This trim longrifle has slender shaping and the architecture brings a sense of grace and refinement to this otherwise plain classic rifle. Constructed in the poor-boy, “Barn Rifle," or Schimmel style, it is purely utilitarian in nature. Stocked in maple the rifle is trimmed in a limited amount of iron and brass furniture. Signed by contemporary maker J. Alford the rifle is used and has a patina finish that gives it a used but well maintained appearance. Stocked with a trigger reach of 13-7/8" and an overall weight of 7.1 pounds, the barn rifle is properly setup for today's average sized shooter.

The .40 caliber swamped barrel by Rice Barrel Company is thickest at the breech, tapers to a narrow waist, and flares slightly at the muzzle. The bore is cut rifled with six lands and grooves, with square bottom rifling. Twist is 1 turn in 48 inches, ideal of a tightly patched round ball. After the rifling has been cut, each bore is "ball burnished". A carbide bore-sizing die is pulled through the barrel, to insure 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 do not require lapping or extensive shooting to break-in.

Rice Muzzle Loading Rifle Barrels are set between centers and milled octagonal, insuring 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. The barrel is dovetailed with a flat top rear sight 11" ahead of the breech. Shooters with "older" eyes or corrective lenses will generally benefit from the extra distance. A silver blade front sight is dovetailed behind the muzzle. The barrel is finished to a dark brown with the edges worn bright. The top flat is signed 20 * Alford *18.

Stained to a medium-dark brown, the sugar maple appears to be very dense and is nicely shaped and has a hand scraped finish that you can see as you roll the gun in the light. No buttplate is fitted to the stock and it is very common for these areas to display wear from use from being placed on the ground during loading and cleaning. This rifle has a very small amount of wear on the heel. The stock has a very slight "roman nose", which refers to the convex comb and the concave wrist to toe. The triggerguard is shaped from flat iron to a utilitarian shape. The forearm is very slender and just wraps the barrel. No ramrod entry pipe is fitted, the two forward pipes are shaped with ringed ends. The hand split and tapered ramrod is fitted with a brass tip with 10-32 threads for loading and cleaning accessories. The ramrod was intentionally left about 1" long. No muzzlecap is fitted and the wood has been gently relieved to allow easy access to the ramrod. The side panel omits the sideplate and the two lock bolts are flush mounted.

The rifle is fitted with a late classic Ketland lock by Jim Chambers. This attractive medium size rifle lock is based on large Siler internal lock parts. The plate is shaped in the style of popular imported English flintlock from the 1790 to 1820 era. The tail of the lock plate is slightly lower than the raised panel that forms the lock plate, separated by an attractive molding. The raised panel is surrounded by a chamfered edge. The lock is finished to a dark gray, with the edges finished bright. We recommend our 3/4" knapped English flints for best performance in this lock. The single trigger is pinned high to provide good leverage against the sear. A stainless steel vent hole is 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 slender rifle would be appropriate from Eastern Pennsylvania down into the Southern state. The rifle is a classic barn rifle assembled with limited iron and brass furniture. The .40 caliber swamped octagon barrel gives it a modest weight without being overly muzzle heavy. 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.