The Carolian type G, Southern rifles and the Golden Age

[tg]

"I have made rawhide quivers from winter and summer killed deer. The winter hide is thicker, maybe to support the heavier thicker hair."

If you consult a wildlife biologist you will find that the hide is thicker in the summer and the fur/hair thicker in the winter as the material baisicaly shifts back and forth so to speak as needed sesonaly, individual skins may vary but the principal is real and biological in nature. I have noticed this trend averaging a few hundred hides over the years, there are exceptions but likely due to variables in the feed,habitat and such of the individual animals but the basic fact is biologicaly solid, I was also told this by a tanner chemist who used to make the tanning kits for Tandy leather in addition to a local game biologist.

 

[Stophel]

I would not say that the trade guns "influenced longrifles" in that they grew long and slim because of it.

However, let's take a look at some presumed early Southern guns. Like Rifles of Colonial America #118. Or rather, what's left of it. What you have here is a gunsmith of English extraction, familiar with English gunmaking, pressed to build a rifle, the latest and greatest thing that everyone wanted. The basic form of the gun is typical English fowling gun form, rather like some of the trade guns. The cheekpiece is pretty much useless and just a ledge that is stuck on, obviously the maker didn't really understand what it was there for, he just knew a rifle was supposed to have one!

:wink:

 

[nchawkeye]

I found my references on killing deer in the red...

Faragher on page 31 and Morgan on page 55...

Something else stood out that Faragher mentioned...In 1753 over 30,000 deer hides were exported from North Carolina alone...

I'm guessing the summer hunting was more for the ease of removing hair than the thickness of the hide...Deer in the summer look skinny, often you can see their ribs...

Funny those things we would like to know more of that they did daily and didn't make mention of...Heck, they might have been too dang busy doing other chores to deer hunt in the winter for hides... :idunno:

 

[tg]

"I'm guessing the summer hunting was more for the ease of removing hair than the thickness of the hide'

Possible but from expereince after a soak in ash water or even water the hair slips quite easily at either time of year with a draw knife, it will almost rub off at times one must balance the loosening of the hair against the spoilage which starts as soon as the hide is emersed in the solution, I do not think that they useed a dry scrape as even primitive societes around the would know about slipping hair with a watere or wood ash soak.The extra thickness was small but might cause a bit better product, the "fitting' the hunt into the other cultural duties as planting and harvest is a very important point however. We sometimes forget the daily/seasonal duties that folks had to take care of to survive when speculating on various activites with somewhat ambiguous documentation to draw from.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I believe it would be hard to show the influence on the rifle makers by trade guns such as the Model G.

Trade guns were built to the spec. of the Native Populas. There are any number of complaints by the traders in the 1700's that Euro type guns were to heavy and too big of bore.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I believe common trading guns had an impact on rifles at least in VA where import fowling pieces of various qualities were the thing of the day.
I believe that the low end common fowling gun (just a notch above the Carolina guns) is the source of inspiration of the tang carving that we call the "Virginia beaver tail".