This mountain rifle is by the famous contemporary longrifle maker, Mike Miller. We are very pleased to show and offer examples of his workmanship. This rifle was built to represent a Southern Mountain rifle made from recycled trade gun parts, and Mr. Miller's work shows he didn't miss any of the small details when creating this rifle. Trimmed in a combination of iron and brass furniture, the rifle is stocked in walnut with a wonderful patina finish. The .60 caliber 42" swamped barrel by R. Hoyt has a bright well maintained bore and is matted to a trade gun style flint lock that has been well tuned by Mr. Miller. This rifle comes with a custom made .590" round ball bag mold by Larry Callahan. Weighing in at 9 pounds the rifle has a trigger reach of 13-3/8” making it perfectly well suited for today’s average size shooters.
Forming the heart of the rifle is its .60 caliber 42” long wrought iron swamped octagon barrel by R. Hoyt. The swamped barrel is thickest at the breech for strength, tapers to a narrow waist to reduce weight, and flares at the muzzle. The barrel exterior is finished to a silvery-brown patina. The bore is bright, clean, and has been well maintained. The .60 caliber bore is cut rifled with seven lands and radius bottom grooves with a slow twist for shooting patched round ball. The muzzle has been coned to ease loading without the use of a short starter. A custom made .590" round ball bag mold by Larry Callahan is included with this rifle. The builder’s signature, M * Miller .AM. Padhy, can be found on the top flat between the breech and the rear sight. The left oblique flat is marked with the initials WFN in an oval near the breech. Barely visible on the left flat is the barrel maker's signature R. Hoyt. The brass rear sight was recycled from a Type G trade gun and is dovetailed 10-1/4” forward of the breech, while the nickel silver front sight set in a brass base is dovetailed 1-3/4" behind the muzzle.
Stocked in walnut, finished dark, the stock has been given minor handling marks that makes for a believable patina finish. This rifle was created to represent a Southern Mountain rifle made from recycled trade gun parts. A look at the handmade patchbox shows the mountain influence on this rifle. The simple patchbox door has been inlet with no side panels or front finial. The patchbox is slightly domed and this sheet metal door is folded back and riveted to create a simple hinge. To open the patchbox all that is required is to push back the notched button located at the rear of the patchbox door. By pushing the button back, the door of the box is allowed to pop open revealing the well made cavity below. Perfect for storing your extra shooting and cleaning accessories.
The top view of the rifle shows off the tapered comb of the buttstock that is fitted with a hand forged iron heel plate secured with forged iron nails. A full buttplate was not used on this Mountain rifle, instead this short heel plate wraps around the heel of the buttstock to provide some protection when loading. Buttplates were often omitted on Southern rifles to save the 19th century customer money. The flared tang of the breech plug is lightly border engraved, and an index mark has been stamped in the plug and barrel. A single bolt passes through the stock to engage a hidden nut found under the triggerguard. Three small steel pins retain the 42" long swamped barrel to the forearm.
Looked at from below, a simple hand forged toeplate has been fitted with two screws to help protect this delicate area of the stock. The iron toeplate is narrower than the buttstock stock and slightly wraps around the toe to help protect the stock when loading. Moving forward on the stock the hand forged iron trade gun triggerguard has been pinned and screwed into position. File and hammer marks were purposely left in the guard, another period cost savings tip, and detail that Mr. Miller didn't miss when creating this rifle. The wooden ramrod is held in position by two brass corrugated ramrod pipes with patina finish. Mr. Miller purposely worn thin the front of the pipes to simulate years of use from a recycled trade gun. No entry pipe is used on this utilitarian rifle. The tapered wooden ramrod is fitted with a long iron tip threaded to accept 10-32 cleaning and loading accessories. A simple iron band wraps around the forestock 1-1/2" back from the muzzle to prevent the stock from spitting. To the rear the classic squared cheek of the rifle can be seen, simple with no decoration. The large engraved iron serpentine sideplate was taken directly off a trade gun. Held in position by three dome headed lock bolts that pass through to engage the lock on the opposite side.
This rifle is fitted with a custom made large trade gun style flint lock. The lock has been polished, and tuned by Mr. Miller. The lock is finished to a gray patina with an engraved border. The plate is stamped with a crown and the tail is marked WHATELY. The big trade gun lock sparks well, a good choice for this Mountain rifle. This rifle is fitted with a hand forged single trigger, without the use of a trigger plate. The trigger is pinned high to give good leverage and a smooth crisp release. Fast ignition is assured by the direct drilled touch hole, positioned well above the bottom of 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 Southern Mountain rifle may look rugged and simple, but the beauty is in the details. Made to represent a rifle made from recycled trade gun parts, this rifle has been well thought out and executed by Mr. Miller. If you are looking to add a contemporary piece, made by a well known builder, to your collection then consider this one. We are delighted to receive and offer consignments of this quality. 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.
