Example of Asymmetric Panels on Early 18th c. Jaeger

[Cotton1of2]

In my Jaeger build thread I mentioned I had learned that original Muzzleloaders weren’t always built with symmetrical panels. I wanted to document this feature on the forum as it is common belief they must be symmetrical. I have yet the build a gun with matching side plate and lock dimensions and this has always created a conundrum.




Do you have uneven panels, each made appropriate for the part, or one ugly panel? The choice is yours but some old smiths chose the uneven route. In Erhard Wolf’s book, Steinschloss-Jagerbuchsen, rifle no. 2 illustrates this with excellent contrast.







These photos were used with written permission from the author.

Wolf, Erhard 2006, Steinschloss-Jagerbuchsen, DWJ
 P. 155 & 157

[Bill Raby]

I am not one to worry about symmetry. We are making hand made guns. Perfect symmetry is not possible. My goal is to make both sides match. But I know that I will not achieve that so I don't put a huge amount of effort into it. I am happy to let people know that a gun is hand made. Perfect symmetry is for the computer made guns.

[Jim Kibler]

It’s not about trying to make them symmetrical and failing, but rather intentionally making them different to enhance the aesthetics.

[Bob Roller]

Old folks like my grand parents would call asymetric "whomper jawed or sygoggled".That  was the Appalachian way and descriptive in a unique way.On the few rifles I made from a plank I tried too get as close as possible to a symetric shape on both sides and came fairly close.
I came from a German speaking area of Chicago when I was about 10 years old my maternal grand parents were from the 19th century and their speech patterns were then really odd to me.
Bob Roller

[smart dog]

Hi Ryan,
On many British sporting guns they usually kept the lengths roughly the same but everything else might differ depending on the shape of the side plate.   Here are 2 examples on which the stock is a little thicker on the side plate side compared with the lock side.     
 




Also note they were not too fussy about the lock panels.  Often the edge just disappears near the front of the panel or sometimes it only exists right around the tail.

dave

[alacran]

I had the opportunity to handle a rifle that Wallace Gussler had made. He was in the process of adding more finish to it. This was at one of his lectures at Martin's Station. We were having a conversation about the rifle and I asked him about the quite noticeable asymmetry of the lock panels.
He told me and I am paraphrasing, that symmetry was not at all important in the 18th century. These were handmade items and people did not expect to see perfection, that is a modern concept.

Industrialization in the 19th Century made symmetry a practical necessity of machining and mass production. By the time the 20th Century came about people were used to machine made objects and expected them to be visually perfect.

[Eric Kettenburg]

The lion and lamb rifle is a good example of an American piece with noticeably asymetric panels.  Especially noticeable on the sideplate side along the upper edge.