A Family Rifle by Reuben Mock of Washington County, Kentucky
Foreword: Recently, a good quality rifle with a long Kentucky history was shared with the author to help verify its maker and provide information on when and where it was made. The gun turned out to be more interesting than the author expected with a fascinating twist in its ownership. The gun’s early owners were members of the Settle family, a well-known name in Kentucky gunmaking, but the gun actually was made by a member of the Mock family of Kentucky gunsmiths.
Figure No.1: The stamped name on the Mock rifle’s barrel is heavily worn and difficult to read. For years its Settle family owners thought it was a “Settle” rifle, in large part because the maker’s name was so obscured. The name has been enhanced slightly to better show the faint letters in this image. While almost invisible in this image, there is the top part of the letter “R” to the left of the name, indicating the maker was Reuben Mock. Courtesy M. Wright.
Rifle’s Background: The author was contacted by a descendant of Kentucky’s Settle family who had his family’s old heirloom rifle. Most prior family members had assumed it was a Settle rifle due to their family surname and a worn barrel stamp that was almost impossible to read and overlooked by most. However, when the current owner got possession of the family rifle, he examined the faint barrel stamp shown in Figure No.1 and began to think it was not “Settle” but rather “Mock.” In researching Mock rifles, he came across the author’s “Kentucky Gunmakers” web site and contacted the author to verify his thoughts about the rifle and learn more about its age and origin. The author was glad to assist and encourages contacts on old Kentucky guns and powder horns. An examination of an enhanced picture of the rifle’s worn barrel stamp verified the gunmaker’s last name was “Mock,” and a partially visible remnant of the first initial turned out to be the upper section of a capital “R.” Based on the approximate date of the rifle, its maker had to be Reuben Mock… often referred to as Reuben Mock Sr.
Figure No.2: The fresh “R. Mock” rifle is a significant gun due to being a full-stocked rifle, when most of his known guns are half-stocked. The rifle retains its original full-length barrel, original darkened finish, and has survived in excellent condition except for two small “dings.” The toe has been damaged from being set down too hard, and a small plate now missing, probably brass, once covered a small burned-out area of wood under the percussion drum. Barrel: 45-3/8 inches long, .45 caliber bore, 7-groove rifling. Courtesy M. Wright.
Figure No.3: The back of the Mock rifle highlights its fine “Kentucky style” stock architecture with long barrel, slender forestock, and triangular butt. The good quality curly maple stock wood can be seen in this picture, along with the superior condition of the gun without any significant damage or modifications. The back-action lock, guard’s double-tipped rear spur, and large, rounded cheekpiece help date the rifle to circa 1840. Note the side-facings are not rounded, but rather angled upward, on the front end. Courtesy M. Wright.
Reuben Mock: The rifle in Figures No.2 and No.3 above dates to about 1840 with its back-action lock, guard with double-tipped rear spur, and large cheekpiece. The date helps identify the gunmaker as Reuben Mock Sr. (1790-1876), called “Sr.” to separate him from several younger “Reuben Mock” gunsmiths. He worked at Springfield in Washington County, Kentucky, from about 1811 until 1870. His father was gunsmith Daniel Mauk (sic) of Virginia who moved his family to Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1789 where he became the county’s first recorded gunsmith of significance. Washington County was later formed from the eastern part of Nelson County, and in 1792 Mauk moved his family to Springfield in Washington County where he worked as a gunsmith with his brother Reuben for many years. Daniel’s son Reuben was born in 1790 and is often referred to in records as “Reuben Mock Sr.” to separate him from later/younger Reuben Mock gunsmiths. Reuben began working as a gunsmith with his father in Washington County in 1811 and the next year married Betsy Seay, daughter of Kentucky gunsmith Jacob Seay. Shortly after getting married, Reuben began working independently as a gunsmith.
Figure No.4: This view shows the cut-out below the percussion drum where burnt out wood was removed and replaced and the area covered with a small brass plate… now missing. The “Spies” marked lock is a common New England lock. Courtesy M. Wright.
