This rifle is as-new, unfired. Regular use will give the bright finish on the lock and brass furniture a mellow patina. This Virginia style rifle is stocked in curly maple and decorated with raised and incised carving. Ignition is provided by a Jim Chambers round faced flintlock mated to single trigger. The .50 caliber 42" swamped octagon Rice Barrel Company barrel gives the rifle excellent balance without being overly muzzle heavy. Signed by Thom Frazier on the top flat of the barrel. Trigger reach is 13-3/4" to fit today's average size shooter, and the rifle's weight is 8.1 pounds.

The rifle is fitted with a .50 caliber 42" swamped octagon Rice barrel. The swamped octagon barrel is thickest at the breech, tapers to a narrow waist, and flares at the muzzle. The .50 caliber bore is cut rifled, with seven lands and grooves. Grooves are cut .016" deep, with round bottom rifling. Twist is 1 turn in 66 inches, for a tightly patched round ball. The bore is bright and clean, in as-new condition. The top flat of the barrel is signed T*Frazier Oak Point near the breech. A silver blade front sight set in a brass base is dovetailed 1-3/4" behind the muzzle. A semi-buckhorn rear sight is dovetailed 12" ahead of the breech.

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. 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 are Match grade quality, with bench rest capability. Rice barrels do not require lapping or extensive shooting to break-in.

The maple stock is stained to a reddish brown with golden highlights to best display the figure. The stock is accented with raised and incised carving around the cheekpiece, lock panels, ramrod pipe, and an incised molding along the toe. Earlier rifles are generally not as highly decorated as later "golden age" longrifles. The buttstock is fitted with a wide flat buttplate to spread the felt recoil from the .50 caliber bore over a large area.

The buttplate is a stepped English design and is decorated with hand engraving. The brass furniture is polished bright, and with regular use and handling will acquire a mellow aged patina. The flared tang of the barrel is retained by a single tang bolt, the slot is neatly aligned with the barrel. Three pins retain the barrel to the forearm. The raised carving around the flared tang of the breech plug flows down into the lock panels. The sliding wood patchbox has a bullet shaped nose, and the base is cut with a thumb relief and a leaf design. Compress the spring toward the lid and slide it to the rear to reveal a deep cut cavity for flints, patches, or other shooting accessories.

The fowler style triggerguard is shaped with a large bow, and long grip rail. The trigger guard is correctly pinned to the stock both front and rear. An paneled entry pipe and two forward pipes mount the 3/8" ramrod. Raised decorative carving surrounds the entry pipe and transitions into incised carving that runs along the entire ramrod channel. The ramrod is fitted with brass tips with 8-32 threads to accept loading and shooting accessories. A brass muzzle cap protects the end grain of the stock. The large brass sideplate has sweeping curves and pointed tail. The sideplate is hand engraved with a bow, axe, and arrows. The raised carved lock panel terminates in a beaver tail at the mid-point of the wrist. The square cheek is shaped with a molded edge. Raised and incised carving decorates the stock behind the cheek.

Ignition is sure-fire, thanks to this Jim Chambers round faced flint lock. Locks of this design are commonly found on English or American longrifles and fowlers of the 1730 to 1770 era. This lock features a raised water proof pan, and molding around the border. The plate, cock, and other surfaces of original Queen Anne locks were often polished to a bright finish. This nicely made flint lock has good internals, including a heavy mainspring combines with a well hardened frizzen to produce a shower of sparks. The inletting does have some cosmetic gaps along the lower edge. The steel vent liner is 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. Below the lock a single trigger is installed on the rifle.

We recommend this attractive Virginia rifle for the French & Indian War era or the Revolutionary War enthusiast, seeking a suitable rifle. This longrifle is new, unfired. 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.