Constructed in the manner of those longrifles originally built in York County, Pennsylvania, this rifle is stocked with a piece of extra fancy curly maple with tight stripes running its entire length. The beautiful maple stock is trimmed in brass furniture, and the buttstock is fitted with a sliding wooden patchbox. The .40 caliber swamped Colerain barrel has a bore that is bright, clean, and ready to shoot. This rifle comes with a conversion kit that allows the user to switch the Chambers Golden Age flintlock over to percussion. Weighing in at 8.4 pounds, the rifle has a trigger reach of 13-1/4", well suited for today's average sized shooter.
A .40 caliber 42" swamped Colerain barrel is the heart of the rifle. The swamped barrel is thickest at the breech, tapers to a narrow waist, and flares at the muzzle. Cut rifled with six radius bottom grooves in a slow twist for patched round ball. Colerain rifle barrels are the favorite choice of today's best muzzle loading gun makers, because knowledgeable shooters demand Colerain's accuracy, inside and outside. Colerain rifle barrels are drilled from solid steel, cut rifled with six "round bottom" grooves. Called "radius groove rifling", Colerain eliminates the sharp inside corner that accumulates fouling. Radius groove rifling cutters are a bit more expensive to make, but Colerain's customers agree that the accuracy, easy loading, and easy cleaning are worth the cost. The swamped barrel is finished to a matte brown. The small flat-top rear sight is dovetailed 8" ahead of the breech. A bone blade front sight mounted in a brass base is dovetailed 2-1/2" behind the muzzle.
This rifle shows the classic architecture common on rifles from the York County, Pennsylvania region. The extra fancy curly maple stock is stained dark and rubbed back to a golden brown to reveal the tight stripes running its entire length. The brass buttplate is well fitted to the stock. The buttplate comb is shaped with five flats and a wedding band transition. Ahead of the comb the wrist sweeps up to the flared tang of the breech. The stock has cast-off for a right hand shooter. Cast-off places the right hand shooter's eye directly behind the line of sight making it instinctive to point and shoot. The bullet shaped patchbox door is released by compressing the spring toward the lid and sliding the door to the rear. Beneath the door is a deep cavity to store flints, jags, or other shooting accessories. No toeplate is fitted to help protect this delicate area of the stock when loading. The brass triggerguard is secured with pins. The ramrod pipes are octagon with raised rings at the ends for strength. The entry pipe skirt tapers to a point in English fashion. A 3/8" diameter ramrod is fitted with a brass tip with 8-32 threads to accept loading and cleaning accessories. The brass sideplate is retained by two dome headed lock bolts that pass through the plate and stock to engage the lock on the opposite side. The buttstock is shaped with a square cheek.
Ignition is provided by this Jim Chambers' Golden Age flint lock. Fitted with a heavy mainspring, the lock sparks very well when combined with our #FLINT-ENG-6 hand knapped 3/4" English flints. The lock is fire blued and compliments the figured maple stock. The single trigger provides a smooth release of the lock. We note the stainless steel vent liner was installed a little high on the barrel, and the touch hole is located off-center just under the screw driver slot. The touch hole is still positioned in the correct sunset location above the pan, allowing the heat of the flash to be instantly transmitted to the main charge.
This rifle comes with a percussion conversion kit that includes: a hammer, pan, and drum with a 1/4-28 stainless steel nipple for No. 11 percussion caps. Remove the vent liner and carefully install the drum on the barrel. The flint pan unscrews and the percussion one can be installed to support the drum. Switch the flint cock to the percussion hammer and this rifle is ready for the percussion shooter.
In excellent condition, this contemporary longrifle will be a joy to shoot in both flint and percussion. The extra fancy curly maple stock is stunning when viewed in the sunlight. The lucky buyer will own a treasure that will last a lifetime, and his heirs will raise toasts to his good taste, far into the future. 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.
