AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: web365ster on November 09, 2022, 06:23:10 PM

Title: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: web365ster on November 09, 2022, 06:23:10 PM

I've a weakness for really long American long rifles. What's the longest-barrelled piece you've encountered. Photos, please.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Eric Kettenburg on November 09, 2022, 07:06:14 PM

Just off the top of my head the first two that come to mind are the super long Reading rifle in RCA1, barrel is definitely over 50" and I think is a few inches longer, and also the J. Baum signed rifle in one of the RCA books which is @ 51" or 52" long (barrel).  There was a super long barrel on a gun in the first Moravian book but I feel pretty sure that's a German gun.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Sequatchie Rifle on November 09, 2022, 07:11:13 PM

6'3" total length
57 1/4th inch barrel
Stamped "1871 Ambrose Lawing warranted for D.M. Hampton"

Made the year before he died.
Picked it up Anderson County, Tn. from John Rice Irwin many years ago.
(https://i.ibb.co/smrLKdZ/Ambrose-Lawing-for-D-H-Hampton.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xCQV1tN)

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Ezra on November 09, 2022, 07:39:01 PM

For my agonizingly slow Gillespie project I am using a swamped 50 1/2”, .42 caliber barrel made for me by our own Bobby Hoyt.  The barrel and stock should be arriving to Dave Rase very soon for inletting.  Alot of the old Hudson Bay fowlers were very long barreled, if memory serves.

Ez

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: smokinbuck on November 09, 2022, 08:03:30 PM

Not extremely long but I have a Pennsylvania Rifle works .32 rifle with a 46.5" barrel. Made between 1837 &1858.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Bob Roller on November 09, 2022, 08:40:44 PM

I had a long rifle about 60 years ago with a 48"barrel and maybe in shootable condition.
It turned out to be a gun stolen from a home 2 blocks North of us and there was a police report on it.
I knew the owner and never knew he had the gun and the police were given the name of the bozo I bought it from.I was out maybe $20.several of our local cops knew I shot these and when officer Gene Patterson asked me if I had seen a long gun I told him I had just bought one and it WAS the stolen gun from Ted Thornburg;s home.The "Bozo"I found out was well know by the police and he got a 5 year "All expenses paid vacation"at the Hotel  Graybars Resort in a far away county.Three hots and cot with no room service, ;D ;D ;D ;D
Bob Roller

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: smallpatch on November 10, 2022, 03:14:00 AM

RCA #26 has. 51” barrel. Mine has a 48”.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: moodyholler on November 10, 2022, 03:30:57 AM

Posted 48" barrelled McGilvary today. 50 cal

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: blienemann on November 10, 2022, 06:44:01 AM

Classic Lancaster pattern rifle ca 1780's with 51 3/4" barrel. Wonderful profile, shaping and carving, might be by A Albrecht and son Henry Albright. Long, slim and sweet! Bob

(https://i.ibb.co/gWVWBjK/70-lock-full-email.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bvJv8W9)

(https://i.ibb.co/zHyMLf3/70-34-lock-email.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tP7GNC0)

(https://i.ibb.co/GJFVXbp/70-left-butt-email.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CtWnqT8)

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Brian Jordan on November 10, 2022, 02:44:22 PM

I currently own a .54 smooth rifle with a 62-1/4" barrel. She's a sweet shooter!

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: mr. no gold on November 10, 2022, 09:27:19 PM

Bob, that is one magnificent rifle! Looks to me like a 'one gun collection' as Ruth Collis, the late secretary of the KRA used to say. Thank you for the great photos.
Brian, what style, school and so on is your long barreled smooth gun; any photos? Seems to me that you hold the record at the moment. Jim Whisker shows a 'one man three boy' long gun in some of his books, but I don't think that it was American made.
Dick
 

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: D. Taylor Sapergia on November 10, 2022, 09:29:04 PM

I've seen some chunk guns or over the log rifles with exceptionally long barrels...do these count?

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Brian Jordan on November 10, 2022, 10:42:48 PM

Here it is pictured with a 42" barrel 20 gage

The long barreled gun I would say is from the woodbury school built by Mr. Chris DePerro.



(https://i.ibb.co/4SdfLP9/2-smoothbores.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KswGgFR)

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: mr. no gold on November 11, 2022, 12:12:06 AM

Thank you for the photos, Brian. That certainly is a 'reach out and touch someone' gun! It is a good looking piece for sure. Must be a hoot to shoot!
Dick

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Seth Isaacson on November 11, 2022, 01:32:33 AM

Aside from a few "over the log" type rifles with barrels over 48 inches, most of the longer ones I've seen were "fowlers" or "smooth rifles." I had a .52 caliber smoothbore with a 50 inch barrel on my desk today.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Brian Jordan on November 11, 2022, 02:55:40 PM

This one puts the length more into perspective. I'm just shy of 6' tall.


