Established 1972
Mark Silver GunMaker
(906) 523-4014
c. 1760-70 Moravian rifle, completed August 2004, and featured in the exhibition: "Art on the American frontier 1750-1850", at the Owensboro Museum of fine Art, Owensboro, Kentucky, opening 10/23/2004, through 12/31/2004.
The genesis of this piece is my interest in the rifles of the "Christians Spring" school and speculation about rifles built in 18th century Salem, North Carolina.The tract of land known as "Wachau" in German, that later became Salem, was settled in 1753 by Moravians from the Bethlehem/Christians Spring, Pennsylvania communities.
The final decision to build this piece came as I was visiting Winston-Salem, where I trained with John Bivins many years ago. This was on the return trip from John's memorial service, September 9, 2001.
In the late 1970s, John Bivins had built a fine"jaeger rifle" for a German client and signed it "I. Bivins - In Wachau."Hence, my decision to sign this piece with the inscription "In Wachau Ausgebildet" which means "I was trained in Wachau."
Design, Construction, and Finish
The design for this rifle is my interpretation of two original pieces.The first is attributed to Andreas Albrecht, the first master of the Christian Springs gun shop; this is the well known "Edward Marshall" rifle. The second and most important source of design is by an unknown maker associated with Albrecht.
The lock is custom made from parts designed by John Bivins and myself including a hand made frizzen.The barrel profile was hand filed from a larger sized barrel. The rifle was stocked from the blank using 18th century style hand saws, planes, files, and scrapers, etc.
The stock finish is a layered "violin varnish" tinted traditional red/brown. The barrel is charcoal blued, done by Jack Brooks. The lock is color hardened with the color removed from the engraved areas.
- Asking price, $12,500.
Photos not available at present
c. 1690-1720 long gun storage chest with five drawers.
Currently featured in the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art exhibition- "Art on the American Frontier 1750-1850"
Designed in the "chest on frame" style, it has somewhat the overall appearance of an elegant "side board" of the period. The lidded chest portion has space for five long guns with up to 50" barrel lengths; five drawers beneath provide space for all manner of accessories, pistols, etc.. Built using rough-sawn lumber of rare exceptionally wide, clear, white pine, the chest was completed using traditional hand saws, planes, and chisels. The boards were scrub-planed by hand to thickness and then smooth-planed on the formal surfaces. The joinery features early form wide dovetails, mortise and tenon, and half-lap joints. The maple legs and feet were lathe-turned by hand in my shop and finished by ebonizing.
The finish of the chest is polychrome "grained" paint as used on much Colonial woodwork, and has the appearance of elegant highly figured veneer work with cross banded moldings typical of the late 17th century. An elegant piece of country furniture I have long wanted to build.
- Dimensions: 71"x 19"x 38.
- Asking price $15,000.
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**SOLD** c. 1775-85 Rockbridge County Virginia rifle, my personal rifle since 1998.Featured in the book and exhibition, "Three Centuries of Tradition- The Renaissance of Custom Arms making in America 1640-1940". Stocked in a superb piece of curly maple stump wood the rifle is very extensively relief carved, even at the front of the forward ramrod pipe under the muzzle.This is only one of the unusual and somewhat European details of this Shenandoah Valley inspired rifle.The piece is designed in the style of one unknown 18th century maker and includes a faceted comb and carving at the comb nose found only on one original rifle. Brass mounts include the lavishly engraved, bird headed four piece patchbox with the owners initals, side plate and guard. The barrel is also engraved along with the tang and charcoal blued.Also featured on the cover of "Muzzleblasts" in February 2000.
- .54 cal., 43 3/4"oct. Barrel, 8 3/4 lbs.
- **SOLD** $15,000 **SOLD**
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c. 1785 London style rifle with interchangeable 12 ga. full choked barrel.
I completed this piece in 1982 for the present owner- an avid turkey hunter who has taken many wild birds with it over the years. The rifle/ fowler remains in fine condition and features a half stock of figured Bastogne walnut, relief carving at the barrel tang, a fine lock with elegant relief chiseled borders and engraved iron mounts. Featured on the cover of "Muzzleblasts" Magazine in April 1988.The piece was also shown in an article by the late John Bivins in a 1983 issue of "Rifle" magazine.
- Asking price, $14,000.
**SOLD**c. 1770-75 Moravian / Christians Spring
Explores the stylistic area between existing arms of the 1760s and the fully evolved pieces by Johann Christian Oerter of 1775. The rifle will feature extensive relief carving combined with brass and silver wire inlay. The piece is brass mounted including a guard filed from a sand casting and a hand wrought long tang butt plate - a slightly slimmer version of the one on the "Edward Marshall rifle" built by Andreas Albrecht. I think of this piece as a rifle that might have been built by Oerter as both a tribute to his mentor and as an innovative elaboration of Albrecht's work.
- .60 cal., 42" barrel, 8 3/4 lbs.
- Stocked in exhibition- grade stump curly maple
- Projected completion: Spring 2005
- **SOLD** $16,500 **SOLD**
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