This classic American flint longrifle captures the style of the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania gun makers with carving in the style of J.P. Beck of Lebanon Township. John Philip Beck was the preeminent gunsmith in that region from the late 1770's until his death in 1811. Dr. George Shumway suggests that J.P. Beck's unique style changed very little over this period, unlike many other gunsmiths, during the golden age of the American longrifle. Stocked in curly maple, trimmed in brass furniture, with a 44" Colerain swamped barrel, this .54 caliber rifle will be a joy to shoot. This attractively shaped and finished rifle is new, unfired, by contemporary builder M. Compton. Trigger reach is 13-1/2" to fit todays average size shooter. Weight is 8.5 pounds due to the slender shaping.
The rifle is assembled around a .54 caliber swamped Colerain octagon barrel. The 44" swamped octagon barrel is thickest at the breech for strength, tapers to a narrow waist to reduce weight, and flares at the muzzle to align the sights. Colerain rifle barrels are drilled from solid steel, cut rifled with six “round bottom" grooves with a 1 in 56" twist for a tightly patched round ball. The “radius groove rifling", Colerain uses eliminates the sharp inside corner that accumulates fouling. 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. Founded by two entrepreneurs, Scott Keller and Scott Kelly were tutored by Bob Paris, the famous rifle barrel maker who was first to perfect the technique for production of correct swamped barrels. A browned steel blade front sight is fitted behind the muzzle and a flat top rear sight is dovetailed 11" ahead of the breech.
This attractive flint fullstock longrifle is trimmed in brass, which has been burnished to a satin finish and lightly aged. The stock was stained with aquafortis and a hand rubbed finish. The mid 18th century styled buttplate is wide, flat, and comfortable to aim. It engages your shoulder to minimize the felt recoil of this .54 caliber rifle. The buttplate comb is shaped with five flats and a wedding band. The comb is neatly accented with hand engraving. The buttplate is offset or cast-off from the centerline of the rifle to put the shooter directly behind the line of the sights. The cheek is angled to the rear, to recoil away from your face. The transition from the comb to wrist is decorated with carving that flows down into the wrist and terminates in a scroll design. Raised carving surrounds the flared tang of the breech plug. A single bolt passes through the tang and stock to engage the trigger plate below. The barrel is retained to the forearm with four pins. The sliding wood patchbox is shaped with thumb relief at the base. Compress the spring and slide the patchbox to the rear to reveal a deep cut cavity for flints, jags, or other shooting accessories.
Our bottom view of the rifle shows off the engraved brass toeplate and triggerguard. The decorative toeplate is held in position by a steel screw. The toe commonly comes into contact with the ground when loading and cleaning and the toeplate helps protect it at these times. The brass triggerguard is pinned to the stock in traditional fashion. The guard is engraved with the builder's signature. Incised carving above the ramrod entry pipe transitions into a raised molding along the forend of the rifle. A brass muzzle cap protects the end grain of the stock. The 3/8" diameter ramrod is fitted with a tapered steel tip with 8-32 threads to mount loading and cleaning accessories. The ramrod is held in place with two brass octagon shaped ramrod pipes with bands on each end, and matching entry pipe. A backside view of the rifle shows off the engraved brass sideplate. Further back on the gun the classic squared cheek provides the shooter with a comfortable platform to align sights. The buttstock is carved with raised scrolls surrounding the cheek piece in the style used by J.P. Beck.
Ignition is provided by a large Siler flintlock. Tuned for best performance the beefy mainspring provides lots of energy, and this fast lock sparks well. Finished to a dark brown with a light aging. We recommend our #FLINT-ENG-6 3/4" knapped English flints for best performance in this lock. The bottom of the pan is marked 123 for Mr. Compton's 123rd rifle made. The White Lightnin' 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. The set triggers have a long rear trigger shoe in Germanic style. The double lever double set triggers are correctly adjusted, you may cock the lock, or set the trigger, in any sequence. Turn the tiny set trigger adjustment screw, between the two triggers, inboard to reduce the set trigger release tension.
In as-new unfired condition, this contemporary longrifle will be a joy to shoot! The lucky buyer will own a treasure that will last a lifetime, and his heirs will raise toasts to his good taste, far into the future. 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.
