November 5th & 6th 2016 Premier Firearms Sale
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/5/2016
Octagonal, rifled barrel featuring a brass inlay with tombstones at each end, which reads “BY C. PIPPERT +FOR H.W. MORGAN.” Barrel with ornate rocker panel engraving around both sites. English style flintlock; plate with round tail, decorated with sprigs of engraving, and stamped “WARRANTED.” Extensively engraved four-piece patchbox. Total of 18 silver inlays including many small inlays integrated into the relief carving behind lock and sideplate, barrel tang and on left side of buttstock. Toeplate engraved with pattern of repeating diamonds, every other one shaded. Fine shaped fore-end wear plate with engraved borders and sprigs of engraving at each clamshell-shaped end. Full sideplate engraved with scrolls and borders. Pierced brass Moravian eight pointed star with engraved shading and a silver Masonic compass and square, beneath the cheek piece is a finely engraved brass inlay with a cavity for storing a pick. Pierced silver comb plate inlaid into spine of comb and engraved with rocker panel engraving. German silver trigger guard; double set triggers. Silver oval wrist escutcheon engraved “H.W.M.”. Shaded four-pointed silver stars inlaid around barrel keys on each side of forend and engraved with rocker panel shading. Fine Berks County, Pennsylvania style figured maple full length stock and rope burn wooden ramrod. Extensive relief carving on left side of the buttstock, both in front of and behind the cheek piece, carving consists of relief scrolls with deep fluting, checkering with brass pins and a stippled ground. Carving is accented with four engraved silver inlays. Behind the barrel tang is a finely relief carved design similar to that used by Leonard Reedy with a small silver inlay and pins between each section of checkering. There is also carving around the lockplate and lock as well as forward of the patchbox on the right side of the wrist and behind the ramrod entry furl. A deeply fluted channel is displayed on each side of the ramrod. Carl Pippert was a well-known contemporary maker and was one of the founding fathers of the Kentucky Rifle Association. He mentored many gunsmiths including Earl Lanning. He spent his life around original long rifles and was a close friend of Joe Kindig, who wrote “Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in its Golden Age” and other books. Carl Pippert was involved in the creation of the Kindig book as well as many others on Kentucky long rifles. His guns are known as some of the best quality long rifles built in any time period. The Bladensburg School of Gunsmithing was created because of his work. He died in 1999. In excellent condition, this rifle retains much patina and has the look of a period Kentucky long rifle but shows very few sign of use. The lock needs a slight adjustment as the cock will not hold in position.