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Since antique firearms range in price from a few to many hundreds of dollars for a single piece, depending upon its condition, demand, and historical value, my dreams for a personal collection were quickly shattered. Beyond receiving a gift of an old percussion cap, muzzle-loading rifle of questionable value, the idea of making model rifles seemed the only and natural solution to this problem.

From that conclusion some seven years ago, and after many hours of spare-time investigation, research and preparation of working drawings, I have completed six historically famous guns. These include the famed Kentucky rifle, a Sharps breech loading carbine, a Smith breech loading carbine, the fabulous Winchester '73, a Springfield model 1835 converted to percussion cap for Civil War use, and the Springfield '03 of World War I fame. At the present time, with the help of a local museum, I am working on two more models. One is the Springfield model 1795, the first military weapon produced in a government arsenal, and the U.S. carbine, model 1873, which was the weapon carried by the ill-fated Seventh Cavalry commanded by General G.A. Custer at the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876.

THE MODELING of historic firearms carries one right into the pages of American history. The right of the people of the United States to keep and bear arms is specifically stated in Article II of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. This was an obvious need in a country that started its great westward expansion after the Revolutionary War. This gradual movement of the frontier was measured in good part by the development and improvement in firearms. The two were tied together, for without progress in one, the other could not have happened.

Early settlers on the Atlantic coast brought their weapons from Europe. Until about 1720 very few guns were manufactured in the Colonies. As the frontier moved into western New York and Pennsylvania and a war of rebellion loomed over the horizon, the need for a home source of weapon supply became apparent. Enterprising gunsmiths from Germany and Switzerland settled in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These men developed the immortalized flintlock rifle that became known as the "Pennsylvania" or "Kentucky" rifle, which played a decisive part in winning the Revolutionary War.

The Kentucky rifle produces the most pleasing and interesting model. It is characterized by its low, gracefully curved stock and long length. Each rifle was handmade and no two ever alike—a remarkable thing since they were the most accurate weapon of their day. The Kentucky could hit a man's head at 100 yards and a man at 200 yards, while the best military pieces could not be depended upon to hit a man at 100 yards!

The flintlock system of igniting the powder charge in a gun was dominant until replaced by the percussion cap system about 1830. The last military flintlock made in a United States arsenal was the model 1835 produced until 1848. During the Civil War a great many of these old flintlocks were converted to percussion cap.

THE IDEA of loading a musket or rifle through the breech was as old as the use of gunpowder itself and over the years numerous designs were tried with little success. The United States Government actually produced and issued a few breech loading flintlock muskets to troops stationed at frontier posts for use against Indians. This was the U.S. Rifle, Model 1819, based on a design by John Hall, a superintendent at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal. This gun would make an interesting model, but to date I have been unable to locate one. In 1848 however, Christian Sharps patented his breech loader and the problem was solved. A new era in firearms was launched.

My model of the Sharps carbine has proved to be a popular one. Historically it is interesting, for it was used in the border warfare in the Kansas Territory prior to the Civil War. John Brown's men carried them during their Harpers Ferry raid and Quantrill used them at the attack and destruction of Lawrence, Kansas.

It wasn't until the post-Civil War development of the lands beyond the Mississippi and the resulting Indian Wars that the breech loader came into its own. The change from the linen cartridge used in the single shot Sharps to the metallic cartridge brought about the development of a repeating type of weapon. The introduction of the Volcanic, Spencer, and Henry lever actions culminated in the famous Winchester, model of 1873, one of the "winners of the West." This gun, produced until 1924, is known to thousands of gun lovers and makes a fine model. Every so often a gun was produced having such exceptional quality and accuracy it was known as "one of one thousand," A recent movie story was based upon this gun.

The lever action continued to dominate as the favorite sporting weapon in the United States until World War I. However, the military at the turn of the present century adopted the bolt action in the Model 1903 Springfield. This was done since the lever action of the time was incapable of standing up under repeated usage of the heavy charges used in military cartridges. As a result of using the '03 during World War I, thousands of men trained in the army turned to the bolt action as a sporting piece. It has continued in popularity up until the present time. In a like manner, familiarity with the semi-automatic M-1 rifle (Garand) of World War II fame, gives indications of starting a movement in favor of this type of weapon.

