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Kentucky Rifle Restoration

yoopergunyoopergun Member Posts: 9 ✭✭
edited November 2010 in Ask the Experts
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

  • yoopergunyoopergun Member Posts: 9 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I recently bought a Kentucky Rifle that was found in a wall of a house that was being a torn down.(it does happen) It is dirty and the brass is lightly tarnished. The trigger guard is missing, as is the ramrod, and bolt that holds the lock together. The lock does not work and the barrel is rusty color. I don't want to take away the value of the gun, but would like to have it have a nice presentation look to it..any help of what, how much, etc. would be great..... thanks Roger

    Also, the maker's name on the barrel appears to be, L M ???m?y, the first letter of the last name maybe E?....
  • JohnnyBGoodJohnnyBGood Member Posts: 1,443 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    There is a market and collector following for what are termed "relics". For the most part these are best left in their as found condition, but of course there are exceptions. Pictures of the rifle would greatly help in deciding to restore it, or leave it as is. A big factor will be if it's a "Golden Age" Kentucky or a more common grade specimen.

    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
  • USN_AirdaleUSN_Airdale Member Posts: 2,987
    edited November -1
    after building over 50 Kentucky/Pennsylvania/Hawken flintlock and percussion rifles and restoring several others, i would say, without photos.., RESTORE IT !

    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 !!
  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,703 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Please post clear photos so we can see what you have. This thread shows you how:

    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.
  • captkirk3@dslextreme.comcaptkirk3@dslextreme.com Member Posts: 3,804
    edited November -1
    Can you post photos? You might have a Super antique worth the cost and effort....at the very least give us a discription of the Gun with all marks and condition....best
  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello My take is you do have a Valuable piece if left as is However I also think that you have a piece that could be ruined as to it's value if the wrong type of restoration is attempted by someone who is not the highest skilled type of restorer.Likewise the right person could turn this into a High dollar display piece. Thanks for the pictures. I am going to start looking in walls.[:0][:p]
  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,703 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Magnifying my browser appears to show a maker's name of "Fleming". At first I though it was "LM Fleming" but there was apparently a rifle maker named Silas Fleming so the fancy script could be an "S". I sent an e-mail to Nord and Dr. Jim Whisker and, hopefully, they can help in identification.
  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,703 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I just received a reply from Dr. Jim Whisker. He agrees that the surname is "Fleming". These are his comments verbatim:

    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
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,380 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A very handsome gun with its inlays and overlays on a very nice piece of tiger stripe wood.
    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.
  • BigLoop22BigLoop22 Member Posts: 620 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    For those who do not have a Hunt101 account, I have pasted the pictures' codes into this reply, as follows:

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    IM006578.JPG

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