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Jack T. Haugh

~ Fit & Finish to the Highest Degree ~
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Jack T. Haugh on his 77^th birthday at the Lake Cumberland CLA mini show,just after he had been surprised with a birthday cake complete with candles.

Introduction

Jack Theodore Haugh was born in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1931. He came from a farming family, however his father not having any inclination to work on a farm had moved north to work in the factories and Jack was born while they were living there. Soon after the death of his grandfather in 1933, his family moved back to Seneca County, Ohio specifically the town of Tiffin. Jack says that during the late 1940’s, his teenage years, that Ohio half stock percussion rifles were abundant and that he and his friends got great pleasure out of repairing and getting them to shoot. Thus the first rifles he produced were of this style. His first job was “trimming trees” and I must say that I find this rather ironic as just last year at 76 years old he fell out of a tree while trimming limbs and about broke his back, having to wear an aggravating turtle shell brace for several months.

Jack and his wife Barbara were married in May, 1950 in the little town of Greenup, Kentucky that sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Sandy Rivers. In 1951 he started working at the Webster Foundry in Tiffin, Ohio and worked there for 20 years. Jack states, “I started building guns full time in 1954 and from then on I held down two jobs, I worked at the foundry during the day and came home and often worked building guns to 1:00 or 2:00 o’clock in the morning, always getting up and going back to the foundry the next day…” and I must add that he still embraces that work ethic to this day. Just recently Jack has discovered from his daughters interest and research into family genealogy, that his Great-Grandfather was a blacksmith and lived just outside of Frederick, Maryland. He says this was somewhat of a surprise to him as his Grandfather was an educator and while he amassed and managed many acres of rich Seneca county farmland, was by profession a professor at historic Tiffin University.

Through the years, Jack has been most influenced by English firearms, both muzzleloading and cartridge guns. Early on Jack worked with Jim Houston and Tilton Bowden at “H & B Forge”, famous for their throwing knives and tomahawks, and in order to make financial ends meet he built rather simple, unadorned rifles and produced a cast “pipe tomahawk” that H&B Forge still markets today. However, his true interest was soon focused upon European firearms and finer more artistic fowlers, jaegers, and English rifles. Jack had family in Colorado and moved there after leaving the foundry in Ohio, but in 1975 he moved from Fort Collins, Colorado to the little town of Elrod, Indiana on the ridge above Friendship, home of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. Staying there only a short while, he soon moved down into the valley, to the town of Friendship and established his muzzle-loading career at that location. He quickly became quite a legend and his shop was a famous “hang out” of the best of contemporary muzzleloading artists of the day. In 1982 after another short stint in Fort Collins, he moved to his current abode, about 30 or so miles away, in Milan, Indiana. Here he has made a name for himself as a builder of fine muzzleloading firearms, exclusive cartridge rifles and as a restoration artist of fine European firearms.

Becoming a Legend

Jack Haugh became a “household” name in the muzzleloading world in 1976 when he along with John Bivins, Tom White, Monte Mandarino, and Mark Silver produced a series of longrifles in honor and celebration of the bi-centennial of America’s independence. These Pennsylvania styled rifles, the odd numbers signed by Bivins and the even numbers by Haugh and their accompanying powder horns by Tom White, are highly sought by contemporary longrifle collectors today.

This unique lock with flash pan cover/safety was a project of intrigue. “I just wanted to know how it worked” says Jack. The original was designed for a coach pistol to be carried “cocked and primed” and yet safe.

Jack has always been known for his superior handmade locks. However about 1980, he became interested in 18^th century English guns by makers such as Twigg, the Manton’s, Durs Egg and others, and came to the decision to recreate some examples of their work. Mike Parish, long time friend and student of Jack’s sums it up, “The guns of London were fit & finished to the highest degree of ability by a team of craftsmen. Jack simply decided to re-create these masterpieces. For one man to build the lock, make the masters and cast the silver mounts, is a tremendous undertaking. Then to also, fit, finish and engrave, literally fashioning the entire piece is almost unbelievable!”

When interviewed back in 1979 by Robert Weil for his landmark book, “Contemporary Makers of Muzzle Loading Firearms”, Jack stated, “I once was a documentarion, but that is uncreative and a repetition of the same mistakes…” Remaining true to this statement, through the years Jack Haugh’s work has indeed shown much individualism. It has ultimately become the epitome of European styled contemporary firearms. In all honesty, he spearheaded the study & recreation of this style of work in today’s contemporary gunbuilding fraternity. His creations have provided the benchmark that all other work has been compared to, one often hearing the phrase, “Jack Haugh quality” when in conversation about fine contemporary firearms. Many of today’s better known and esteemed makers of contemporary firearms consider Jack a mentor and openly give him credit for much influence in regard to the respected artisans they have become. The Contemporary Longrifle Association provides an annual venue for gunmakers to present their latest creations and we see many interpretations of American gunmaking styles in today’s contemporary longrifle circles, but few artists alive today have the talent, intuition and ability to improve upon original designs from the guilds of fine European gunmakers. Jack Haugh is one such individual.

The Gunsmith Trade

Haugh is well known and much admired throughout the full spectrum of the gunsmith trade and for the last 15 years or so, has focused on modern cartridge guns and worked extensively on the restoration of fine English sporting firearms. He is considered top in his field. When ask why that he evolved away from muzzleloaders, he replied that the market was rather slim for the high art firearms that he wanted to build stating, “they just took too much time, and they just cost too much for most folks to afford them.” Unlike many of today’s builders, Jack always felt that to be fair to the patron and to himself, that keeping a log and “charging by the hour” was the only realistic method of putting an honest price on a particular piece of work. Short of the barrel, he usually makes each and every part, with the lock alone often taking as much as a 150 hours of bench time; so… at the hourly wage of $20 per hour back in the 1990’s a finished firearm could easily reach $6 to $8 thousand dollars. These days his wage is $30 an hour.

