These rifles were a product of their time and place. Unlike the "Plains Rifle" which served the early trappers and traders, or the "Hawkens" being used by the traders and trappers in the shining mountains, the Ohio Rifle was a gun for a gentleman and was popular for hunting small game and competing in friendly shooting matches.

The end of the Blackhawk Indian War in the 18030's made settlers throughout the Midwest area feel more secure from the threat of Indian attack. The Indians were moved west and south. Large game was gone or greatly reduced in numbers near the settlements and there was no need for the .50 calibre or larger rifle and its demand for greater quantities of powder and lead.

The Ohio Rifle was good for squirrels and similar small game. It was a smaller calibre rifle, with a halfstock, often of walnut. The fish-belly stock was a popular design and because it was in the hands of men who had (at least to some extent) prospered, it included brass and silver inlays and sometimes wire inlay designs. There were undoubtedly many plainer versions of this rifle that found their way into the homes of farmers and the camps of herdsmen and hunters.

Like the original "Ohio" style rifles, we know that some gentlemen (and ladies) will want some custom modifications. We can offer these rifles either without a cheek piece or with the cheek piece on both sides.