The photographs below show a slender, graceful antique black powder muzzle loading rifle that was made by the Somerset County, Pennsylvania gunmaker (and handicapped veteran) Jonathan Dormayer (1826-1885). The overall length of this visually pleasing little gun is 51-1/8" and the butt plate measures 3-5/8". The octagonal barrel is 35-1/4" long.
Compare this Dormayer rifle to a nearly identical rifle that was made by Jonathan Dormayer's Somerset County gunsmithing apprentice (and nephew) Charles Monroe Knupp (1863-1937).
L. Dietle
Photos
The next photo shows Jonathan Dormayer's cursive initials on the plate of the percussion gun lock. The percussion nipple is mounted on a drum. I love the utility of the head of the vent screw, which is square to accept a wrench and slotted to fit a screwdriver. the photo also shows some of the cast-in-place decorations at the front of the bow of the brass trigger guard.
The next photo shows the implementation of the entry tube, and the incised carving nearby on the side of the forearm.
The next picture shows much of the underside of the trigger guard, and the incised carving along the bottom side of the stock panel area of the Dormayer muzzleloader. The forward part of the trigger guard becomes wider towards its front, and then ends in an attractive sculptured point. The picture also shows an air gap between the drum and the head of the vent screw.
The next photo shows a typical four-piece Jonathan Dormayer patch box, which is an aesthetically pleasing modification to the classic Q-shaped finial patch box that was very popular in nearby Bedford County. Dormayer's finial builds upon the floral inspiration behind the Bedford County-type Q-shaped final by opening up one side, and using floral engraving in the area of the front screw. I like the engraved design that continues from one side of the patch box hinge to the other. The photo also shows the cast brass crescent buttplate.
The next photo shows the incised carving on the wrist is related to the finial shape of the patch box. The photo also shows that there is a vestigial raised comb effect produced by relief carving, and shows that the periphery of the lock panel is traced by incised carving that includes a trailing edge beavertail. The rifle is equipped with a deeply curved set trigger and a rod-type hair trigger. The rod shape provides a little better feel of the light pull of the hair trigger, and the dramatic shape difference between the two triggers helps the shooter to distinguish between them by touch. The adjustment screw is visible between the two triggers. The metal cross-pin that secures the rear of the trigger guard to the rifle stock is also visible.
The next image is a lightened portion of the preceding image, to provide a closeup of the engraved tail of the lock plate. This tail configuaration is a distinctive characteristic of typical rifles of the Dormayer School of gunsmithing. Forward of the hair trigger, you can see the tip of the tang screw projecting out of the trigger plate.
The next photo shows the uniquely shaped engraved lock bolt plate. This shape of lock bolt plate was frequently used on the cap lock rifles made by Jonathan Dormayer and his nephew Charles Monroe Knupp. I like the tri-level look at the top edge of the front of the stock panel for the lock bolt plate. The photo shows the decorative sculpted look at the front of the trigger guard. The photo also provides a good look at the grain of the curly maple gun stock and the excellent fit of the lock bolt plate to its mortice. That fit required a significant degree of craftsmanship that not all muzzleloader gunsmiths possessed.
The next photo shows that the floral engraving incorporated on the right-hand side of the wrist is repeated on the left-hand side of the wrist.
In the next image, the incised carving to the rearward of the cheekpiece was inspired by the floral shape of the patch box finial and the carving on the flanks of the wrist. If you look at the toe of the stock, you can see that the rifle has a toe plate, but the length of the toeplate is unclear. Also note the incised line that is parallel to the bottom edge of the buttstock.
This photo shows the incised carving in the tang area of the stock, and shows the pointed tang shape that was popular on muzzle loading rifles from this region of the country.
The last photo shows the decorated muzzle end of the full-octagon barrel, and the front of the grooved brass nose cap. The cut rifling has seven grooves. The muzzle decoration consists of a circle of eight round depressions that are located between two inscribed circles. The fit between the front and body of the nosecap is superb, and the line at the juncture of the two components forms an attractive decoration.
Go to the Gunsmith Index for more information on the black powder firearms of Somerset and Bedford counties, and the Pennsylvania gunsmiths who created them.
Go to the home page for other regional history topics.
The first photo provides an overall view of this sleek full stock 19th century percussion rifle from the right-hand side. Also note the shape of the tail of the percussion lock. This is the only photo I have of this muzzleloader that shows the side of the nose cap. As a subtle touch, the reflection of light from the wood finish remains relatively straight in the entry pipe area, revealing a very gradual transition from the external ramrod portion of the stock to the internal ramrod portion of the stock. This gradual transition helps to give this old rifle its graceful slender look, in my opinion. This is also the only photo I have that shows the rear sight, which is located over the ramrod entry pipe. The top of the buttstock is substantially straight, and the belly forms a slight concave curve.
