AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: Potsy on November 18, 2009, 02:06:30 AM
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I've always been more than a little fascinated by English Sporting Rifles.
I'd like to get a couple of flint longrifles under my belt and then try to do an English caplock rifle.
Are there any websites or books dedicated to them or their construction?
Compared to Longrifles or even Plains Rifles there seems to be relatively little out there on them.
Thanks!!
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I've always been more than a little fascinated by English Sporting Rifles.
I'd like to get a couple of flint longrifles under my belt and then try to do an English caplock rifle.
Are there any websites or books dedicated to them or their construction?
Compared to Longrifles or even Plains Rifles there seems to be relatively little out there on them.
Thanks!!
Get TOWs plans for the *original* Purdey. Its a place to start.
Dan
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Get TOWs plans for the *original* Purdey. Its a place to start.
It's probably the last place to start unless one is an accomplished machinist and can make almost everything. The parts choices are few or none.
A better choice is their English Sporting rifle for which they have both plans and components. Also, Pecatonica has an English Sporting rifle kit that differs from the one that Track sells. All are advanced builds.
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Get TOWs plans for the *original* Purdey. Its a place to start.
It's probably the last place to start unless one is an accomplished machinist and can make almost everything. The parts choices are few or none.
A better choice is their English Sporting rifle for which they have both plans and components. Also, Pecatonica has an English Sporting rifle kit that differs from the one that Track sells. All are advanced builds.
Yes but it will let him know what they *look like* (as opposed to the kits) and how they *were made* its a good REFERENCE. He wanted REFERENCES.
So I say its the FIRST place to start. THEN *he* can decide how he wants to proceed.
Dan
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I've heard that getting the Geometry correct on them can be tricky. I'd like to get another flinter or two under my belt before tackling it.
I'll take a peek a TOW's plans.
The VERY few I've handled felt great, and it always seemed like a gun I'd really like to hunt.
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Here is one Tim Mitchell built for me years ago. Engraving by Larry Merical, and Franz Marktl.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv490%2Fwaksupi%2Fenglishcomposite.jpg&hash=2371f2083b322ebe07663613c91d5d5048c1ea55)
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Ummmm, yeah, something like that. Man, that's nice!
I just have a real affinity for any rifle that points like a quail gun, and the few English rifles I've been around fit the bill.
Any other pics anyone might want to post would be appreciated.
Thanks!!!
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Here are a couple photos of an English rifle. Not sure of the details on it but had them on file for future reference.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi46.tinypic.com%2Fo6d5a8.jpg&hash=0c65052ef6cb9f757c30ce41ab644bc074938be6)
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi47.tinypic.com%2F15q553n.jpg&hash=7b6b62be43778e6e3f37e5f6fe18f4a01a4298b2)
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I just have a real affinity for any rifle that points like a quail gun, and the few English rifles I've been around fit the bill.
Much easier to study are English doubles or fowlers of the period. The stock architecture from the lock panels back are almost identical in both rifles and shotguns. Most of the later rifles had oct-round barrels with bar locks and drip bars. The difference is in the forestock profile and trigger guard. I have 3 patterns for English rifles (percussion) and the stock profiles are almost identical to the original English shotguns I own. Dick at Pecatonica told me that many builders order his shotgun stock and leave the forestock square to inlet their own barrel into.
Building a couple more flintlocks will not help you any, experience wise. They are completely different animals.
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Another source for viewing fine English guns is do a search for Lewis Drake and Associates. Peruse their website and you will see many fine photos of flint and percussion rifles and fowling pieces. You will get a good idea of some of the difficulties you might run into when building one of these guns. Like stated above, not your normal flint build.
Jim
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A few more builds will hone your inletting skills and temper your patience.
Two things you'll need plenty of.
JMHO
Kevin
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What TOF said. I built my .54 English sporter using Pecatonica's English shotgun stock.
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The caplocks of the 1850's were the ultimate in fit for game hunting. They raise to the shoudler and the sights lock onto the target just as the butt comes into the shoulder.
With 'some' practise, I found hitting an 8" gong every time at 50 yards offhand was a simple matter of looking at the centre of the plate, bringing the gun to my shoudler and pulling the trigger as soon as the stock was into the pocket - without looking at the sights at all. Simply, look, then gun to the shoudlerboom.
Steve Zihnn of this forum (& Nitro Express forum) makes supurb English Sporting rifles of that period in line with the Purdeys.
Taylor has now made 4 or 5 now, all shooting and fitting as the should, the smallest of .40 cal. with extra .54 cal. barrel, along with another .54, my own and buddy Keith's 11bore.
Here's a picture of 3, spanning the flint period to very early fling/percussion. The top gun is a 6 bore.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv638%2FDarylS%2FHalfstockandfullstockEnglishRifles.jpg&hash=c67797e127cf7188c89c36bc4657efa5d82e037a)
Here's my 14 bore
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv638%2FDarylS%2F14%2520Bore%2FButt.jpg&hash=bc0599fe612e51bd9edfcec1e56da6988e3e9226)
A 20 bore smoothbore which would have made an equally fine 20 bore deer rifle.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv638%2FDarylS%2FAHunkeler20bore010.jpg&hash=dd346eb460c717ed4de9646a3941fae0d5cb74fc)
Here's a J. Manton 15 bore, side by side 'pelter' of mid 1800's era.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv638%2FDarylS%2Fcid_758D5724-E859-4690-923C-BDBA9D8.jpg&hash=69cb7ae47fc2c604baca876f1f5863a485c06148)
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Jim and Barbie Chambers have a very nice English gentlemans sporting rifle kit. It is full stocked and a copy of the Turvey 1740-1750. I think I have the dates right but I had too much turkey yesterday and too ornery to go out to the shop and look it up. Just another possibility to check out. Best of luck to you.