Jud and Emily and Little Judson
This beautiful Antes inspired rifle is finished and ready to ship to our good friend Wayne E.
I took a picture of the target where Jud sighted in the rifle from a rest at 25 yards. That was several days before my visit and the target is somewhat obscured by frost but it appears that all three balls hit the target at almost the same point of impact at the bullseye! A very accurate barrel, indeed!
Two weeks ago we experienced very cold weather with temperatures down to -45 degrees and colder over the Interior. Nearly all of Jud and Emma's heaters failed at once and had to be repaired or replaced - a major distraction from artistic endeavor!
Jud was able to overcome these setbacks quickly and on my trip to Tenderfoot today, Jud was busy finishing the engraving on the lonestar pistols.
This progress is quite dramatic and the engraving is the subject of this entry and pictures that I took today. The engraving is not quite complete but Jud hopes to have it finished by the end of today.
In Mid-November I made a trip to Tenderfoot Hill to see Jud's progress on the pair of Travelers Pistols he is completing for our old friend and distinguished collector, Ed L. The stocks had been shaped and are ready for staining, and the metal work is proceeding nicely. Much of what has been completed is not visible, for example there were some tight spots in the barrels and these have been carefully lapped. This trip was before the bottom fell out of our thermometers and temperatures dropped into the mid-40's (MINUS 40's, that is!).
Lapping the barrel
During the winter of 2018, Jud began work on an important project for the Contemporary Longrifle Association, a superb longrifle to be raffled by the organization for its 25th anniversary. Jud began the project in February and it was finished by August of that year. Jud intended for this rifle to be his modern interpretation and an outstanding example of the beauty and artisanal craftsmanship exemplified by the original rifle makers of the 18th Century. He enlisted the help and expertise of his sons Jesse and Seth who each contributed to the project. Seth made the triggers and Jesse fabricated the ramrod pipes and finished the fore-end of the stock.
The photos that follow show the project as it developed with the drawings, the shaping of the stock, fitting of inlays, engraving and final finishing.
The final set of photos show Jud, Jesse and Frank House posing with the finished rifle at the CLA 2019.
