This longrifle has the classic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania longrifle architecture. The rifle is stocked in curly maple, trimmed in engraved brass furniture, with a Colerain swamped octagon barrel and L&R Classic flintlock. The rifle is very neatly fitted and finished. The rifle is used with a few handling marks typical of normal use from firing and cleaning. Weighing in at 8.7 pounds the rifle has a trigger reach of 14-5/8", ideal for taller than average size shooter.
A Colerain 44" swamped .45 caliber barrel serves as the heart of the rifle. The swamped barrel is thickest at the breech for strength, tapers to a narrow waist to reduce weight, and flares at the muzzle align the sights. Colerain rifle barrels are the favorite choice of today's best muzzle loading gun makers, because knowledgeable shooters demand Colerain's accuracy, inside and outside. Colerain rifle barrels are drilled from solid steel, cut rifled .012" to .016" deep depending on caliber, with six “round bottom" grooves. Called “radius groove rifling", Colerain eliminates the sharp inside corner that accumulates fouling. Radius groove rifling cutters are a bit more expensive to make, but Colerain's customers agree that the accuracy, easy loading, and easy cleaning are worth the cost. The barrel is finished to a dark brown with normal patina around the vent hole from firing and cleaning. A flat top rear sight is dovetailed 10" ahead of the breech, a wide steel blade front sight is dovetailed 1-3/4" behind the muzzle. The top flat of the barrel is stamped Jared L Marsh in very small letters, you can see they were individual stamps rather than one stamp due to the slight variation in letter placement. This marking is very hard to read in the brown finish due to how small the letters are and how lightly they are struck.
The curly maple stock of this long rifle is figured with random stripes from the butt to the muzzle. The buttstock has the classic angular lines associated with Lancaster County makers, and the brown stain with golden undertone is commonly found on longrifles from the Lancaster County region. The wide buttplate is shaped with a paneled comb with five flats and a wedding band transition to round. The buttplate is engraved HONI SOIT QVI MAY Y PENSE, and has some dark streaks from water with black powder residue wetting the stock and buttplate. A large brass patchbox with pierced head and side panels is neatly fitted to the buttstock. The patchbox is hand engraved with a bold style and the small brass screws used to secure the patchbox have been worked into the design. We could not get the patchbox door to open via the button release. It appears to be compressed shut from the tightly fitted side panels compressing the door as the rifle has aged. The lock panels correctly taper widest at the rear in early longrifle fashion. The lock panels are accented with a four arrow point bone inlay in a circle design.
The bottom view of the rifle shows that no toeplate is fitted, instead the buttplate extends just past the stock to provide some protection. The triggerguard has been mounted in early fashion with both a pin and a wood screw securing it. Well ahead of the triggerguard the ramrod is held in place by two forward pipes and one entry pipe. The ramrod pipes are shaped with ringed end and paneled bodies. A raised molding runs the length of the ramrod channel on both sides. A brass muzzlecap has been fit on the rifle to protect the end grain of the stock. The 3/8" tapered wood ramrod has a brass rod tip threaded 10-32 for loading and cleaning accessories. The square tailed brass sideplate of the rifle is retained by two lock bolts that pass through the stock and engage the lock on the opposite side. The cheek is shaped with a molded edge, otherwise the buttstock is undecorated.
Ignition is provided by a L&R Classic flintlock. Tuned for best performance the beefy mainspring provides lots of energy. The brown finish has aged to a gray patina and nicely compliment to the barrel and stock finishes. We recommend our #FLINT-ENG-6 3/4" knapped English flints for best performance in this lock. The rifle is fitted with a single trigger pinned high to provide good leverage against the sear. The touch hole liner is properly positioned on the pan, centered on the heat of the flash. If your flint longrifle suffers from that infamous slow whoosh-bang ignition delay, study the work of today's best gun makers, and position your vent well centered on the pan, high above the bottom, to serve as a window on the center of the flash.
This used longrifle has a few handling marks on the stock and wear on the brown finish typical of firing and cleaning. It appears to have been well maintained. 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.
