I don't have a TVM Natchez Poor Boy, and I hadn't even heard of it until now. I went to the website and had a look. This is an interesting rifle, and it looks like a good deal. I stopped in theTVM shop when it was in Corinth while I was on a trip through Mississippi a few years ago. Matt Avance took some time to visit and talk about his rifles (and LSU football... he is a hardcore fan) He is a nice fellow, and he does good work. He had a "Poor Boy" at that time that he showed me, which I understood was made from pretty much left over parts in his shop. It was actually a nice rifle, but not built in any particular "school" or style.
These TVM Natchez Poor Boys look like something new, purpose built with specific parts:
That looks like a South Carolina-styled triggerguard, and the bone heel plate and toe plate, I believe, are also seen on South Carolina rifles. There are at least a couple of examples in the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (
MESDA). This old Hoy rifle, from Spartanburg County, SC, has bone heel, toe, and buttplates:
So, this TVM rifle has a pretty good southern pedigree, and nice styling. With that said, all of the old southern rifles I have personally handled, except one, had barrels averaging around 44". There are plenty of examples that are much longer. The one exception that I've handled had a hand-hammered barrel that was about 36" if I remember correctly, and it was tapered. I believe it started life as a longer barrel that was swamped, and at some point it was cut off at the waist, resulting in a taper rather than a swamp. Anyway, if it were me, I would stay with a long barrel. You can probably get a 42" barrel at the base price. A longer one or a custom length might be a higher cost upgrade.
If I were to get a smoothbore, I would probably get a 20 gauge, rather than the smaller .58 caliber/24 gauge. You can always put in a lighter load if you need to. I just believe the 20 gauge would be more versatile, but your own opinion is certainly valid.
Since you're going with a flintlock, if you choose a rifle, a 7/8" straight octagon barrel will balance nicely in .45 or .50 caliber in a 42" length. If I were to go with a larger bore, which would be a little atypical but not unheard of for southern rifles, I would choose a swamped barrel, which will probably cost you an extra $200.
A lot of the fellows on this forum may disagree with me on the next point, but if you go with a .45 or .50 caliber in a 7/8" straight barrel, or if you get a 20 gauge octagon-to-round, you do not need a touch hole liner. The barrel wall at the breech is thin enough that the flash channel will be quite short (only 0.1875" in .50 caliber 7/8" barrel), so ignition should not be a problem. Also, that thin barrel wall will only allow a few threads of engagement if they install a touchhole liner, and if they leave the liner protruding into the bore, it will be a fouling trap. I would feel uneasy with that. If you do decide to get a swamped barrel upgrade, which would have a thicker barrel wall at the breech, the touchhole liner might be a good idea.
One area I would definitely upgrade on this rifle is the lock. I would recommend you search the forum for information about L&R flintlocks. Some people love them as they are, some.... don't. I have one gun with an L&R Queen Anne lock, and had to send it to Brad Emig to make it functional. It's a great lock now, but it had some major problems before Brad fixed it. Most southern rifles had English or American locks. I would ask for one of the English locks from Kibler or Chambers. A late Ketland style would probably be a good choice for a rifle with a straight octagon barrel, or one of the larger round-faced English locks for a larger bore rifle or gun with a swamped or octagon-to-round barrel. TVM also sells the Henry Nock flintlock (a late English style) made by the Rice brothers. I have no experience with these, but I've heard they are good locks.
Siler locks are great, with regard to function, but they are more of a Germanic style and might be less typical for a southern rifle. However, never say never... Here is an old Virginia rifle in the MESDA that has a faceted pan, which we normally associate with Germanic locks:
The lock plate on this one has a different shape, compared to a Siler, but the facets on that pan really stand out.
So, since you asked for opinions, here are mine, respectfully submitted: A finished flintlock, ready to shoot, for $999 is a good deal. However, if you start upgrading very many parts, you'll be getting a custom rifle and you will be charged accordingly.
I would try to decide whether I would get the most use out of a smoothbore or a rifle. If I got a smoothbore, I would get a 20 gauge with a 42" octagon-to-round barrel. I have a very simple fowler with a barrel like that (not a TVM) and it is a dream to handle. If I wanted a rifle, I would probably get a .45 or .50 in 7/8" straight octagon, 42" long. I had one of those (not a TVM) which balanced and handled well. You want that longer barrel for a southern-style rifle.
With either of these barrel choices, I would specifically request no vent liner.
I would stay with the maple stock that comes standard with this gun. It is a strong wood and it is authentic. About half of the old southern rifles I have personally handled were stocked in maple. Besides, other woods will probably drive the cost up. I would request a very dark finish. This was very common on this type of rifle. Check out
Mulebrain's "Log Cabin Rifle"
here and
here for a terrific example of a dark-finished old mountain rifle.
I would get iron mountings. There are some examples of southern rifles with brass furniture or mixed brass and iron, but I think iron would be more typical, more true to the type.
The only upgrades I would definitely want would be the lock, as discussed above, and packaging. A Chambers or Kibler lock, or
maybe one of the Rice Brothers Henry Nock locks, and I would definitely pay the extra $25 for "crate shipping." You don't want to get a broken gun, and probably dozens of us can tell you about guns broken by shippers. That may sound like a needless expense, but I can tell you from experience, it isn't.
I think you are making a good choice for your first flintlock. This Natchez Poor Boy, with the right lock, would be a decent representation of an early southern gun or rifle, and the bone heel and toe plates are a nice touch... authentic, but seldom seen these days. TVM builds good guns, and that price is very attractive.
Others who respond may disagree with some of my recommendations, but we all mean well and want to see you get a rifle that will fill your need and meet your expectations.
Good luck with it!
Notchy Bob
. will be making the 8 hr drive to pick it up in person since I have family in Natchez. I met Matt and the crew over the Thanksgiving holiday. They are great folks and make some very nice guns.
