Author: Mark Elliott

Wm. Britton Rifle

Wm. Britton - Half Right showing fancy pierced brass patchbox.Shown here is an original rifle attributed to William Britton of Hampshire County, West Virginia.   It is published on page 64 of Gunsmiths of West Virginia by Lambert and Whisker.    This rifle has been re-converted from percussion to flint.   The Maslin lock shown is not original to the gun and is poorly fitted in the lock mortise.  The forearm has been replaced forward of the rear thimble.   Otherwise, everything else appears to be original.  The best features of the rifle are the incised carving in the wrist and buttstock and the engraving of the side plate, toe plate and patchbox.

  • Overall Length:  61″
  • Barrel Length:  46″
  • Caliber: 50

Wm. Britton - Half LeftWm. Britton - Half TopWm. Britton - Half BottomWm. Britton - Lock - a Maslin lock that is obviously a replacement - it doesn't fit the lock mortice.Wm. Britton - Side PlateWm. Britton - Tang - spear shaped with simple incised carving around it.Wm. Britton - Trigger GuardWm. Britton - Toe - showing a rectangular patchbox release button in the toe plate.Wm. Britton - Patchbox - a fancy, four-piece, pierced brass box with a stylized adelweiss flower in the finial and extensive engraving.Wm. Britton - Cheek - showing simple incised carving typical of the Winchester, VA area.

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Iron Mounted Eastern Tennessee Rifle

East TN Rifle - Full Right


This is an original, fully iron mounted rifle most likely made somewhere on the border of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee probably between 1820 and 1830..   The lines of the breech stock look Virginia while the mounts are typical East Tennessee.   The stock is a plain piece of Black Walnut in pretty good shape with the exception of saddle wear through to the ramrod hole.  They barrel has been shortened at the breech at least once about three inches.   All the parts appear to be original, and the lock and triggers still work exceptionally well.  The lock is a cheap hardware store variety with no fly or half cock notch.  There is stamped decoration (circles) around the muzzle and the rear buckhorn sight.   The barrel is particularly heavy and coned.  The coning makes it difficult to guage the caliber, but I estimate it at about 38 caliber.   Particularly when you consider that two or three inches were cut off this barrel lightening it some, it is pretty clear that this gun was not shot offhand.  This gun had to be shot from some sort of rest.   This rifle shows lots of honest wear and in-service repairs. I see no evidence of modern repairs or restoration.

  • Overall Length:  60″
  • Barrel Length:  42″
  • Caliber: 38

East TN Rifle - Full LeftEast TN Rifle - Full TopEast TN Rifle - Full BottomEast TN Rifle - Half Right - shows East Tennessee iron mounts and a small greese hole at the back of the butt stock.East TN Rifle - Half LeftEast TN Rifle - Half TopEast TN Rifle - Half Bottom - shows saddle wear through to the ramrod.East TN Rifle - Lock - shows a late, hardware store type, flintlock.East TN Rifle - Side Plate - show short iron plate that is not much more than a simple strip of iron.East TN Rifle - Tang - shows a short spear shaped tang.East TN Rifle - Trigger Guard - shows a typical, squarish, iron, East Tenneessee style guard.

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