Talk about the Christian Oerter style? Whose parts are it from? Are the transitional rifles often seen the same thing? I do notice Pecatonica has a transitional and TOTW has an Edward Marshall... are these the same or different or similar????? This might be what we're looking for???
I pulled the date for the Beck copy previously shown from the info on TOTW's site (where it was for sale)
"
This well made flint longrifle closely modeled after the work of John Philip Beck, circa 1760, a famous American gun maker who worked in the Lebanon, Pennsylvania school of style."
You'd have to contact Bill Rooks to get the details on his source of parts, but I would guess the lock to be a Chamber's
Christian's Spring (a variation of the large Siler). I seem to recall reading that a series of Molls and Rupps may have apprenticed under J.C. Oerter, and that the Christian's Spring area produced locks used by several of the early PA gunsmiths. They certainly followed his stylings very closely.
Here's the information as presented on Rooks' website:
A basic rifle will consist of plain maple stock, straight octagon barrel, fine Siler, Davis or L&R lock appropriate to style, trigger guard, single trigger,
one ramrod thimble and a side plate appropriate to style. This is commonly called a "poor boy" or "barn gun"
I DO NOT make such a rifle for sale, but only mention this type rifle to provide a baseline for customers to estimate how much their particular rifle might cost according to the pricing structure below. In addition, I do not make "fantasy rifles" such as the Killdeer rifle, or other unknown/non-existent rifles such as "Daniel Boone's gun". I can and do make a fair copy or example of any existing original rifle for which pictures and/or reference exists. I can do slight modifications of such rifles to personalize it, but still keep within the original school or original maker's style.
Basic rifle as described above: $1400
Additional options:
curly maple stock +$100-$200
swamped, octagon to round, +$200
or other custom barrel
full hardware in brass, iron +$200
or silver
molding around lock, rear ramrod +$120
and along forestock
set triggers +$70
extra barrel length +$100 - $200
custom order
brown hardware +$150
add patchbox wooden +$200
or 2 piece
Add 4 piece patchbox +$300
detailed incised or relief +$180 - $1000
carving appropriate to
style of rifle
Engraving +$100 - $250
Extremely fancy and custom rifles with inlays, custom made hardware etc may be more
As far as a 'fantasy' rifle, it's mighty hard to know what you can get away with unless you are making an EXACT copy of an existing piece - and then what proof do you have that something wasn't changed at some later time during it's service life? Frizzens wear out, springs and cocks break, ramrods get lost or broken, barrels are refreshed, taste in sights change, etc. etc. There are only two signed J.Rupp rifles known last I knew. Both of these are the work of an already accommplished smith. How many pieces did he partially complete as an apprentice and how many others did he produce on his own that are lost or unidentifled as being his work? The amount of lattitude you allow yourself depends on your own conscience and interpretations you can justify to yourself, and to others if that matters to you.
The region I have lived in all my life was raized by Sullivan in the 1780's and settled by Rev. War vetrans exercising their land grants in the 1790's. I wanted a rifle representative of that period, but I also wanted forged iron furniture because I like the looks of it. I opted for the Rupp pseudo-copy piece I mentioned earlier. Iron furniture is rare on any PA longrifle, and, to my knowledge, only a few of the later Lehigh/Allentown/Bethlehem examples have it (though earlier examples from other PA 'schools' had it). Does this mean it was not done? Or, does it mean no examples survive? I like the lines of Lehighs and the looks of iron, so I 'extrapolated' what Rooks would describe as a fantasy piece.
Can we assume only five 'patterns' of longrifle existed in 1760 because of the handful of identified examples on hand? Certainly not. The Rupp brothers were both listed in Maguncie Town tax roles as blacksmiths as well as gunsmiths. How big of a stretch is is to imagine Mr. Rupp grabbing a piece of available iron if brass were scarce (there was a war on in 1780, after all)? I was able to convince my gunsmith to go with iron because I wanted it, and he thought it would be a good match. Perhaps 230 years ago I would have had the same luck with Mr. Rupp?
But that's a question that cannot be answered and so gives no support if anyone challenges the historical accuracy of my rifle. But historical accuracy doesn't fill the smokehouse. :winking:
