This Southern Longrifle is a copy of a longrifle signed Johanas Faber on the sideplate, shown in Rifles of Colonial America Volume 2 by the late Dr. George Shumway. Generally referred to as the Faber rifle, there is some speculation if the antique rifle is signed Faber or Huber due to the 18th century script. This longrifle was handmade by contemporary builder Michael Hayes and is signed on the barrel. The rifle was stocked from a dense blank of curly maple from Potter County, Pennsylvania. The custom-made Robert Hoyt swamped barrel is finished to a charcoal blue. The round-faced Jim Chambers Virgina lock is polished bright and hand engraved to match the antique. The furniture has also been neatly shaped to match the antique and hand engraved. This rifle is used, with typical marks on the frizzen face, and a few marks on the stock and barrel. It appears to have been very well maintained. This rifle is very neatly assembled with well fitted and finished parts and very clean carving with a professional appearance. The rifle weighs 8 pounds and balances very well when held off-hand. The 13-3/8" trigger reach to fit average size shooters well. Made with a slight amount of cast-off, for a right-hand shooter.

The .58 caliber by 43-1/2" swamped octagon barrel by Robert Hoyt is thickest at the breech for strength, tapers to a narrow waist to reduce weight, and flares at the muzzle to align the sights. The bore is cut rifled with a 1 in 60" twist with seven lands and grooves. The previous owner reports good accuracy using a .570" diameter round ball and a 0.020" thick lubricated shooting patch. The bore is bright and has been well maintained. The barrel exterior is finished with a charcoal blue, a period technique for finishing barrels that is not often encountered today due to the challenges involved in the process. The charcoal blue finish is durable and does have small variations in color from the bluing process. We have seen many antiques with a similar finish, usually on the bottom of the barrel where it is protected from the elements. The rear sight is mounted in a raised dovetail positioned 13-1/4" ahead of the breech. Shooters with "older" eyes or corrective lenses will find the extra breech distance easier to use. The front sight is a brass blade with an integral brass base.

The curly maple stock displays very attractive figure over the length of the stock. The dense maple allows for the crisp carving with smooth backgrounds. This rifle has a comfortable wide flat buttplate, probably circa 1750. The buttstock shape has a Germanic influence. A line of raised carving defines the transition from comb to wrist. The sliding wooden patchbox is above the centerline of the buttstock, just like the antique rifle. The buttplate has a stepped English influenced comb. You may notice that the buttplate is not perfectly centered behind the tang. Rather, it is offset from the right-hand shooter's cheek. This feature is called cast-off, and it places the right-hand shooter's eye directly behind the line of sight, making this gun instinctive to point and shoot. The patchbox is neatly shaped with raised moldings and cut with a shell shaped thumb relief. Compressing the patchbox spring toward the door and sliding it to the rear reveals a deep cut cavity for storing flints, patches, or other shooting accessories. The lock panels gently taper, widest at the rear in early flint longrifle fashion. The flared thumbnail finial of the tang is surrounded with a raised carved shell design decorated with incised carving. The carving is well done with clean backgrounds, smooth curves, and crisp incised lines. The bottom view reveals the brass triggerguard, with a flaming urn finial at front. The triggerguard is mounted with a combination of pin and screw in early fashion. The triggerguard has an offset grip rail and a wide bow to accept the single trigger. Small shaping details like the very short rear finial are modeled from the antique rifle. The trigger includes the small decorative finial as found on the antique rifle. The forend is slim and graceful, despite the .58 caliber barrel. The swamped octagon barrel dramatically reduces the weight and improves the balance of this longrifle. The forearm of the stock is shaped with a raised molding along the edge of the ramrod channel. The ramrod entry pipe has a long pointed thumbnail skirt with rings and panels on the body. The muzzle end of the forend is protected with a brass muzzle cap. The ramrod is tapered from 1/2" diameter to 5/16" diameter with an 8-32 thread. This ramrod is very well fitted. We would highly recommend using a dedicated loading and cleaning rod to save wear on this neatly fitted ramrod. The large brass sideplate is shaped with a very unique tail design and is decorated with hand engraving. The antique gun was signed on the sideplate, instead Mr. Hayes designed and engraved a pattern to replace it.

Ignition is provided by a Jim Chambers round-face Virgina lock. Sometimes called a “James Barbar" lock, after that famous early London maker. The plate, cock, and other surfaces have been neatly hand polished to a bright finish and hand engraved. The flintlock has a strong spring and sparks very well. The big lock requires our 7/8" English gun flint. This rifle is fitted with a carbon steel vent liner that has been finished flush and charcoal blued. The vent liner is directly above the center of the flash pan, high enough to serve as a window on the hottest part of the flash. The rifle is fitted with a single trigger with a curled tip and decorative back. The trigger has been correctly pinned high to provide good leverage against the sear, providing a light crisp release and has very minimal travel before engaging the sear.

A very fine Virginia longrifle is the style of the Johanas Faber rifle featured in Rifles of Colonial America, Volume 2. We recommend this attractive Virginia rifle for the French & Indian War era or the Revolutionary War enthusiast. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Else if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.