Who are the best makers of fancy Lancaster rifles?

[seattlesteve]

I am looking to buy a fancy Lancaster rifle. I want premium quality curly or flame maple with lots of fancy engraving and carving. In other words, I'm looking for a gun that is a work of art. I'm not a serious hunter or reenacter, I want a gun that will look great hanging on my wall as well as shooting at the range.

I'm new to this hobby, so please give me your recommendations for the best gun makers in the country who produce the kind of rifle I am looking for.

To give you one example of what I have in mind, look at this Lancaster rifle made by Bill Shipman:

http://www.billshipman.com/Gallery_01.htm

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Steve

 

[Rebel]

We have a couple of builders here on the Forum that do excellent work. I know one of them sell their work. The other one (we won't mention any names ok Zonie)just builds them so he can post pic's and show them off. :: Maybe Birddog6 would build one for you. Not sure if he is still building guns to sell or not.

 

[Bob J]

Seattle Steve- There are certainly some good sources on the "links" page. For a Golden Age Lancaster I would also recommend Richard Sullivan of Williamsburg Virginia. Richard is one of the masters. He can be reached at 757-345-3947.

 

SeattleSteve
Check out the thread on this forum named ......
Flintlocks even look better with nice wood!

ed1958 said he owns this rifle shown on that post and may be able to give you the info for the builder.


Woody

 

[Big John]

Try Brad Emig from Cabin Creek Muzzleloading, York,Penn.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Brad Emig came to mind for me, too.

123 S. Broad St.
Hellam, PA 17406
phone number: (717)751-0137
e-mail: [email protected]



Ron Ehlert
1066 New Sheboss Road
Duck River, TN 38454
e-mail: [email protected]


I know John Donelson can put together a nice Lancaster - Here's his $3,500 level version:

John Donelson
3921 125th Street
Clear Lake, MN 55319
phone number: (320)743-3327

 

[Birddog6]

Sounds like you want a real pro of a gunmaker, and tho I do make them to sell, I am not a professional at this, tho I do appreciate the recomendation.

My suggestion would be Ron Elhert. He makes the prettiest gun I can think of off the top of my head. He builds guns teaches engraving, has been making ML's for a living since ? 1976 or so & if you ever get to Friendship, look in the Gunmakers Hall & he usually has one on display in there.
I don't have his email or tele# but possibly someone on here does.

 

[Lucky R A]

Jud Brennen comes to mind as one of the guys that is capable of doing extra fine "High Art" guns Check out the cover of the July/August 1998 issue of Muzzleloader Magazine. The gun was built for Dr. Gordon Barlow the man behinnd the CLA. (Oh, the price in 1998 was in the neighborhood of $54,000) that ought to impress the guys at the range....A trip to the C.L.A. show might be in order. You can then look at the work of a hundred or more artisins up close and personal....Pick up a copy of Robert Weil's book Contemporary Makers of Muzzle Loading Firearms to prime your pump....Lucky

 

[bob1961]

(Oh, the price in 1998 was in the neighborhood of $54,000)

i can't imagine what that gun would of looked like ::....instead of brass furniture it had to have pure gold in my mind....buying the best parts fer my gun it will cost me bout a 1,000.00 bucks....so that would mean over $50,000 in labor :shocking: :cry:....i could build my house fer less then that buying my own lumber and using my labor with some friends to help out with paying them....can we or is there a picture we can look at :thumbsup:........................bob

 

[GobblerKnob]

Check out Larry Gardner at: www.artandarms.net. One of his rifles appears on the cover of the current Muzzleloader Builders Supply catalogue.

 

[rich pierce]

At this level it's about style and artistry and there are as many different approaches to art as there are artists. At the higher levels, it's not whether one artist is better than another or not, it's about how their interpretation speaks to you.

Broadly speaking there are 2 "camps" with many artists in between. I'll call one camp the Bivins philosophy. John Bivins was a profound influence on gunmakers and his style was elegant and he strove for higher standards of artistry, decoration, and finish than was typically found on original rifles. He used the lost-wax process of making close to finished parts and furniture and stock shapers as his "apprentices" to great effect. But typically (I emphasize, TYPICALLY, as John could do whatever he set his mind to) John was not producing a rifle with a custom-designed buttplate or sideplate or ramrod pipes or nosecap, etc. or a lock that was highly modified or scratch-built to resemble an original.

The other camp is well-represented by many artists but the one that comes to mind is Erick Kettenberg (www.firelocks.com). He doesn't work in the Lancaster style but his work is instructive of my arbitrary designation of 2 "camps". He uses traditional approaches, finishes, and motifs, and hand-crafts many of the parts to achieve anything but a cookie-cutter approach to rifle building. His creativity is well-rooted in the motifs found on original guns of the Lehigh and Northampton areas. He'd fit in with Niehardt and the Rupps and the Molls if he was born a little earlier, and his skills probably exceed theirs. Many of his guns are aged and he can do it so well that it would take serious study to tell the gun is not a genuine antique, when he chooses to go all the way.

Both "camps" and many in between offer marvelous choices for functional art for the serious collector and shooter.

 

[Okwaho]

AMEN to that post.
Tom Patton :m2c:

 

Might add that Rich is too modest to mention this, but he builds a very fine rifle himself! There are several makers in the US that build fine guns--I'd be hard pressed to name the best. Check out the Contemporary Longrifle Association site for a pretty good list.

 

Birddog6
Here is Ron Ehlert's info .

Contact Ron Ehlert at:

1066 New Sheboss Road
Duck River, TN 38454
e-mail: [email protected]

Woody

Dang I see Stumpy had it already up in a post. Soory if I steped on yer toes stumppy eace:
Woody

 

[Stumpkiller]

Buy me one of Mr. Ehlert's rifles and I'll forgive you. ::

 

Stumpy
Done deal if you promise to live with the wife right after i break the bank getting you one of his masterpieces! :crackup:
I must tell you she is one mean woman when her dander is ruffled!

Woody

 

[Jimrogers]

I highly reccomend Ryan McNabb. A artist and all around great guy too. Here is his website.

http://www.gunstocker.com/home.htm

His guns have been on the cover of Muzzleblasts and he studied with Wallace Gusler.

And like I said, he's a good guy (and friend so I'm prejudiced).