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New Tennessee by J. Anderson

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the hawken shop
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Glad to.

John D. Anderson
900 Bragg Cir.
Tullahoma, TN 37388
931-455-3904

I've also seen his name listed in Muzzle Blasts as President of the Elk River Long Rifles.

Their monthly shoot is the second Saturday of each month. This coming Saturday if you are interested.
 
Ed,

Looking for flints? I've had best results with the Tom Fuller English flints from TOTW and Rich Pierce flints that he finds and knaps himself. The Pierce flints are a bit less expensive and they spark very well in my two flinters. BTW, that rifle is a beaut.

Jeff
 
Thanks for the tips. TOTW is out of stock on the size I need but I ordered some of the French amber flints. I'm having a little trouble locating Rich Pierce. Would you mind sharing contact info for him? Thanks.

I've also got the Lee .451 mold on order from Cabelas and a gallon of used stick on tire weights from a friend in the tire biz!

By the way, TOTW has a special going... Set of three Antique Musket Flints for free with any $11 online order.
 
Butt plate is cocked or crooked and the lock panels are to wide. Nothing to rave about. Wrong lock for style of gun.
 
That's a keen eye ya got there, fitter. What style of lock should have been used?
 
John Anderson has mentored many of use in the area. John has made locks, triggers and other fittings. He was a pioneer in the this new era muzzle loading shooting. One of the rifles he made for me used a lock and set trigger of his own make. John also makes handsome Hawken style rifles. Mr. Anderson is a fine man and very good friend.
 
Good morning J. G.

I only met Mr. Anderson when I asked him to build this rifle. We originally spoke some two years ago but it took me that long to set aside the funds for it. Having finally made the leap, I couldn't be happier with end result... or should I say the beginning of this chapter. My impressions of him are much the same as yours. In addition to being a talented gunsmith, he has the heart of a teacher and enjoys bringing newbys like me along.

I'm going to do my best to make it to their shoot this Saturday. I'd like to get some more range time with him before deer season opens November 6th.
 
Send Rich Pierce an email. He will write you back with his mailing address and phone. He's a member here. If you go up to the banner at the top of this page, and click on "Members", you can locate him under the "Rs" for "Rich Pierce".

[email protected]
 
EdB said:
That's a keen eye ya got there, fitter. What style of lock should have been used?
Click to expand...
Most, if not all of the Tennessee and Southern guns used the English style of locks with the rear of the lock rounded or 'bobbed off'.

The Siler locks are German with the rear of the lockplate pointed.

My Tennessee has the same style of Siler lock and I knew it was 'incorrect' but it was a lock I had laying around and wanted to put to use.
ten2.jpg
 
Still a beautiful rifle EdB, one to be proud of. FWIW, I went for the Siler in my Tennessee, too.

Zonie, your rifle is beautiful too.

:hatsoff:
Spot
 
Thanks for the contact info.Would love to go to the shoot but I work every Saturday .:shake: I will contact him before I order my next gun. As for the lock all most builders in the south used inported locks. Mainly English but what was on hand at the time. I have seen guns built with used parts, nice rifle.
 
As Zonie says late english.Nothing wrong with a siler lock though. Most original SMR had english export locks.
 
Thanks Zonie. Still lots to learn! If I ever get into reenacting that deep I'll probably want to be a little more careful. This one is a working gun. She's shooting well within "minute of deer" and I'm looking forward to opening day!

Thanks Spot. I'm proud as a ten year old with a new speckled pup!
 
Don't you remember what Thumper's Mama said, "if you can't say nothin' nice..." I've learned to never say never (a Germanic lock on a Southern Mountain Rifle is O.K. with me). There were many rifles made in the day that had a flaw or two, being built by hand with sometimes crude tooling. So I think that a rifle somewhat less than perfect is actually more authentic.
So EdB, you go ahead and keep on shooting and showing rifle for others to enjoy.
 
Thanks smoothflinter and fitter. I really don't mind a little objective criticism. Very few of us are perfect, although I've found it wise to believe that my wife is. ;) Authors of what little I've read elsewhere qualified their descriptions with "usually" when referring to characteristics of a particular genera, so if it was available at the time, it might have been used.

Truth be told, that's not the only concession I made to modern gun building. Aside from the steel barrel and modern materials and manufacturing processes in the lock parts, I chose to use a hooked breach plug and captured wedges holding the barrel. Also, the barrel isn't yet coned. That will wait until it is no longer under warranty.

All in all, I'm well pleased. Product, price, delivery and support all exceeded my expectations.
 
"Authors of what little I've read elsewhere qualified their descriptions with "usually" when referring to characteristics of a particular genera."
----------

When I said, "Most, if not all of the Tennessee..." that is what I was saying in my own weird way. Stranger things happen all of the time. :)

When it comes to old original guns to make a broad sweeping statement like "all" is leaving the statement open to all of the guns out there which do not fit the statement.

I really cannot believe that if someone had given a Tennessee gunsmith a German lock off of an old gun and asked, "Can you build me one of your guns using this lock?" the gunsmith would have said, "Hell NO! THAT IS A GERMANIC LOCK AND NONE OF MY GUNS WILL EVER SPORT ONE OF THOSE GERMAN THINGS!"

No. I don't have proof that a Southern gunsmith would have said, "Sure! I would be happy to build you a rifle with that lock!"

More than likely he would have said, "Why Hell yes! Ah kan make you up a real purty one a usin' that ol' lock an she wull shoot plumb too!" :grin:
 
Nothing wrong with a siler lock. I just wanted to point out the differences.Always good to have more knowledge for future endeavors and about the history of the old guns.Just have fun shooting it and learning more as you go along. Just an enjoyable part to all this is the learning! :wink:
 

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