Lunch with Gussler

[peter nap]

A group of us from American Longrifles get together once in a while.
We hadn't don it for a while and yesterday I got a call to go,

Among other fine builders was Wallace Gussler. I've spoken to him on the phone several times but hadn't seen him for years...like 30 or so.

After lunch was show and tell time. I always enjoy that but Wallace had an unbelievable Revolution era rifle with an unusual twist. A double leaf rear sight.

I'd never seen one on an American built longrifle before. I asked if he had seen many before and he said that was only the second he had ever seen.

He went on to give the details of the gun and it's easy to see why he's considered the most knowledgeable historian (Of longrifles) alive today

When he got to the sight, he explained that judging by the height of the front sight, the close range leaf was calibrated for 200 yards. That would make the second leaf about 500 yards.

In his opinion, this was a Colonial sniper rifle disguised as a squirrel gun.

It was a great morning.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa57/peternap/sight.jpg

[waksupi]

Interesting company, and an interesting rifle! Any more pics?

[square butte]

I wish Wallace would get his butt in gear and get his book finished - for all of us who are "patiently" waiting.

[peter nap]

Interesting company, and an interesting rifle! Any more pics?

http://news.oldva.org/?p=2375&preview=true

It was cold and we were in the parking lot. I didn't get a lot of photos or very detailed. Sorry, What I did get is in the link.

[waksupi]

It appears the one rifle has a sling swivel? I do put them on my hunting rifles, and always figured civilian rifles very likely had them.
I also await the book with anticipation!

[peter nap]

It appears the one rifle has a sling swivel? I do put them on my hunting rifles, and always figured civilian rifles very likely had them.
I also await the book with anticipation!

You have a good eye.
It does have have sling swivels. The front swivel was mounted too far forward originally and missed the thimble so it was bearing on the ramrod. It was moved back about an inch.

The pin for the swivel only went through the wood rather than through a dovetail in the barrel. This is a little unusual but as he put it " I suppose the builder knew what he was doing because here is the rifle, still intact".

Looking inside the patchbox, it was originally fitted with a wooden sliding box. Later the box that it has was added and it appears it was recycled from another gun and shortened to fit within the carving on the wrist.
He had the builder pinned down to Shenandoah County Virginia (which was where I was born) and many of the features were similar to the Brass Barrel rifle Wallace has.

Tjis group is always interesting to be around. My first love is the Southern Mountain rifle because I'm from the mountains, but the area that I was born in and grew up in was also home to many of the great builders in the style of this gun. This is a very diverse section. We go way back to the 1600's in Va and while my family were not gunsmiths, they did make gunpowder and my great, great grandfather manufactured saltpeter for the South during the War of Northern Aggression. That was one of the things Custer burned during his rampage through the valley.

They also customized and rebuilt Virginia Manufactory of Arms, rifles. These were sort of the Mauser 98 of the day and were made as flintlocks during the Revolution and later converted to percussion during the Big One (war between the states).

They were sportirized on a regular basis and my Great Great Grandfather, did a lot of these rebuilds.

I'm licky that I'm not very far from Colonial Williamsburg where they have the gunsmith shop that Wallace started. I visit there regularly. It was the smiths there that taught me how to make set triggers. A number of the members on Americal Long Rifles live in Williamsburg and several were gunsmiths at the shop.

I am going to make another trip there next week I think. If there's something your interested in, let me know and I'll try to get some detailed pictures.