AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: Smokey Plainsman on July 21, 2019, 09:34:15 AM
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Do any contemporary makers make blunderbusses? I’d like to have one made. I’m not interested in making my own.
Any recommendations?
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Smokey, have you tried the search function? Go to the forum of interest (Gun Building) and at the top right corner of the page is a field for searching.
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Didn't see much. Guess I'll just buy an Indian one.
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Hi,
A search for "blunderbus" yielded 6 pages and 155 posts on blunderbusses in Gun Building. Dave Crisalli makes superb ones but keep in mind his are Cadillac versions.
dave
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Was hoping to get a few recommendations on builders. Just didn’t know if any had any on the top of their head that’s all. Looking for a working gun, not a precious engraved museum grade one.
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Pm sent
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I just finished this one up for a customer. It is an 11 ga.
(https://i.ibb.co/LCRS0h0/20190704-121203.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wKgydrd)
(https://i.ibb.co/7vRZBHq/20190704-121059.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BLrQvm9)
(https://i.ibb.co/PYyq5YS/20190704-121045.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mBKfHBx)
(https://i.ibb.co/YBLwSbz/20190704-121020.jpg) (https://ibb.co/yFQ7CVw)
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What is tha tbarrel made of and has it been proofed?
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I can't recall what it's made of, but It's from Jack Garner at Tennessee Valley Manufacturing, and has been proofed.
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My question is what in the world could you use it for. No good for target shooting, worthless for trap, or hunting. But, it is an dingbat magnet, if you get one every dingbat in camp will be in your camp fondling your blunderbuss. Been there, done that, never again.
Hungry Horse
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Was hoping to get a few recommendations on builders. Just didn’t know if any had any on the top of their head that’s all. Looking for a working gun, not a precious engraved museum grade one.
I just checked on top of my head and found nothing, not even a hat. BUT, I have built a few of these over the years, here's a couple. First one is English, the second is Germanic, both 11 bore or so. I wouldn't buy an india made one if you're fond of your body parts.
http://www.fowlingguns.com/englishfowler3.html
http://www.fowlingguns.com/englishfowler8.html
If you're looking for instant gratification I'm not your man, I'm a couple years out.
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Dave C. of this site, has built some exceptionally ornate blunderbuss with MUCH of the build in a pictorial display.
A search should find them.
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I just finished this one up for a customer. It is an 11 ga.
(https://i.ibb.co/LCRS0h0/20190704-121203.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wKgydrd)
(https://i.ibb.co/7vRZBHq/20190704-121059.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BLrQvm9)
(https://i.ibb.co/PYyq5YS/20190704-121045.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mBKfHBx)
(https://i.ibb.co/YBLwSbz/20190704-121020.jpg) (https://ibb.co/yFQ7CVw)
VERY nice, Justin. I like that a lot.
Might possibly have a CVA brass barrel buss kit on commission for a build in a week or so, will have to see. Supposedly the barrel is made in Spain and is proofed.
Would a brass barrel Spanish CVA buss be safe to shoot? If so, at what charge? Hovey Smith has hunted turkey and small game with success with a buss, so don’t say it can’t be done. Besides I’d just be using it for woods blasting and plinking fun. God forbid I do that, right? I must be a dingbat. ;)
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Built as a first model Bess, Getz barrel and iron parts from TRS about 25 years ago.
Kevin
(https://i.ibb.co/rm9GGm8/IMG-0637-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KXnjjX4)
host pictures free (https://imgbb.com/)
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Built as a first model Bess, Getz barrel and iron parts from TRS about 25 years ago.
Kevin
(https://i.ibb.co/rm9GGm8/IMG-0637-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KXnjjX4)
host pictures free (https://imgbb.com/)
Groovy baby! ;D
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Not really looking for a commission but I have one on my bench at the moment that I'm building for a client. Hardest part is getting a barrel :) :) :)This one has a .75 Getz barrel . Just have it rough shaped so far but I'll have it on my table at Dixons if anyone want's to check it out.
Mitch
(https://i.ibb.co/YPZ2Hyn/67458296-511616032977853-6790732131250208768-n.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HBd75xw)
(https://i.ibb.co/Ps2LfCK/67404202-335901210688827-1337640527520071680-n.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hxG6t8b)
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I've been after a barrel like that from Getz for over 30 years....
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Thems some good luck busses, yall.
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One of my first experiences as an expert witness in muzzle loader failures was with an Asian Indian made blunderbuss, sold by Navy Arms. Val Forgett appologized, he did not realize they made then that badly.
The shooter was firing blanks, consisting of about a 12ga shell full of black powder & generous newspaper wadding.
Breechplug came out and sailed, fortunately, past his head.
Metal OK. Very fine threads with almost no engagement. Not so good.
Even if you do not like having your own two eyes, I would urge you not to get an Indian muzzle loader.
I like this one, albeit for hanging on wall only.
