Part Number: AAQ-704
This Virginia style smoothrifle is stocked in curly maple and trimmed in brass furniture. The rifle blends a mixture of English and Germanic features. The brass buttplate is wide and flat to best spread the recoil over a large area. The 28 gauge by 42" octagon-to-round barrel gives the rifle excellent balance without being overly muzzle heavy. Built by Minnesota gun maker Thom Frazier, this rifle is signed on the top flat of the barrel, and is a nice example of this popular gun maker's work. This rifle is used with some handling marks on the stock and one small chip at the breech.
This smoothbore is fitted with a 42" Colerain octagon-to-round barrel. The octagon breech has a sixteen flat transition to a single wedding band to round. The 28 gauge bore has been coned and measures .557" diameter at the muzzle. The smoothbore allows the use of either a tightly patched round ball, or firing lead shot with 28 gauge wads and cards. The bore is bright and has been well maintained. The top flat of the barrel is signed T. Frazier. A flat top rear sight is dovetailed 8" ahead of the breech. A nickel silver blade front sight is soldered 4" behind the muzzle.
The maple stock is stained to a dark brown with golden undertones to best display the figure. The buttstock has a Germanic appearance with a very slight step at the wrist. The buttplate is finished with three broad flats and a wedding band. The stock is accented with a small amount of raised carving on the comb, and a raised molding along the toe. The stock does have a small cosmetic chip at the corner of the breech and tang. The raised carving from the lock panels flows into a large beaver tail around the flared tang of the breech plug. 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 recoil from the 28 gauge bore.
The sliding wood patchbox has a bullet shaped nose, and the base is cut with thumb relief. 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.
Trigger reach is 13-1/4" to fit today's shorter to average man size shooter, and the rifle's weight is 8.6 pounds.
The brass triggerguard has a Germanic influence with a large open bow and offset grip rail. The triggerguard is mounted with a combination of pin and screw in early fashion. The rifle is fitted with double lever double set triggers that fire set, or unset. The stock has a slender forearm with a raised palm swell at the ramrod entry pipe. An entry pipe with long skirt, and two forward pipes mount the 3/8" ramrod. The ramrod is fitted with a flared brass tip and hidden iron tip with 8-32 threads. The forend gracefully follows the taper and flare of the octagon-to-round barrel. The large brass sideplate fills the side panel in Germanic fashion. 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.
Ignition for the rifle is provided by well tuned Virginia round faced flintlock. Sometimes called a “Queen Anne" lock, this best quality round faced flint lock actually dates from the 1730 to 1770 era, well after Anne's reign ended.
These early London style fowler locks are found on colonial American longrifles and fowling guns. The tall cock sweeps a wide arc of sparks, making these large spark very well. The pan has a bridle arm to support the frizzen pivot screw, not always found on early English locks. The plate has an integral pan, and the frizzen is tightly fitted. We recommend our Tom Fuller 7/8" knapped English gun flints, #Flint-Eng-7 for best performance in this lock. The lock will be shipped with a wooden flint in the jaws of the cock.
Double lever double set triggers may be set, or the lock cocked, in any sequence. Triggers fire set or unset, for target match shooting, or cold weather hunting with gloved fingers.
Fast ignition is assured by the stainless vent liner, 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.
We recommend simple and attractive Virginia rifle for the French & Indian War era reenactor or the Revolutionary War volunteer, seeking a suitable gun for militia duty. This smoothbore is used with some marks, the bore 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.