AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: westbj2 on December 24, 2020, 05:57:42 PM
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The component parts for this rifle were hand built by a friend about 20 years ago, the parts list includes lock, breech, tang, trigger/trigger guard and trigger plate. The butt plate, forend escutcheons are fr.om Rod England. Hammer made in my shop.
The rifle is infuluenced by both Whitworth and Alex Henry. A notable addition to the project is an elevating cheekpiece as found on a few original Henry rifles. I was fortunate to have borrowed an original rifle with this feature to use for reference. The 34" barrel is .451 bore.
Below are some photos
(https://i.ibb.co/C8TXFRz/roberts1-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F3jftRK)
(https://i.ibb.co/dGxZg2f/roberts1-3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hDw0fWg)
(https://i.ibb.co/L5qhmGn/whitworth1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JQbFVh5)
(https://i.ibb.co/6PHyMLP/whitworth-3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qsNDSVs)
(https://i.ibb.co/HNG2XcR/whitworth-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/5Ys92QC)
(https://i.ibb.co/bbC2SPt/whitworth-cheek-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/z6B7yrd)
(https://i.ibb.co/XX0FRvf/IMG-2146.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qBqmQPL)
Below are photos of the original elevating cheekpiece. Note. The original lead screw for the assembly was a double lead acme thread. Due to complications of making a copy of the threads, a single lead screw was used instead.
(https://i.ibb.co/k9s5rZB/IMG-2134.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fnzqKJF)
(https://i.ibb.co/VTFdcqQ/IMG-2137.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7K3Hd1R)
(https://i.ibb.co/Z2YHWCW/henry-cheekpiece.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MBG8MLM)
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Everything looks really good, great piece of wood with what looks to me as perfectly inletted parts. Keep showing more of this rifle.
Bob
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What is there not to like?
Is that rifle going to Alabama when it is done?
What is the check piece made from? Looks metal? I assume it will be covered with leather?
Who is the barrel maker?
How much checkering and engraving will be done?
Might have to figure out a reason to run up there and take a look at it in person.
Fleener
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Great start to a unique piece. Will you be building the case too?
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Art,
Yes, it will be going to Alabama. The cheekpiece is made of sheet steel and will be covered with leather. Lucky to have a friend who has done many, many leather covered recoil pads.....he has agreeded to covering the rest with leather.
Dont remember the barrel maker but 20 years ago there werent that many doing this kind of work.
Checkering and engraving will be modest as were most Whitworths.
Jim
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Nice to have a standard bore size. There are some .450" and .451" bullet moulds.
I have found that if an oversized bullet (.457" or .458") is first lubed, that it can be sized down as much as .010" and
maintain it's integrity. (no distortion) This, in itself, will the list of possibilities.
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Great project for sure.The maker of that lock should have his name inside of it.
I have made about 40 of these 4 pin locks and maybe 12 with 3.Also 7
scaled down 4 pin types for boys rifles.I fired Rick Weber's Henry years ago
at Friendship and in spite of the long stock I got a lucky off hand hit at 500
yards.Keep us in the loop with this project as much as possible.
Bob Roller
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Accuratemolds.com
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Real nice work Jim.
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Nice to have a standard bore size. There are some .450" and .451" bullet moulds.
I have found that if an oversized bullet (.457" or .458") is first lubed, that it can be sized down as much as .010" and
maintain it's integrity. (no distortion) This, in itself, will the list of possibilities.
If grease grooved bullets are used and accuracy suddenly goes away,unbreech it and you will probably
find the grooves are full of lube and hardened powder fouling and that will prevent the proper upset of
the bullet on ignition.I found this out from the rifle I cobbled up in 2001 using a GM 450-458 barrel with
a 1 in 18 twist.The bullet was a 560 grain 458 grease grooved type from a custom mould sized to .4505
and 75 grains of GOEX 3fg sent it down range with good accuracy at 500 meters.I did not clean between
shots and I am sure that was a contributor to the fouling problem.I was too lazy to make a mould for a
paper patched bullet and used the old Lyman 451112 Sharps Bailey bullet in my Henry barreled Whitworth
and shot it for 11 years with no trouble.I think the sizing of that custom bullet wiped off too much lube and
the 451112 was shot as cast and weighed 485 grains.
I made the lock for this gun as well as the sights and used Don Brown's breech and precarved stalking rifle
stock because I had a correct trigger guard and it was good looking.I shot it against large caliber breech
loaders and won at 500 meters shooting from a rest.
Bob Roller
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I dream of building one of these rifles someday. I dont have anywhere near the skill to pull it off yet but hopefully I will before I'm to old to see the sights. Finding components for such rifles seems like a real chore and mostly custom made. Finding appropriate locks seems almost impossible with most of the few guys that know how to build them retiring.
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Interesting. Very nice work!
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Dont remember the barrel maker but 20 years ago there werent that many doing this kind of work.
Could it have been Ken Owen. He was making Rigbys back then and made some barrels for Don Brown.
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Beautiful work on that lock, hammer too. What book is it that’s illustrating the adjustable cheek piece?
Merry Christmas
Richard
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I dream of building one of these rifles someday. I dont have anywhere near the skill to pull it off yet but hopefully I will before I'm to old to see the sights. Finding components for such rifles seems like a real chore and mostly custom made. Finding appropriate locks seems almost impossible with most of the few guys that know how to build them retiring.
Wyomingwhitetail check out this thread.
https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=54946.0
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The cheekrest info is in
"The Target Rifle in Australia" now out of print
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Jim, I hope you dont mind that I asked the owner of the rifle who made the barrel as I was curious as well. He said it is a Badger 1 in 18 twist.
I have used Badger barrels for years and love them. I wished that they still made them. My two Don Brown Alex Henry's have this same barrel on it.
Fleener