The Navy Rifle
The Marine Corps Rifle
John Rupp II Pennsylvania Rifle Replica
Exquisite one-of-a-kind flintlock rifles for sale
The Navy Rifle and The Marine Corps Rifle
Two Contemporary Flintlock Longrifles Intricately adorned with Navy and Marine Corps History
These two rifles are exquisite, commissioned pieces that were cherished by their owner for nearly 20 years. They are currently available for sale, and our hope is that they will be equally cherished by their new owners for their uniqueness, their intricate artistry and their story-telling of the history of the Navy and the Marines.
The rifles are commissioned pieces made by the renowned, historical rifle maker, Wayne P. Watson for the late David Myres, a Navy pilot and retired Captain. Both rifles were made with Jacob Kuntz style stocks; the wood is “curly maple” and the barrel is a Getz barrel made in Beavertown PA. The rifles are 50 caliber 1 in 66 round bottom rifling, swamped barrel 15/16 to 13/16 to 7/8 inch. They have never been fired.
John Rupp II Pennsylvania style flintlock rifle in .50cal
This rifle was made by CLA founding member, Wayne Watson, as a replica of an existing rifle that was originally made by John Rupp circa 1800. The original was owned by Frank Duffy and loaned to Wayne Watson so that he could make an exact replica. This rifle is patterned after the work of John Rupp II (1786-1848) who worked in Weisenburg Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania from 1812 to 1848. Often referred to as “John Rupp the Younger” he is the nephew of the renowned Lehigh Valley gun makers, Adam Herman Rupp and Johannes Rupp. His work represents the pinnacle of the late flint era of gun making and shows many similarities to that of Jacob Kuntz. This rifle is heavily embellished in sterling silver and includes an ornate brass inlay barrel signature motif.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE CLA WEBSITE:
The Navy Rifle
$20,000 $8,000
The Navy rifle has multiple artistic details that highlight the story of the US Navy, including an amazing ivory carving from the first ship, the USS Alfred, captained by John Paul Jones during the Revolutionary War. The ship’s ivory sails were shaved very thin and then overlapped with pure silver to represent the rigging. On the opposite side, the patchbox cover is ivory and it was scrimshawed by the artist to honor and remember the sailors of old who would scrimshaw the whale’s teeth and carvings they would make during long periods at sea. There is an antique 18th Century brass compass inlaid inside the sliding patch box cover. There are multiple sayings artistically added that are famous in meaning for the US Navy’s history, including, “Leadership, Unity, Service, Navigation,” “Don’t tread on Me,” “Don’t give up the Ship,” “Sir, I have not yet begun to Fight,” “Free Trade & Sailor Rights,” and “Any Where, Any Time.” It is also signed by the artist, Wayne Watson. This is a one-of-a-kind piece of art with magnificent craftsmanship and thoughtful detail honoring both the history of the longrifle and the US Navy.
The Marine Corps Rifle
$20,000 $15,000
Like the Navy Rifle, the Marine Rifle highlights the history of the US Marines through beautiful carvings and inlay. Each artistic detail has a story from the history of the Marines. Represented battles include: The Revolutionary War and its battles, Tripoli, The Mexican War, The Civil War, WWI and WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq War, and Afghanistan War. There is an amazing brass and silver eagle on the patchbox side of the gunstock with an inlay of a marine raising the flag on Iwo Jima. Other details include nods to the WWI “Devil Dogs” nickname, a Civil War cap insignia with a bugle inspired by an actual uniform cap on display at the Marine Corps Museum, ‘Vesica Pisces” to represent the island wars during WWII, and “blood stripes for the fallen.”
John Rupp Replica
SOLD
Specifications and Features:
- Finish: The finish on the metal is covered with a layer of dried on oil giving it a distressed look. There is no pitting or damage.
- Barrel Length: 42″
- Bore Condition: Clean but dull with sharp uniform rifling. The brass and silver fittings show no wear to note.
- Stock/grips: The stock shows the absolute lightest of handling
- LOP: 12.75″
- Notes: The lock mechanism is in correct working order.
Capt. W. David Myres, USN (1940-2020)
Born and raised in 1940s-1950s West Virginia, Dave grew up with a love for early American frontier history and with idols like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. He served in the US Navy as a P-2 Pilot during the 60’s and 70s and remained an active reservist while raising a family in Bucks County Pa., ultimately retiring at the rank of Captain, USN.
One of Dave’s favorite pastimes was attending gun and knife shows, and he was an avid collector of early American rifles, Navy dirks and swords, and all things military history. After a long friendship with gunmaker, Wayne Watson, he commissioned Wayne to create both the Navy Rifle and Marine Corps Rifle – a task that spanned several years. With Dave’s content direction, and Wayne’s incredible skills, these one-of-a-kind rifles were finished.
Gunmaker Wayne P. Watson
Gunmaker and Artist, Wayne Watson was an avid lover of early American explorers and the tools and weapons of their livelihood. After serving eight years in the Navy and a career as a Prince George County Police Officer, he attended the University of Maryland where he wrote a paper for a history class on the effects of the Kentucky rifle and its influence on the outcome of the Revolutionary War.
The research for this paper focused his interest on these rifles and he was introduced to George Stanford by a mutual friend. George apprenticed many years ago with Carl Pippert who was one of the founders of the Kentucky Rifle Association and these men are recognized as two of the most knowledgeable and finest traditional builders of these rifles. Wayne was an apprentice to both George Stanford and Carl Pippert. George agreed to take Wayne on as an apprentice and teach him the mysteries of 18th Century gun building. He apprenticed for 8 years before launching a career of his own.
Wayne was known for his ability to reproduce exact copies of the Master Pieces of our Colonial Period as they would look coming from the benches of the original gunstock makers. In 1991 he was approached by director, Michael Mann, to build the Kill-Deer rifle for Daniel Day-Lewis in the 1992 movie, Last of the Mohicans.
Dave Myres commissioned Wayne to make these rifles in 2003-2005. It was a labor of love for both of them and their shared passion for the historical rifles of our American forefathers and their love for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Wayne was a founding member of the Contemporary Longrifle Association. He is now retired.
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