Figure No.5: A major detail on the Mock rifle is its large, heavily molded cheekpiece that enhances the rear butt. Also visible is the gun’s long, two-screw Kentucky style tang and a simple lock bolt washer with small locking tab to prevent turning. Courtesy M. Wright.
The Mock Rifle: Reuben was known for making superior rifles as seen in the details of his study rifle in Figures No.4 and No.5 above. The author has handled several fine Reuben Mock rifles over the years, but most have been later half-stocked guns of fine workmanship with an oval cheekpiece inlay often displaying the date of manufacture or a short sentence similar to “Reuben Mock made this rifle in 18- -.” But the new rifle is different and despite having no inlay work, it is more attractive with its earlier full-length stock of fine curly maple and fine workmanship highlighted by a beautifully oxidized/darkened original finish. While Reuben often used “beaver tail” cheekpieces on later rifles, this rifle has a larger rounded and heavily molded cheekpiece that adds interest to the back of the rifle. Overall, it is a well-built, attractive rifle that relies on superior workmanship and great architecture for its eye appeal rather than decorative inlay work and carving.
Figure No.6: The trigger guard has details of a Bluegrass gun in its heavy front post and simple joint where the grip rail meets the bow. A cutout for a small filler plate below the percussion drum with squared off end is well defined. Courtesy M. Wright.
Figure No.7: The Mock rifle’s tang is typical for central Kentucky with its extra length and two screws, or actually a tang bolt with lower tail screw. The rifle has been well used as indicated by the burned-out wood behind the percussion drum. Courtesy M. Wright.
Surviving Accoutrements: After the author had familiarized himself with the “R. Mock” rifle for a day or two, the owner mentioned he also had the rifle’s original accoutrements including its damaged hunting bag & horn and bullet mold. Many accoutrements found with Kentucky’s early rifles were discarded back in the 1950s-1960s era when the leather was “falling apart” or the horn and bullet mold thought to have little value compared to the rifle. There was a lack of awareness of how important those supporting items would become in the future. Later researchers and collectors began to understand and appreciate accoutrements and more complete outfits, since the outfits told a more accurate story of our early frontiersmen and what they needed to keep their rifles functional and themselves alive. Complete surviving outfits with Kentucky guns are rare these days. The author asked the owner for photos of the rifle’s accoutrements to document them, and the owner provided images of the surviving hunting bag & powder horn in Figure No.8 below, and the bullet mold in Figure No.9, which have been with the rifle through many years and generations.
Figure No.8: The old bag & horn outfit is in decent shape for its many years of use followed by many more years of storage. The original leather strap was replaced by a woven strap during the bag’s working life, and the original leather thongs for the powder horn are long gone. But the horn has a nicely shaped spout and turned butt plug, and the bag’s flap is fringed. Courtesy M. Wright.
Figure No.9: The old bullet mold accompanying the Mock rifle is a bit rusty and crude for a Mock rifle. The rifle was probably “freshened” by recutting the rifling during its working life [supported by its large bore] and this may be a second mold for the rifle. Note the handles are tapered for stabbing into a corn cob or piece of wood to insulate the hands. Courtesy M. Wright.
The Mock rifle’s original hunting bag & horn set and surviving bullet mold perhaps from Mock’s gun shop in Figures No.8 and No.9 are rare surviving accoutrements seldom found with original rifles, since most rifles have lost their supporting tools over the years. The story of a branch of the Settle family in Kentucky owing a Mock rifle instead of a Settle rifle, and the survival of most of the rifle’s accoutrements, combine to make an historically important story that needs to be documented and shared with others. That’s why the rifle and its accoutrements are the subject of this short blog article. The author thanks the rifle’s current owner for sharing his family heirlooms. Hopefully his family heirlooms can now be shared with others interested in Kentucky’s history and early firearms. Reuben Mock Sr. made superior quality rifles and was an important gunmaker in central Kentucky, and this Mock rifle is a significant example of his work, made even more important because of its original accoutrements that have survived with it.