(https://i.ibb.co/HgsyM0D/Blunderbuss-June06-N0044scale35-copy.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pX8Tsgv)
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Are the brass barrel Spanish CVA busses safe?
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Are the brass barrel Spanish CVA busses safe?
I don't know, but they sure are ugly. Sort of a cartoon caricature of a blunderbuss...A real Elmer Fudd type gun. The one I handled the funnel on the end of the barrel screwed on and off....very cool.... ::)
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I've been after a barrel like that from Getz for over 30 years....
The one I have came from Don. Good luck!
Kevin
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I've been after a barrel like that from Getz for over 30 years....
The one I have came from Don. Good luck!
Kevin
I gave up long ago.
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Quote from: burnt on Today at 11:48:53 AM
Quote from: Mike Brooks on July 24, 2019, 04:14:15 PM
I've been after a barrel like that from Getz for over 30 years....
The one I have came from Don. Good luck!
Kevin
I gave up long ago.
Modify message
I actually did'nt get it from John.....I got it from the Dave Hughes estate after he passed.Good chance it was made while Donny was still in charge!!
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I’d imagine a buss would be a formidable home defense weapon or for defending the tent during events. Weren’t these loaded with nails and rocks etc.? Sounds nasty!
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I’d imagine a buss would be a formidable home defense weapon or for defending the tent during events. Weren’t these loaded with nails and rocks etc.? Sounds nasty!
I think rocks and nails are an old tall tail. Buckshot was probably used more often than not.
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I’d imagine a buss would be a formidable home defense weapon or for defending the tent during events. Weren’t these loaded with nails and rocks etc.? Sounds nasty!
I think rocks and nails are an old tall tail. Buckshot was probably used more often than not.
I see. Wonder what sized buckshot, how many pellets, at what charge? For that matter, what was the bore diameter of the common buss minus the flare?
Seems as if these were as “worthless” as some are saying, they’d of never been made at all? There must be some use for them. I’d love to have one made or at least get a CVA one, provided they’re safe to shoot with a brass barrel.
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Can't speak for others, but the 11 ga (.75 cal) I just finished kept seven out of nine 00 buckshot pellets on a standard silhouette target at 25 M. It is a light, fast, close range weapon that can be fired one handed easily. It is formidable up close, just don't expect deer hunting accuracy at 50 m.
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Mine was mostly for blanks but for live fire a .735 ball with three .32 cal ball and paper wasp wadding pushed by 100gr of ffg worked well.
Kevin
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I shot skeet with The Germanic one I pictured above. With 1 1/2oz #9 shot I could only hit stations #1 & #7. Very broad pattern out of that belled barrel interior.
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I’d imagine a buss would be a formidable home defense weapon or for defending the tent during events.
Man, what kind of events do you go to?
Tim
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I’d imagine a buss would be a formidable home defense weapon or for defending the tent during events.
Man, what kind of events do you go to?
Tim
Friendship ca. 1970's? ;D
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Without talking about the “unmentionables” too much, I’ve been known to keep a short single shot 12 gauge in the corner by the bed for... social work.
I can’t imagine a buss stoked with buckshot and kept clean n’ ready would be any less effective. I HIGHLY doubt any burglar would be too interested in sticking around after firing such a beast, even with a miss!!
Regardless, thanks to all for educating me on the Blunderbuss. I find the, extremely fascinating and want to own one for sure. Maybe the dingbat genes run strong in me?? :)
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Basically a blunderbuss is a fancy pants sawed off shotgun. They were primarily used as coach guns against highwaymen, and as a boarding weapon on sailing ships. There is virtually no modern use for them, unless you have an Elmer Fudd fetish.
Hungry Horse
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HH: the same could be said for all of the broadswords in my collection. There is a fascination with the blunderbuss that cannot be denied. I bought a thin paper backed book on the subject, just to feed the hunger.
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Basically a blunderbuss is a fancy pants sawed off shotgun. They were primarily used as coach guns against highwaymen, and as a boarding weapon on sailing ships. There is virtually no modern use for them, unless you have an Elmer Fudd fetish.
Hungry Horse
WHO CARES?? We get it, you aren’t a fan! Anything that gets people interested in these old guns is fine by me. I assume you think I shouldn’t care to own a blunderbuss? That’s what it seems like. If that’s the case, then I want one doubly just to spite folks like yourself.
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(https://i.ibb.co/QdHXHNv/Blunderbuss-and-Horn-7.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YZdbdkB)
(https://i.ibb.co/Q6bBKK6/Blunderbuss-Muzzle-and-Ball.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gDj1RRD)
Hungry Horse and I have sparred about this topic before. Recently he said,
My question is what in the world could you use it for. No good for target shooting, worthless for trap, or hunting. But, it is an dingbat magnet, if you get one every dingbat in camp will be in your camp fondling your blunderbuss. Been there, done that, never again.
