W. Goldsmith Build with Russ Hamm Lock

I recently took a little chance and bought a percussion rifle without actually putting my hands on it. Showed up and I was floored at how nice it it. I bought it thinking it had a CVA lock and I would swap it to a RPL flintlock from L&R...but after disassembly, I'm questioning messing with it. From the patina....I would guess it's 30+ years old at least. W. Goldsmith's signature is barely ledgible through the patina. It's a Russ Hamm 47 (no clue what the numbers means) lock...not a CVA copy of his locks. The trigger assembly is super nice and looks handmade as well. I tried to pull the barrel to see if I could find a manufacturer but it's just too tight around the breech and I was afraid of possibly damaging the wood....I may pay an expert to pull it. Anyways....it's a beautiful piece with the cleanest inlay work of any of my rifles (thus far :grin: ). The work around the lock, sideplate, tang, and entry thimble is about as good as I've ever seen.

I'm guessing that W. Goldsmith is Bill Goldsmith who passed a few years ago and owned the muzzleloader shop around Louisville, KY. However, I can't find reference of him ever building a rifle, more of a trader. Any info on gun or the builder would be appreciated.

Wow! You got a good one! Post up when yer done at the range, if shoots like t looks its invaluable! :thumbsup:

Looks to be a beauty! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Real nice looking rifle! Congrats on a beauty. :thumbsup:

That is one fine looking rifle. Hope I get to shoot it sometime. :grin:

Great find, good luck with finding more about the builder. Sure did excellent work on that rifle. :hatsoff:

I agree with all of the others! A very fine rifle! We today take a lot for granted when it comes to finding quality parts for building longrifles. Back when your rifle was made, there were very few choices. I have owned a couple of rifles equipped with Russ Hamm locks and found both (flintlocks) to be good enough for all of the shooting that I did with them. Your percussion lock by Hamm should perform even better than the flintlock designs did. I would first give your rifle a good run at the shooting range and only consider changing out the lock if there are problems. I kind of doubt that there will be!

I'm excited to get it to the bench....but of course this weekend is slap full of honey-do's :haha: I have several percussion chunk guns and underhammers....but find myself drawn more to flintlocks for hunting and any other shooting. Maybe this gun becomes my wet weather hunting rifle :thumbsup:

I still want to get the barrel off and see if it might have some identification...but I ran a patch down it today and it's super clean. Either never fired or cleaned well afterwards for sure. No grime around the lock and nipple so wondering how much she's ever been shot, if at all.

I did find one other W. Goldsmith rifle on the internet, but it was sold as a part of an estate auction. Hopefully someone chimes in that can confirm Bill Goldsmith of Kentucky did build some rifles...I love knowing the history as much as owning the guns.

jonboyb said:

Hopefully someone chimes in that can confirm Bill Goldsmith of Kentucky did build some rifles...I love knowing the history as much as owning the guns.

Click to expand...

I knew Bill Goldsmith of Louisville well, jonboyb. He ran a great little muzzleloading shop for years in my area, and I did business with him a bunch. I've hunted squirrels with him, been to little local rendezvous he put on, The first BP rifle I ever owned I bought from him in 1973, and also another very nice one, but both were second hand guns sold by him, not made by him. He did good BP gunsmithing, has worked on my guns, and he also did a lot of other related crafts. He had a small metal lathe and made ramrod tips, powder loading funnels, horn spouts, etc., all of high quality. He was a gun builder, I've seen him working on very nice looking guns in his shop, but, unfortunately, I can't tell you what they were. The finish on his guns, as I remember it, was not like your gun, wasn't as dark or with as much red tone, but that's little help, I'm sure he didn't do all his guns the same. That gun with its Hamm lock would have been the type he built, I'd say, and he was a meticulous craftsman in all the work I ever saw him do, but I have nothing to offer as to the details of his guns to help you decide if this is the same Goldsmith, sorry.

He was a regular at Friendship for many years, maintained a booth on vendors row, and there was always a crowd of good ol' boys there shooting other than BP. I miss that.

Last I heard of my Bill Goldsmith he had gotten into BP cartridge shooting, I was told. He moved into the country quite a few years ago, gave up his shop in town, and I lost track of him. If he has died, I hadn't heard that. If you find the answer to your questions, please let me know.

Spence

jonboyb, I visited the web page of the Kentucky Corp of Longriflemen and found that the W. L. "Bill" Goldsmith I knew died in June of 2008.

Spence

That's an exceptional rifle and one anybody would be proud to own. That stock is exquisite.

I am friends with a William "Bill" Goldsmith. He is a black powder guru and a regular at Friendship. He works on others black powder guns, including mine. He recently located and drilled a touchhole for me.

Bill is in his sixties. He resides in Clay county Indiana. He moved there from the South Bend area about 10 years ago. He has built rifles for years but I have no idea if yours is one of them.

Skychief said:

I am friends with a William "Bill" Goldsmith. He is a black powder guru and a regular at Friendship. He works on others black powder guns, including mine. He recently located and drilled a touchhole for me.

Bill is in his sixties. He resides in Clay county Indiana. He moved there from the South Bend area about 10 years ago. He has built rifles for years but I have no idea if yours is one of them.

Click to expand...

Wow.....2 Bill Goldsmiths in the blackpowder circuit. Is there any chance you might put me in touch with him or mention this post to him? Planning on Friendship in the fall so if he is the builder would love to meet him!!! The signature is so faint my cheap camera won't capture it, but it's a W. Goldsmith in cursive between 2 squares (or diamonds) on the top flat.

Just massaged the barrel out. I'm still pretty convinced its never been fired or possibly fired a few times and cleaned very well afterwards.....and its a Douglas barrel (non-XX) I have a couple more Douglas barrels (both normal and xx) and they shoot phenominally.....I hope this one does too.

What is the caliber of the barrel?

Spence

.45

Found your thread. Beautiful.

Gorgeous rifle! I wouldn't change a thing!

That’s a beautiful rifle!

jonboyb said:

I recently took a little chance and bought a percussion rifle without actually putting my hands on it. Showed up and I was floored at how nice it it. I bought it thinking it had a CVA lock and I would swap it to a RPL flintlock from L&R...but after disassembly, I'm questioning messing with it. From the patina....I would guess it's 30+ years old at least. W. Goldsmith's signature is barely ledgible through the patina. It's a Russ Hamm 47 (no clue what the numbers means) lock...not a CVA copy of his locks. The trigger assembly is super nice and looks handmade as well. I tried to pull the barrel to see if I could find a manufacturer but it's just too tight around the breech and I was afraid of possibly damaging the wood....I may pay an expert to pull it. Anyways....it's a beautiful piece with the cleanest inlay work of any of my rifles (thus far ). The work around the lock, sideplate, tang, and entry thimble is about as good as I've ever seen.

I'm guessing that W. Goldsmith is Bill Goldsmith who passed a few years ago and owned the muzzleloader shop around Louisville, KY. However, I can't find reference of him ever building a rifle, more of a trader. Any info on gun or the builder would be appreciated.

Click to expand...

I don't know if you will get this because of how long ago this post was made but Bill Goldsmith was my great grandfather. He was apart of the Kentucky long riflemen corps, he hand built a lot of long rifles, as well as hunting knives and tomahawks. I have several of his rifles myself and I'm just really glad to see someone else has one and appreciates it. This really made my day. Im going to show my grandma (his daughter) your post!