Since I was playing with my new setup for photographing long guns I thought I’d post some pictures of my favourite gun ( my Westley Richards 12 1871 patent breechloader excepted!) , and one of my earlier restoration before I started this blog. It was a German (?) Jeager rifle I purchased from Holts for not much money( if I remember correctly- it now seems unlikely!) as a drum percussion conversion minus its trigger guard, sideplate and butt plate and in a rather sad state, but I was attracted by the inlaid brass figures and date on the stock. I kept the percussion lock intact and made a completely new lock with a casting for the detachable pan and a flintcock, frizzen and frizzen spring casting. The trigger guard was fabricated from strip metal and old bits, and the butt plate was modeled in lead and a silicone mould made and then cast in brass – all the casing done by Kevin Blackley. The side plate was filed from brass sheet, and new screws made. I’m very fond of the finished gun – its very simple and utilitarian, except for the delightfully naive inlay work. I’d like to imagine that this gun was one of the forerunners of the American Longrifle! ;-