WITH SUCH a rich background of history to whet the interest, the modeler of firearms occupies a position unique in the hobby field. The approach to modeling historical guns is relatively simple but requires great patience in obtaining information, data, and dimensions of sufficient detail to enable you actually to construct the model. Model guns are best scaled from a prototype. In most areas, state, municipal and private museums contain collections of antique firearms. Many universities have museums containing historical weapons and if one is fortunate enough to be near a government museum such as those found in Washington, D.C., or a permanent army post, the source of prototype supply is almost unlimited. I have found the authorities of such places most cooperative in allowing their guns to be measured, sketched, and photographed. Obviously such work must be done within the institution and one should use the utmost care in handling these old guns. Frequently these authorities are interested in arranging for a display of your finished models alongside the prototype for promotional purposes of their institution. This can also work to your advantage if you intend to sell your models, for it effectively advertises your work.

Other sources of prototype weapons include friends or neighbors owning a famous gun or collection of guns. Lacking these, models can be worked up from photographs, sketches and dimensional information found in the many books and catalogues available in most libraries on the subject of firearms. One of the best I have found is a privately printed book covering military weapons, by James E. Hicks, titled "U.S. Ordnance, Vol. I, Small Arms, 1776-1940." Another good book is "The Kentucky Rifle," by G.W. Dillin.

Having obtained all the information and data for a particular model, the next step is to prepare a working drawing at the full size of the model. Any scale can be used. I have selected a scale of ¼ inch on the model to one inch on the prototype. This results in a model small enough to be attractively mounted and displayed, yet large enough to allow a highly detailed model to be constructed. A ⁵/16-inch or ³/8-inch scale will produce an even larger model with more chance for fine detail. With the drawing completed the actual construction of the model involves only the craftsmanship and patience of the individual modeler.

As to material, I find white pine or basswood most suitable for the stocks, while birch or pine dowels in sizes from ¹/16 inch to ⁵/16 inch in diameter make fine gun barrels, ramrods, simulated screws, etc. Sheet balsa wood ranging from ¹/32 to ¼ inch thick is used to make the intricately shaped hammers, triggers, trigger guards, sights and other small parts required on the various model guns. The thin but tough cardboard found in the standard office file folder proved to be an excellent source of material for simulating the rings used to retain the gun barrel in the stock groove.

TOOLS REQUIRED to make miniature guns are surprisingly few and simple. Any of the hobby carving kits including two or three different sized handles with detachable blades are satisfactory. A ¹/8-inch wide, half-round gouge is necessary for carving the barrel groove in the stock, along with a ³/16-inch and ¼-inch round file to do the smoothing and finishing work. A powered jig saw will speed up the work of cutting gunstock blanks, although a hand coping saw will do the job just as well. A set of pin vises, along with a few small drills and a set of assorted needle files, complete the essential tools required to make model guns.

Painting the models is a most important part of the work. A well made but poorly painted model loses its effectiveness and appears artificial. The aim in painting is to make the model seem life-like and a photograph of the model should be indistinguishable from one of the prototype. Walnut stain is used on the stocks. The gunmetal blue color can be simulated by a mixture of blue and black lacquer. Some old-time guns were "browned" and this can be duplicated by using a mixture of chocolate brown and black lacquer. A bright metallic finish is made with silver lacquer having a touch of black mixed with it, while brass can be represented with gold lacquer "as received." When mixing colors it is best to add the black a little at a time, testing on a piece of wood after each addition, until the resulting color appears natural.

UNTIL RECENTLY and owing to a limited availability of spare time, I have made no active attempt to promote the sale of these models other than by word-of-mouth advertising. This was accomplished by presenting a few gift models to selected friends. They were requested to indicate to their friends and associates that duplicate pieces could be obtained at a predetermined price, from myself. While the sales volume obtained by this method has been small, it proved most gratifying and sufficient for my present limited production capacity.

To increase the sales potential through the medium of publicity reaching more people, I have currently made arrangements to place a display of my gun models in a local museum. Future plans call for displays in the public library and the windows of leading sporting goods stores both in Kansas City, Kansas, where I live, and adjoining Kansas City, Missouri.

Prices I have obtained range from $30 to $50 each for a completed model. This is based upon a $1 per hour rate for constructing the model, hand lettering the title and data sheet and mounting in a frame for hanging—the simpler models such as the Sharps requiring approximately thirty hours and the more complicated pieces such as the Kentucky rifle and the Springfield '03 requiring fifty hours.