Love the trade guns, the painted ones are certainly interesting. Nice job and thanks for posting.....

I like it , i know it aint period but with some fancy tack work that would look nice as heck.

I dont know how to feel about that.. but its well done. Cool piece

I believe the blue guns were issued to the boys company militia.

Logger, the boys company of Williamsburg, armed themselves with blue painted stock guns "kept for the purpose of distributing among indians."

Painted guns were also documented in oxide red, yellow, "spotted" and white.

I didn't know any of this about painted guns, Glad I opened this thread!

Interesting bit of history. I didn't know any of it. Warrior, thanks for the bit about the southern forts. I don't normally run into any information about that far south.

I come by it because my people got mixed up in the Creek Indian Civil War, the Redstick War that was the south's portion of the War of 1812.

The British were supplying the Redsticks with guns and powder out of Pensacola. Fort Toulouse would be rebuilt as Fort Jackson by a Tennessee fellow by the name of Jackson, Andrew Jackson, as his base of operations leading Tennessee militia and Army regulars in putting down the Redsticks then later moving over to New Orleans to beat the bloody British.

Like I said would've been an interesting time if not dangerous.

Definitely would have been interesting and dangerous. A time when men were men, women were women, and childhood was basically over by your by your early teens.

Ok after learning this information about historical pained trade guns I DONT WANNA HEAR ANYONE COMPLAIN ABOUT ME RATTLE CANNING MY AR'S

Unique for sure. As long you like it and it shoots. Enjoy.

Sarge

We'll find out in a couple weeks how it shoots. This will be our first 16 gage smoothbore, barrel mic's out at .660".

I've seen a lot of antiques that had blue milk pain remains on them. A friend of mines dad used to restore antiques for a living. He spent hours removing the blue paint off of furniture for people. He told them the furniture was worth more with the paint, but people had him take it off anyway.

I'm not fond of the look of blue paint on a gun either. For a reenactment it is is the right thing to do, especially when you're vetted by your peers on authenticity. I hope it shoots well.

Keith

Reenacting though raises a question on numbers of an item. Everyone wants to be unique so they dig up a reference to a legit rare bird piece or weapon and next thing you know entire units of reenacting are showing up with what was originally a one off or small quantity issue.

You do raise a good point warrior. Good reenactors will strive to present what was common. Painted guns are referenced on trade lists quite often, they are by no means rare. They were used up in life, like most trade items. And the paint was not as durable as today's paints.

When I was a boy, I saw a flintlock musket taken from the the battlefield of horseshoe bend, Alabama, it had remnants of red paint. I appreciate the historical perspective here, it's neat to see you do that. Historical accuracy in the Deep South is lacking in the clothes and weapons during reenactments, for the settlers and natives. Take Cracker Cowboys for example, different clothes, methods, horse size, more use of whips.

I want one now. Make a good ptarmigan gun. Spice things up a little.

Oh I'm not doubting you and fully understand some items like trade guns were the Walmart specials and got used hard, broke, rebuilt, used hard again until all used up. What may survive today rarely presents a perfect picture of what was as issued.

It's often the extra special order fancy stuff that survives in better shape, or at all because it was meant to be a wall hanger aka safe queen, leading everyone to think every Natty Bumpo was roaming the wilderness with a showpiece.

But my knowledge leans more to the recent unpleasantness and the multiplicity of Southern attempts at arms.

FORGET all these NAYSAYERS that rifle is a beautiful one of a kind.

You mean grand columned "big houses" and hoop skirts didn't just spring up on their own? LOL Next you'll tell me everyone didn't have their own personal body servant bringing them mint juleps.