georgia made rifles?

[thewho66]

Ive never seen any flint lock rifles made in georgia. I would like anyone with pictures to post them, or recomend any books that deal with them. I grew up just out side atlanta and would like to some day have a georgia rifle made. keeping in the time period around no late than 1830 Thanks .

John

 

[kgrohs]

here's a maybee slight answer, look to southern rifles notably the carolina types, and remember near the coastal areas they will mostly have English styling, and toward the interior they will be of german styling jager type. 7 years ago I did the same thing, and asked the same question and settled on a southern Virginia, carolina type rifle and went with a english stlte round faced lock, I hope this helps you in your search.kjg

 

[Okwaho]

here's a maybee slight answer, look to southern rifles notably the carolina types, and remember near the coastal areas they will mostly have English styling, and toward the interior they will be of german styling jager type. 7 years ago I did the same thing, and asked the same question and settled on a southern Virginia, carolina type rifle and went with a english stlte round faced lock, I hope this helps you in your search.kjg

Well I agree with the first part of kjg's answer but I'm really confused as to where he came up with "German styling jager type" in connection with Georgia rifles.I would look at Jerry Noble's 4 vol.set of books on largely Southern rifles.I don't recall ever seeing a Georgia Jaeger rifle especially in a late period like the 1830 date mentioned in the the original post,maybe Chris can jump in here.
Tom Patton

 

[Packdog]

I'm pretty sure at least one of the Gillespie boys moved to GA and built guns around 1840 to 1850? You might e-mail Dennis Glazner at the web address below.
Gilllespie Website

Oh, one more. Wiley Higgins. You can find one of his rifles (Gamecock rifle) shown under original guns at this site. That would put be GA rifle, flint, around 1830.


American Historical

 

[thewho66]

thanks for the iformation. I will look those up after posting, to make things more clear I would like any information recomendation for any georgia make up to 1830. starting from 1760 or to 1830. Im not sure when georgia was starting to be settled to set an early date. Thanks.

John

 

[paulvallandigham]

Altho the area was explored by Spanish explorers in the 1500s, the first English settlement was at Savannah in 1733.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Packdog, I looked at the Gamecock rifle on the American Historical link and it said that the maker moved to Indian Springs in central Georgia. Looking at Mapquest there are three Indian Springs, one in Butts County just north East of Macon which would be the correct area for central Georgia. The time period would be approximately correct for the setteling of this area. Do you know if there are any existing examples of this builders work in the area?

 

[flintlockmdj]

I live in Milledgeville Georgia, I was talking to the curator of the old Governors Mansion Museam several years ago and he told me that there were several Georgia built rifles that he knew of. If I can find him I will try to get more information.
I would like to build a copy of a Georgia rifle myself as I know that I could not afford an original.

 

[Stophel]

Just this very day, I got my Man at Arms magazine in the mail. In the centerfold, there are photos of a very neat rifle made by Richard Allen of clinton Township, James County, Georgia. It's about 1820 or so. I don't know if I should copy photos for copyright reasons...

It is a really surprising gun (for me, anyway). Neatly forged iron hardware, engraved iron patchbox. Heavily hooked buttplate. High comb, with not a lot of drop at the heel, and one SERIOUS big, flat cheekpiece. I mean, it's like something I would build! It has an incised fore end moulding, terminating with a little swirly thing above the lower rod pipe, and some incising on the cheekpiece edge and behind the cheek. Very cool thing.


thewho66, I P.M.'d you. :wink:

 

[Packdog]

Whitebear,
I have seen 4 or 5 Higgins rifles. 4 were fancy rifles like the Gamecock rifle and one was plain jane. They all had a slight Roman Nose and curved toeline. There were 11 Higgins family members listed as Gunsmiths. Several are listed in GA from 1825 on.
I hope the below information helps some.
Notes on Southern Longrifle by Jerry Noble - Vol. I
Wiley Higgins - Born in Laurens County, SC in 1799. Married at Indian Springs, Butts County, GA to hannah Newton in 1821, He was a capt. and col. in the GA militia from 1826 to 1837. Yhey moved to western macon County, Ga ca. 1840. His farm sided with Andersonville Prison in Macon county. He was buried on the farm Jan. 31, 1859, He was a gunsmith, goldsmith, silversmith and maker of fine furniture. Some of the finest rifles made in the South are by his hand.

 

[Nobody85]

I had wondered the same myself. I would say that while Georgia was one of the original thirteen colonies, the interior of the state wasn’t settled until after the trail of tears in the 1830s. By the end of that historic event, flintlocks were already on their way out. If you’re looking for the earliest flintlocks coming into the interior of Georgia , I’d look into a Tennessee, “Bean” style rifle. I hope this helps a bit.

 

[woodsnwater]

"Hannah Newton" I graduated from Newton co. High school. Just outside of Covington Ga.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Son of Savannah me... and yall all wrong. The most ornate silver mounted longrifle ever made in North America is from Georgia. Yall middle-GA Macon folk? Look southwest, cause that's where it came from. It's featured in R.L. Wilson's book about guns-as-art(maybe The Peacemakers?)

Georgia was not a hotbed of rifle activity as such, but before John Adams(2nd US President) learned what a rifle-gun was(in1775), Augusta, GA had a rifle-smith. Recall, me fellow sons of The 13th, that modern Atlanta, GA is farther west than Detroit, MI. The Old Southwest was different, but just the same to Cane'tuck and the Old Northwest.

 

[hanshi]

The Art Museum at UGA (at the old one) back some 50 years ago had a major exhibit of rifles built in Georgia long ago. I can't recall (50 yrs remember) much about them, only that they were major eye candy. Use of silver, wire, maybe gold because they looked like something you'd buy in a jewelry store. But these were real antique, usable rifles but in exquisite condition. I believe many of them were half-stocks.