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Kentucky Rifle Restoration
yoopergun
Member Posts: 9 ✭✭
I am looking for a gunsmith who restores or has restored Kentucky rifles or similiar guns and lives in Michigan. I live in the U P near Sault Ste Marie and made frequent trips to Lansing and the Detroit Area. Thanks Roger
Comments
Also, the maker's name on the barrel appears to be, L M ???m?y, the first letter of the last name maybe E?....
Keep in mind it may cost more to restore/repair it than it would be worth. If you don't care that's fine, but a lot of people don't want to put, say, $300 into a $150 gun. A big problem is that these were not mass produced and there is no parts interchangeability. This adds to the difficulty of the restoration.
Really need pictures to go much further.
Johnny
from your description, leaving it "as is" it would be a sitting in a dark, dusty, spider webbed corner forever, restored it would be a real bragging piece !!
http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=259294
Look on the top barrel flat behind the rear sight for a maker's name. This can be very important in the value of your rifle. There may also be a name on the lockplate but this is usually a commercial lockmaker and not the actual gunmaker.
Hi again Spider
I pulled up the photos
strange strange gun!
the inlays [look really like overlays] seem more appropriate in area behind cheekpiece
and that cheekpiece inlay is truly unusual
I'd guess OH-IN-Il area
try Jerry Noble, Aledo, IL
you can pull his phone # up on 1 of those free services
he does not have email\I'm sure he'd love to see this gun
he is compiling a rival to Sellers
best, Jim
Added: Nord's reply:
Spider -
Without the trigger guard I somewhat guessing...
A mid to late 1850's Ohio halfstock. Maker is unknown to me but that means nothing as I don't know Ohio makers all that well. The cheekpiece suggests the later date as it didn't come in to general use until that time.
You flatter me with "expert" as I'm far from it. Whisker (a close friend of mine) has forgotten more this morning that I'll ever know. I expect he'll know the maker.
Restoration will not be that hard. The gun deserves such, but it will cost. I can't say much about present value nor restored value as Ohio guns attract somewhat less of a following than their PA cousins. Let's just say that the gun shows much artistic merit and therefor has value far above a plain rifle of the same type.
Might I suggest a visit to www.AmericanLongrifles.com Visit our Library & Museum, join the board, then post this rifle under the General section. A much better place than either GunBroker or Antiqueguns as all we deal with is long rifles.
By the way I believe I know a man who would be willing to properly restore the rifle. I'll warn in advance that he'd not be fast as he has but one pace.
Best,
Nord
And another from Dr. Whisker:
Hi Spider
it is well worth restoring!
I don't know where your friend lives but I can recommend a good man
his name is Larry Bryner, lives in Columbus, OH, area
and unlike most is VERY reasonable
his address is on Barwood Dr, Gahanna, OH, which I think is 740 area code
tell your friend to use my name
best, Jim Whisker
I hope you can get it properly restored.
There was a guy in this area who had a lot of fun and some profit getting good but worn and neglected guns well restored. They did not end up worth as much as a pristine original, but they were worth more than as old wrecks, enough more than the cost of the work to matter.