This stunning contemporary early Virginia style American long rifle was built by Mark Wheland of Pennsylvania, an award winning gunmaker and recently the president of the Kentucky Rifle Association. He began building in 1992 and apprenticed under Allen Martin starting in 1999. The rifle is based on a well-known example signed "F. Klette -Sevensburg" from near Culpepper, Virginia. That rifle is featured in Shumway's "Rifles of Colonial America" on p. 534 as rifle #123 and in figures 21a and 21b in the American Society of Arms Collectors article "Long Rifles of the Valley of Virginia" by Edwin N. Gewirz. Wheland's rifle features a tapered octagonal barrel with a dovetailed brass blade front sight, dovetailed notch rear sight, "SEVENSBURG" inscribed on top, and engraving on the muzzle, breech, and tang. The engraved lock is signed "M/WHELAND". The furniture is engraved brass, including an "Early Virginia" patchbox released via the rear screw at the heel. The curly maple stock has fine molding and raised relief carving. Provenance: The Robert Roughton Collection; Property of a Gentleman

Very fine with "antiqued" finish with intentional mild oxidation/pitting and generally only minor overall wear. Mechanically excellent.