(https://i.ibb.co/6rGYtgW/smoothbore-standing.jpg) (https://ibb.co/djXBpG5)

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Dennis Glazener on November 11, 2022, 04:24:29 PM

Quote from: Sequatchie Rifle on November 09, 2022, 07:11:13 PM

6'3" total length
57 1/4th inch barrel
Stamped "1871 Ambrose Lawing warranted for D.M. Hampton"

Made the year before he died.
Picked it up Anderson County, Tn. from John Rice Irwin many years ago.
(https://i.ibb.co/smrLKdZ/Ambrose-Lawing-for-D-H-Hampton.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xCQV1tN)

Bill
At 57 1/4" do you think the barrel has been cut or, as Earl Lanning said about both my and his Gillespie's being 45 1/4", it was the longest their rifling bench would handle . Nice rifle.
Dennis

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Sequatchie Rifle on November 14, 2022, 12:52:49 AM

This gun originally belonged to David Byrd’s great or great great grandfather. It’s the original length, but may have been rifled in two separate processes when it was made.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: mr. no gold on November 14, 2022, 02:11:01 AM

Bill, does it show any evidence of having been possibly two barrels welded together? I am told that they sometimes did that. I saw an early N.Beyer, (well, early for Beyer that is) barrel that had an odd wrinkle on the top flat and on the bottom. Barrel was smooth and large bore as I recall. Someone who knows about these things looked at it and said that two barrels had been welded together at that place.
Odd, because the overall length of the barrel was short, 40-42 inches at the most. Always wondered why the builder found it necessary to do that as the gun was a superb specimen of Beyer's work.
Thank you for posting the photo of your grand SMR. Can't beat that one.
Dick

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Sequatchie Rifle on November 14, 2022, 02:46:23 AM

Dick, if I recall correctly, that’s what was done. There is a slight irregularity that may be the seam where the two were connected.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: tooguns on November 14, 2022, 04:56:38 PM

How about this,not sure where on the web I found it
(https://i.ibb.co/DzYwH7C/15828373-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XjDFrzs)

(https://i.ibb.co/pWFR1Dr/15828373-4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/B4MrfDK)

(https://i.ibb.co/94g0cGz/15828373-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vdqWVDg)


shiloh point elementary (https://nonprofitlight.com/ga/cumming/pta-shiloh-point-elementary)

(https://i.ibb.co/NyN1BJZ/15828373-3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HHPN8bn)

(https://i.ibb.co/3ymgDQL/15828373-10.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d048dxz)

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Sequatchie Rifle on November 15, 2022, 03:20:24 PM

The longest rifle. This gun was built with the intent on setting a “world record” at the York Shoot roughly 15-20 years ago. The owner arrived at the shoot and based on what I have been told, didn’t shoot. I owned it for a couple of years. It hung out of the back of by truck by two feet. I took it to the Tennessee show three years ago in the rain and had to wrap it in a tarp! It is an iron-mounted Tennessee rifle. I believe the barrel is about 8 feet long. I’m 6’3”.
(https://i.ibb.co/xDL9DhG/A2-AE6614-0-C15-416-D-9-D91-8-A03-B032-BB10.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MsSwsnp)

(https://i.ibb.co/Yk1vDvq/D6-C24867-BB31-486-B-9-EC7-5-A01356089-FF.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hW4pXpt)

(https://i.ibb.co/NYZW2v5/17389-D87-922-D-41-A8-8-CEE-4-D09909-BB670.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tC8YpGg)

(https://i.ibb.co/sVnqWY6/91-A76-C98-FEAE-4-ADA-BC0-A-8-FFF31-CA297-C.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0GTrsbF)

(https://i.ibb.co/z7Grn87/86800956-BEDB-422-F-A98-F-DCC951-D2-D0-CF.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MGMs28G)

(https://i.ibb.co/1GYnpHN/1-E1322-A0-2343-4082-A2-D2-21461-D56-B50-C.jpg) (https://ibb.co/m5rBYQK)

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Rajin cajun on November 15, 2022, 04:49:25 PM

Made for hunting squirrels on very y’all trees!!!!!🐿🐿🐿
Bill, that was a neat rifle  !

Bob

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: bama on November 15, 2022, 07:31:33 PM

Bill, did you get that rifle at my first show in Alabama. Seems like I remember that rifle belonged to a gent from Birmingham. He sat at the back of the room next to the door that went out to the loading dock. He wanted to sit there so he didn't have to carry that gun any farther than he had to.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: Sequatchie Rifle on November 15, 2022, 07:46:21 PM

It was mine then.  I toted it to your show in Rogersville that year.  I leaned up in the corner of the room and almost forgot it!  I was hoping Gerald would take it home by mistake!!!!  I bought it near Red Boiling Springs, Tn.  An old fellow traded it for an electric guitar and amp.  He didn't even have a car and walked to the county store/pawn shop carrying it.  I was able to track down the history. Ed Rayl remembered the project and participated with Charlie Bowers of NC in 2000.

Title: Re: Longest Antique Long Rifle Barrel?
Post by: mr. no gold on November 16, 2022, 01:32:02 AM

Well, I swan!!! All these big old long barreled guns coming out.Where have they been hiding? Bill, it sounds like you had a difficult time hiding the one that towers over your head. Must be more around somewhere. Thank you for letting us see it.
Dick