When my son Sam had reached ten, I thought it was time to build him a gun. I had a wonderful time fantasizing about the images going on the gun: what does a boy think about when playing outdoors? What are his favorite creatures? We spent many hours in the summer along the stream, catching crayfish, building dams and throwing rocks. I had all the inspiration I needed to build this gun right in our own backyard.

Boy's Rifle < Previous | Next >

This gun is based on an English sporting rifle, but has much more drop in the buttstock to accomodate a child’s physique. The stock is American Black walnut, grown in my neighborhood.

The front sight is a grasshopper, cut from sheet silver, filed to shape, and then engraved. The barrel is turned round ahead of the stock, with integral rings and cannon muzzle. The ramrod fittings I made from steel, with the separate pieces silver soldered together. The guard and buttplate were once full size pieces which I scaled down by cutting apart and refitting.

Several other details which make this piece so special are the nosecap and the sideplate. The nosecap is made from 1/8 thick plate German SIlver, repeatedly annealed and hammered to shape, filed, chiselled and finally, engraved. The sideplate is sawn from German Silver sheet, and then polished and engraved. The scenery is reminiscent of children’s stories, perhaps the illustrations that accompany Rudyard Kilpling’s "Just So Stories” or “Mother Goose." Finally, I used an oak and acorn motif on the guard, tang, and barrel.