This attractive gun is an excellent reproduction of a mid 19th century era halfstock English Fowler. Shaped from a highly figured piece of black walnut and trimmed in browned iron furniture, this gun features a 16 gauge tapered octagon-to-round barrel. The R.E. Davis Alexander Henry percussion bar lock is neatly engraved. This smoothbore is used with a few minor handling marks in the stock and some wear on the heel and toe of the buttplate from being placed on the ground. Trigger reach is 14-1/2", and this smoothbore weighs 8.9 pounds.
The 16 gauge octagon-to-round barrel is tapered from 1-1/8" at the breech to 7/8" at the muzzle. The first 12" of the barrel is eight octagon flats with a wedding band transition to round. The well maintained smoothbore measures .667 and is ready to shoot. The barrel is finished to a smooth dark brown. The finish does have minor speckling near the muzzle. The breech end has scroll engraving on the top three flats that flows back into the tang. The barrel is fitted with a nickel silver blade front sight soldered 1" behind the muzzle. A low flat top rear sight is dovetailed 3-1/4" ahead of the breech plug.
The highly figured walnut stock is checkered at the wrist and forearm. The architecture of this late 19th century design shows the similarity to modern sporting rifles, showing just how much influence the English had on modern rifle and shotgun design. The buttstock is fitted with a tall, nearly flat buttplate to spread the recoil over a large area. The buttplate has a stepped English style comb that has been neatly engraved. The wrist of the rifle is finely checkered to provide the shooter with a secure grip. The scroll style triggerguard has a large bow to provide easy access to the single trigger. The bow of the trigger guard is engraved, along with the front finial. The forearm of the stock is fitted with a black horn forend cap. The ramrod has a brass tip threaded 10-32 to accept loading and cleaning accessories.
The smoothbore is fitted with a hooked breech to allow for easy cleaning without risk of wetting the stock. The tang is engraved and the forearm is fitted with nickel silver escutcheon plates surrounding the two wedge keys. Place the lock at half cock, remove the ramrod, drift the wedge keys clear of the under lugs and the barrel can be lifted out of the stock. Remove the nipple and place the breech end of the barrel in a bucket of soapy water. Run a wet patch down and up the bore, the pumping action will flush all the fouling from the barrel. Once the bore is clean, run a dry patch down the bore to pick up any moisture followed by a oily patch. Dry and oil the exterior then reassemble the rifle.
The slender checkered wrist transitions into the neatly shaped lock panels. The buttstock is fitted with a sling swivel stud, and the rear ramrod pipe is also fitted with a swivel stud. A leather sling is included with this gun and is fitted with modern style swivels. The left hand side shows the single lock bolt used to secure the lock in late percussion fashion. The buttstock is shaped with a large oval cheek piece with an accent line border.
The R.E. Davis Alexander Henry style English bar lock, with Express rifle style hammer, is neatly engraved and finished to a smooth brown to match the barrel and furniture. This marvelous English style percussion lock has a strong mainspring, smooth crisp feel, and fast lock time, due to good internal lock geometry. An engraved drip bar is fitted to replace the thin wood ahead of the breech which was often susceptible to damage over time from repeated cap flash. A stainless steel 1/4-28 nipple is installed on this smoothbore. The trigger has a high pivot point to provide good leverage against the sear.
If you seek a percussion English Fowler for your next hunt, then consider this gun. It is assembled with a quality percussion lock, neatly checkered walnut stock, and engraved iron trim. 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.
