec City during King William’s War. The fleet ultimately retreated without accomplishing anything and several ships were lost in a storm in the St. Lawrence River. One of these ships was discovered in 1994. Among the artifacts found was a wampum bead decorated fuzee. The gun is presumed to have been the property of one of the Christian Native Americans that accompanied the expedition (see https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1225&context=beads).

This is my take on that gun though I did not try to copy it in all details. I followed the profile of the gun and the basic beadwork decoration but added additional beads. The original did not have a butt or side plate and the trigger guard and lock were lost. I based my trigger guard and butt plate on archaeologically dug examples and a serpent side design plate from the period. The lock is an Early Dutch #536 from Rifle Shoppe (it’s big!). I put the lock together and made all the other parts but the barrel. Rice made the 20-gauge barrel at a cool 52 inches. And, I should thank Mike Brooks for engraving the serpent. Ian Pratt and Ken Gahagan were of great help as I started this project in their gun building workshop.

This is my third bead decorated gun based on originals (see https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=71495.msg714608#msg714608 and https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=71209.msg711416#msg711416). I know Rich Pierce has also done one. Anyone else? I'd love to see them.

Critiques are welcome. I definitely made some mistakes along the way but recovered with varying degrees of success.

jrb · « **Reply #1 on:** September 08, 2023, 09:27:45 PM »

YEAH!!!!!!!!

2 shots · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2023, 09:37:17 PM »

very interesting.. thank you.

axelp · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2023, 10:13:45 PM »

I like it!

K

rich pierce · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2023, 11:11:30 PM »

Super cool. Off the charts cool.

Tim Crosby · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2023, 11:29:08 PM »

Yes, the Cool factor is very high high on this and the others but this one really jumps out. The long barrel, the taper, that BP & TG, the Big lock and the over all finish. Really neat.

Tim C.

DHouse · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2023, 11:39:00 PM »

Wowwwwww

Stoner creek · « **Reply #7 on:** September 08, 2023, 11:44:51 PM »

I really like the return on that buttplate.

homerifle · « **Reply #8 on:** September 09, 2023, 12:04:13 AM »

Nice job!

Kevin Houlihan · « **Reply #9 on:** September 09, 2023, 12:13:04 AM »

That came out awesome!! I love the butt plate and guard. Good job.
Kevin

davebozell · « **Reply #10 on:** September 09, 2023, 02:16:42 AM »

I like it very much!

axelp · « **Reply #11 on:** September 09, 2023, 02:19:02 AM »

just enough...not too much. that's the ticket.

bob in the woods · « **Reply #12 on:** September 09, 2023, 02:22:13 AM »

Beautiful ! My kind of gun

JTR · « **Reply #13 on:** September 09, 2023, 02:43:35 AM »

Fine job for sure!!
John

BOB HILL · « **Reply #14 on:** September 09, 2023, 06:12:18 AM »

That’s a fine gun. Thanks for sharing.
Bob

James Rogers · « **Reply #15 on:** September 09, 2023, 03:51:22 PM »

Nice!

Robert Wolfe · « **Reply #16 on:** September 09, 2023, 10:45:22 PM »

Thanks for all the nice comments. It was a fun and challenging project for me.

Kevin Houlihan · « **Reply #17 on:** September 10, 2023, 01:25:38 AM »

Robert,
How were the beads held in place on the originals?
Kevin

Robert Wolfe · « **Reply #18 on:** September 10, 2023, 02:32:47 AM »

Quote from: Kevin Houlihan on September 10, 2023, 01:25:38 AM

Robert,
How were the beads held in place on the originals?
Kevin

Kevin - Don't know on this one, perhaps just friction from a tight fit? On another one dating to the late 1750's red sealing wax was used. I used red wax on this one because I like the way it looks.

Cory Joe Stewart · « **Reply #19 on:** September 10, 2023, 03:19:48 AM »

Well done!

Cory Joe

Kevin Houlihan · « **Reply #20 on:** September 10, 2023, 04:51:48 AM »

Kevin - Don't know on this one, perhaps just friction from a tight fit? On another one dating to the late 1750's red sealing wax was used. I used red wax on this one because I like the way it looks.
[/quote]

After you pointed that out I enlarged a pic. I like the look of the red wax too. This trade gun wouldn't look out of place in period at all. It looks very "correct" to me. Again, great job!
Kevin

godutch · « **Reply #21 on:** September 10, 2023, 06:25:47 PM »

That..., goes right off the cool chart. Very nice job !

Clark Badgett · « **Reply #22 on:** September 10, 2023, 07:57:27 PM »

Most excellent. Love that buttplate, has a very French like flavor.

Robert Wolfe · « **Reply #23 on:** September 10, 2023, 09:48:05 PM »

Several people have asked about the butt plate so here is a bit more historical information. It came from a 2017 paper in the journal Southeastern Archaeology (36:1:62-74) that Ian Pratt gave me. Apparently, this butt plate is known from two guns with almost identical hardware excavated at different sites in Alabama. The authors go so far to suggest that it is a new early trade rifle type they call “Alabama guns.” Based on a chunk of the buttstock that was preserved the butt plate was nailed to the butt and the return was inlet into the comb. They wrote that Lenk in his book on flintlocks posits that this style butt plate dates from about 1685 and was gone by 1700.

Here is a poor scan of the dug butt plate from the paper.

TDM · « **Reply #24 on:** September 11, 2023, 12:36:18 AM »

Excellent work Robert! Love it.

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Author Topic: Circa 1690 Bead Decorated Trade Gun (Read 3983 times)