During the fall and winter of 2006 Jack built his first muzzleloader in 11 years. The commission was for a pistol that would be an icon of his work, a comprehensive yet concise artistic statement of the gunsmiths’ art and craft. When closely perusing the featured pistol, one detects influence from the noted English gunmaker John Twigg, but also readily notices that it is not a copy. The distinctive flint lock of this silver mounted pistol closely resembles one by “Thwaits of Bath” , that can be seen on page 54, in Neal & Black’s, “Great British Gunmakers  ~1740-1790 ”, designed with a unique anti-friction link attached to the tail of the frizzen pan-cover. Jack commented with his friendly chuckle, “I had always wanted to see if I could make one of those…” All the silver mountings: guard, thimbles, escutcheon, sculpted sideplate, were fashioned from sheet, hand chiseled and engraved by Jack, even the impressive “grotesque-mask” stirrup butt cap, and although this personal firearm closely follows the style of 18^th century England, this piece is utterly “Jack Haugh”. This grand pistol far and above exceeded the highest expectations of the client and will indeed serve as a definitive representation of the work of Jack Haugh thru the ages. It has become an integral component of a collection of pistols that is being assembled to stand as record of the many fine artisans working in the field today.

The lock of this Silver Mounted Pistol closely resembles one by “Thwaits of Bath” with a unique anti-friction link attached to the tail of the pan- cover. All silver mountings were fashioned from sheet and hand chiseled by Jack.

A New Era

Contemporary Longrifle Association President Alan Hoeweler presenting the coveted Distinguished Service Award to Jack T. Haugh (notice Jack’s “turtle shell” brace from his tree trimming accident)

At the 2007 annual meeting of the Contemporary Longrifle Association, Jack was bestowed with the coveted, “Distinguished Service” award. He was also honored with the presentation of an educational exhibit of his life’s work, telling his story with graphics and examples of his work from the 1960’s to his most recent piece completed winter of 2006/2007. This experience obviously made a great impact on this humble gunsmith and he was so impressed by the overall excitement and enthusiasm of the artist and collectors of the Contemporary Longrifle Association, that he approached the CLF Board of Directors announcing that he wanted to build and donate a rifle, complete with a hand-made lock, to be auctioned for the benefit of the organization. Said Jack, “I want to do something, something to help this great organization continue in its diligent support of this muzzle-loading discipline; something that will hopefully add fuel to this movement, this phenomenon in the world of the Contemporary Rifle.”

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The bold design of this German Jaeger is from an original, circa 1750 by J.J. Kuchenreuter of Regensburg, featured in “Royal Sporting Guns from Windsor”. Plate 28.

A closer view of the box side of this piece reveals the detailed baroque carving and impressive handmade flint lock. This lock was reproduced and marketed by the R.E. Davis Company

The cheek side exhibits bold but flowing lines, accentuated with relief carving evolving both front and aft of the rounded cheek piece. Further embellishments include an “ebony and ivory” star in the Cheek, a chiseled silver thumb escutcheon and a copious amount of graceful silver wire inlay.

One can peruse this rifle for many hours and continue to find meticulous exquisite details.

“Twigg” style fowler, stocked in English walnut - 14 bore - following the lines of a piece in the “Earl of Alsyford” collection, illustrated in “Great British Gunmakers” by Neal & Black.

The lock alone consumed 150 bench hours and the barrel boasts a full-length chiseled rib.

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This rifle follows the line of John Newcomer, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania maker; specifically rifle #73 in Shumway’s, “Rifles of Colonial America”. Jack says he likes this rifle the best of any he has ever made.

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Jack built this impressive rifle about 1976, just after he moved to Friendship, Indiana. The barrel is by Bob Paris and all other components including the lock are hand-made.

Lancaster style rifle along the lines of Isaac Haines, built and donated to the Contemporary Longrifle Association for the 2008 fund-raising auction.

The rifle is just gorgeous. He spent more than a month of bench time on the lock alone. The lines of the piece are readily recognized to be that of a rifle from the Lancaster County area of Pennsylvania, and it feels much like the work of Isaac Haines. However, it is neither a copy of any one gun nor the work of any particular maker. It’s a “Jack Haugh”, a product from his heart and his hands and will forever stand as testament to his life, his talent, and his passion. Jack told me, “I felt my age on this one, I think maybe I’m slipping a little”. However, all who have had the opportunity to fondle this extraordinary example of contemporary art, wish that that even at our prime we would have had the talent and ability to produce such a fine rifle.

All those present at the 2008 meeting of the Contemporary Longrifle Association had a very rare and unique opportunity to bid, win, and buy this grand and important work of art. It was auctioned off and brought a well deserved price of $22,000 with the proceeds going to further the mission and add fuel to the “movement” and advancement of the Contemporary Longrifle.

Jack, speaking for the entire association, we want to say “thank you”, so very much for this exceedingly generous contribution of your life’s work and we truly honor you for all you have done to teach and influence “us” throughout the years.

Jack turns 78 years old in February of 2009 and still has the work ethic of a seasoned European tradesman. He works along side his wife Barbara; known for her barrel finishes, in a wonderful shop in Milan, Indiana.

This grand pipe tomahawk is Jacks interpretation of the famous Butler-Pittsburg axe. Designs are taken from the original, straying only with an Osage Orange haft.

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