Drawings of Rifle Gun Triggers, Locks, Fittings & Etc., Observations and Notes
By Jim Webb
205 pages, 5-1/2" X 8-1/2", softcover: $32.50 (b&w), $62.50 (color)
Reviewed by Bill Scurlock
THE RIFLES OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA have always been popular among modern-day muzzleloaders, both for their simple beauty and for the notion that they were everyday guns meant for use on the frontiers and in the backcountry by rugged individualists. Jim Webb has spent his life in the mountains and valleys of Southern Appalachia, and using his gift of observation and his artistic ability, he made a record of interesting things that caught his eye on old muzzleloading guns he examined. The detailed drawings and hand-lettered descriptions of these observations make up the pages of Drawings of Rifle Gun Triggers, Locks, Fittings & Etc.
Now Jim didn’t set down these drawings and descriptions in order to produce a book to sell. These were done over a 10-year period as his own record of what he saw. As he shared these pages with different friends, however, many encouraged him to create a book. So he had the pages scanned and reproduced exactly as he had originally drawn and lettered them. The result is a 205-page, homespun book that is educational, but more than that, captures the spirit of the author and of the guns he examined.
As the title suggests, this book is about the triggers, locks, fittings and other small details of mostly Southern guns. You won’t find any full-profile drawings of the rifles. You will find the details that make each rifle unique, the details that make the triggers work, many trigger guards, many triggers of all types, some barrel tangs and all sorts of other things. It’s not about documenting the complete rifle; it’s about documenting the small things that caught the author’s eye.
Copies of Drawings of Rifle Gun Triggers, Locks, Fittings & Etc. are available from the author at 333 Webb Haven Road, Hillsville VA 24343. There are two different editions available at this time, both softcover. The edition printed in color is very handsome, and is the one I would order. There are only 100 signed and numbered books in this edition, and they sell for $62.50 postpaid. The other edition is the same book printed in black ink. It is limited to 500 signed and numbered books and sells for $32.50 postpaid.
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