The Moravians
Christian's
Spring was a small religious community located in Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. It
was settled by a group called the Moravians, who had come from Europe. They came mostly
from the areas in and around what is now called Germany.
By the mid 1700's, the Moravians were establishing Christian's Spring as a center for commerce. They were skilled in several arts, including- music, blacksmithing, lock making, and firearms repair and making. In these early years, it is likely that most of the firearms produced were assembled with parts that had mostly been made in Europe. But, over time, the Moravians became more self reliant and were able to produce the parts needed for gun making.
By the mid 1700's, the Moravians were establishing Christian's Spring as a center for commerce. They were skilled in several arts, including- music, blacksmithing, lock making, and firearms repair and making. In these early years, it is likely that most of the firearms produced were assembled with parts that had mostly been made in Europe. But, over time, the Moravians became more self reliant and were able to produce the parts needed for gun making.
These early
guns have a beauty all their own. They are my favorite style of longrifle.
Although each maker had his own "look", the Moravian firearms often
share certain features. There is often a step in the area where the wrist
meets the underside of the butt stock. This is commonly referred to as a "stepped
toe". Many of the rifles from this period had an early brass patchbox, often with a side opening hinge. Over time the hinge was moved to the "top" of the patchbox, on the end nearest the wrist. Sliding wood patchboxes were also used, but
the brass patchbox would eventually become far more common. The butts on these guns are usually fairly
straight, with very little crescent, and they are also wide and tall. Often,
the butts measure 2 inches or greater in width and at least 5 inches tall. This adds greatly to their overall architecture.
Many of the
great early gunmakers can trace their beginnings to the Moravian communities. Such men as
William Antes, Andreas Albrecht, Christian Oerter, and Jacob Dickert were
involved with the Moravian communities in Pennsylvania and produced some of the
finest firearms of that time period. For those of you who don't follow the history of the American longrifle, this list of names is a veritable "who's who" of the early stars in this trade.
I have
included here several pictures of a couple rifles I have built that follow this
early style of longrifle.
