Longrifles made in the region of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, are immediately recognizable. These rifles are long, thin, and graceful, with a low comb. We may never fully understand Bedford County rifles. We know that rifles were made in Bedford County as early as 1776, and many were made between 1800 and 1890. This span makes the Bedford County rifle contemporary to the Brown Bess musket, the Hawken plains rifle, the Colt revolver, and even the Winchester lever action.

The longrifle is stocked in curly maple, and trimmed in nickel silver furniture. The design of rifle seems to be influenced by rifles by William Border. The L&R percussion lock has the classic Bedford appearance with a long thin plate with square tail, and extended hammer spur. Trigger reach is 13-3/4" for today's average size shooter. Weight is 8.4 pounds.

The .40 caliber 44" tapered octagon barrel is 7/8" at the breech tapering to 3/4" at the muzzle. The tapered barrel makes this rifle point easily without being overly muzzle heavy. The bore is rifled with seven lands and grooves with a slow twist ideal for patched round ball. The bore is bright and has been well maintained. The top flat of the barrel is signed Gary R. Bowman 1993. The flat top rear sight is dovetailed 11" ahead of the breech. A steel blade front sight is dovetailed behind the muzzle. The brown barrel finish displays a few marks from typical use and handling.

Stocked in curly maple the maple has narrow bands of figure, or tiger stripe that is fairly consistent throughout the rifle. The rifle features a cameo wrist with raised carving. The wrist may have been designed for a larger hand and is not a dainty as some rifles. The lock panels taper widest at the rear, and the panels are framed with raised carving accented with nickel silver inlays. Trimmed in nickel silver furniture the rifle has a light natural patina on the furniture. The buttstock is fitted with a classic patchbox common to Bedford County. The engraved door has a push button release located in the buttplate heel. Modest pressure allows the kick open spring to release the door, revealing a deep cavity below. The patchbox door is hand engraved Virginian. The barrel is secured to the stock with four pins, each surrounded by a winged nickel silver escutcheon plate. All the barrel pins protrude slightly from the plate on both sides, which seems to be intentional to the design.

The bottom view shows the nickel silver toeplate that tapers from the toe to the rear of the triggerguard. The triggerguard is a classic Bedford County design. The forearm has a decorative wear plate fitted. The barber pole striped ramrod does not have any provisions for threaded accessories. Two lock bolts secure the percussion L&R lock to the stock. The buttstock is shaped with a square stepped cheekpiece. The cheek is inlaid with a engraved nickel silver oval with a Federal eagle, a common theme on Bedford County longrifles. Raised carving decorates the area behind the cheek. The carving does have a small amount of fuzziness on the edges.

The L&R Bedford County percussion lock is finished to a dark brown with some edges worn bright on the tail from handling. You can see similar locks in the book Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntington & Somerset Counties by Dr. James B. Whisker. This rifle is fitted with a single lever double set trigger, so it will only fire from the set position. The rear trigger is currently lifting the sear, so the triggers must be set before the lock can be cocked. This trigger does have a backlash adjustment screw to raise the mainspring, but it is not easily accessed with the triggerguard in place.

This classic Bedford County percussion longrifle is used with a natural patina on the nickel silver furniture. The .40 caliber bore is bright and has been well maintained. 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.