This is a very
nice rifle by Wayne Trout. It is based on well known
examples by Simon and John Lauck who worked in the
Winchester, VA area in the late 18th to early 19th
century.
The barrel is custom made by Ed Rayl. It is a
swamped .54 caliber octagonal and is 44¼"
long. It is
held to the stock by four wedges typical of this school
of gun.
The stock is a
nice piece of curly maple that has been aged. The
carving is a combination of raised and incised. Wayne
used the traditional method of scraping the wood to
smooth it. (Sandpaper was available but expensive.) This
method leaves sort of a slightly wavy surface texture to
the surface of curly maple due to the nature of the
grain. Very correct for the period.
The lock
is a Chamber's Early Ketland which has been reshaped. The mounts are brass that
have been aged. The patchbox has a typical hidden
release which is the upper knuckle of the hinge. Push it
to the rear to open the door. Wayne cast the buttplate
and guard and fabricated all the sheet brass parts for
this rifle. The rear sight has not been notched so the
new owner can file in what they like as to depth and
width.
The fit is a
little loose around the patchbox with very minor gaps
around the edges. Have to look close to see them. The
stock also has about a
¼" castoff.
Very well balanced and points extremely
well.
Weight is 9 lbs. Length of pull is 14¼". |