This longrifle is stocked in dense maple, and the design seems to have been influenced by the work of the Lauck family, of Winchester, Virginia. The maple stock is raised and incised carved. The round-faced lock and swamped barrel have both been finished to a dark brown. The rifle is trimmed in brass furniture with patchbox. The rifle has a few small scattered handling marks. Trigger reach is 13-3/8" to fit today's average size shooter. Weight is 7.7 pounds.

The 38" swamped octagon barrel is thickest at the breech for strength, tapers to a narrow waist, and flares at the muzzle. The .50 caliber bore is cut rifled with seven round bottom grooves with a caliber appropriate 1 in 66" slow twist for patched round ball. Rice Muzzle Loading Rifle Barrels are set between centers and milled octagon, ensuring a centered bore, concentric with the exterior, with no "run-out". Each barrel is stress relieved in an atmosphere-controlled electric furnace to eliminate work hardening or barrel warp and to dampen harmonic vibrations or barrel whip.

After the rifling has been cut, each bore is "ball burnished". A carbide bore-sizing die is pulled through the barrel to ensure bore dimension uniformity, eliminating any tight or loose spots inside the barrel. This critical procedure leaves the top of the lands smooth and polished, equaling the traditional lead lapping procedure. Rice barrels are Match grade quality. Rice barrels do not require lapping or extensive shooting to break-in. The barrel is finished to a dark chocolate brown. A flat top rear sight is dovetailed 9" ahead of the breech. A silver blade front sight set in a brass base is dovetailed 2" behind the muzzle.

Stocked in curly maple, the stock is hand carved and neatly hand inlet, this is a unique flint longrifle. Raised and incised carving forms a cameo wrist, setting the comb above the wrist. Moldings extend from the toe to the rear of the triggerguard creating a slimming effect. The butt is fitted with a brass patchbox with a four petal flower head design, which was often used by the Lauck family of Virginia. The patchbox is hand engraved with scrolls and decorative borders and mounted with blued screws. The patchbox has a button release mounted at the center of the buttplate. Lift the button head toward the heel to release the patchbox door. A large cavity beneath the door will store flints, patches, or other shooting accessories.

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 for a right hand shooter. The raised cheekpiece is cleverly angled to recoil away from the shooter's face. The tang ends in a thumbnail finial, and a panel of raised and incised carving surrounds the tang of the breech plug. The lock panels taper widest to the rear in early longrifle fashion.

The toeplate is shaped and engraved with an acorn finial. The brass triggerguard is pinned into position. The raised molding around the lock panels continues along the bottom of the panels. An incised design is positioned above the skirt of the ramrod entry pipe. The forend is decorated with a raised carved molding that runs above the entire length of the exposed ramrod, making the long gun look even more sleek and slender. The ramrod pipes are formed from sheet brass with octagon flats and raised rings on the ends. The ramrod has a brass tip threaded 10-32 to accept loading and cleaning accessories, and the hidden end is shaped with an integral cleaning jag. We would suggest using a dedicated loading and cleaning rod to save wear and tear on this nicely fitted ramrod. The English influenced sideplate is shaped with sweeping curves and decorated with hand engraving. The buttstock has an attractive geometry. Raised and rococo carving is found on either side of the cheek piece.

The large round-faced English fowling gun lock, sometimes called a "Queen Anne" lock, dates from the 1730 to 1760 period, well after Anne's reign ended. These early London style locks are often found on Colonial American long rifles and fowlers. This lock was assembled and tuned by Jim Chambers, one of America's most respected lock and gun makers. The lock has a bright finish, with fine engraving in a historic style. We recommend a 7/8" knapped English flint for best performance in this lock.

A steel vent liner has been installed in the barrel behind the pan, the liner is neatly finished into the side flat of the barrel and is very difficult to see. Internally coned the liner allows the main charge and priming charge to come very close together, it quickly transmits the heat and radiation of the priming charge resulting in fast, positive ignitions.

This attractive Virginia longrifle is signed by maker J. Bohan. The curly maple stock is accented with raised and incised carving, the brass furniture is accented with engraving, and the lock and barrel are browned. 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 a same-day refund. Postage is your only risk when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.