Hungry Horse
I have built several blunderbusses in the past many years. One for myself and all the rest for others. I get what Hungry Horse is saying about one being a "dingbat magnet".....But then, I have seen all sorts of firearms being used by dingbats. And dingbats don't just limit themselves to firearms. I have seem them perform all sorts of stupid stunts with water skis, go carts, chain saws, fireworks, cars, tractors, gasoline & matches (always a perennial favorite), crossbows, etc., etc*....and it goes without saying that the more lubricated the dingbats are with alcohol, the more....how should I put this......"creative" the stunts are......:)
I wrote an article about this gun for Muzzle Blasts magazine several years ago explaining how and why I built it. For space reasons, the article got hacked way down and the thread of the story line was lost. (I can post my original unedited text, if anyone is that interested). The bottom line was that I had always wanted a blunderbuss, couldn’t afford one, so I built one. I built it just for me and, as a contemporary builder, was not particularly concerned with making it look like any particular original in all details. This was the start of the article........
"Have you ever really been fascinated with owning something for which you had no earthly use?
One day, minding my own business, I was paging through a copy of Muzzle Blasts when I saw something that made me jump. The Vernon C. Davis Company was advertising a blunderbuss barrel, made by Ed Rayl out of brass and in four gauge! I almost fell out of my chair.
Now, my reaction to this simple line in an advertisement might seem a bit over the edge, but for whatever reason, I had always been fascinated by the unique shape of a blunderbuss. If you are reading this magazine, chances are that you understand the aesthetic attraction of the slender, graceful lines of a long rifle. Comparatively, a blunderbuss is about as elegant as a mud fence; yet its stocky lines, the flare of the muzzle, and most impressively, the size of the bore appeal to me.
Thankfully, as with so many other things that have caught my eye over the years, there were initially no blunderbusses to be had. So my fascination had always been limited to picking up a few small books on the subject and cogitating on how I might build one for myself – someday - if I had any free time. At a gun show, I came across a Pedersoli Brown Bess lock. It was beautifully made and I liked the size of it. I had no use for it (notice the familiar recurring theme here) but bought it with the justification that if and when I ever built the blunderbuss (which I also had no use for), it would be perfect. A few years later I bought a huge, three-inch-thick plank of beautifully figured walnut for the same reason. And so the lock and the plank sat collecting dust for over twenty years.
From time to time I would think about making the barrel, but it was a fairly involved undertaking and one of those tasks that I really never quite had the time to start. So there, except for the occasional perusal of the books or playing with the lock, the project stalled. However, building a blunderbuss was not on anyone's required actions list and it had given me many hours of pleasant mental exercise over the years. And that's when I saw the ad. And that's why I jumped and was hurled lock, stock, and now barrel, right out of my blunderbuss building lethargy.
When the barrel came, I was thrilled. It was just the right length and at four gauge, the bore was just over an inch. This certainly was not going to be any sort of a wimpy firearm. After looking at the barrel for a few days, I thought perhaps I should be designing a gun carriage for it rather than a stock. My suspicions were confirmed when a friend who saw the barrel sitting on my work bench asked incredulously, "What are you going to do with that ?" "
The article went on to explain how I built the blunderbuss and how I decided what to engrave on it. Referring back to the original question of "What are you going to do with that ?", I will answer with the last paragraphs of my original MB article (which, I believe, were deleted for political correctness reasons):
“We had great fun that day and shot away a considerable amount of powder and lead with the blunderbuss and a half a dozen other guns. As I watched the others shoot, I had to reassess my earlier thoughts about building something I really didn't need. The blunderbuss itself was just so much brass and wood, flint and steel, but what it represented to me now was something I do need, something I cherish. On the side plate I had been inspired to engrave the word "LIBERTY". It was not very original and my engraving of the letters was more than a little shaky. But as I watched the gun roar out again and again, I reflected that we all still enjoy the liberty to build or own or do something we don't need. Like our forefathers, we still don't have to seek permission from some higher authority to do many of the things we want to do whether we have a reason or not. We can follow our hearts and our abilities and our opportunities wherever they may lead us. In the most recent film version of Last of the Mohicans, Hawkeye is explaining to Cora why a slain frontier family would have chosen to live so far from civilization. He tells her that to be free and "not livin' by another's leave" was worth everything to them.
But with each exuberant thundering of the blunderbuss, there echoed a distant warning. Much of the freedom our predecessors held dear has already slipped away. Throughout human history, liberty, like glory, has been fleeting. We, as Americans, have enjoyed more of it for a longer period of time than any nation on earth. But, as the saying goes, eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
For those who enjoy muzzleloading arms, we re-create, we re-enact, we re-live a time long since past, and, in so doing, we remember and honor the lives and courage of those who preceded us. Each time I do something I enjoy - shouldering one of my guns, teaching a young person how to shoot - I give thanks to Providence for being born in this land. And every time I hear a politician, or another of my countrymen, tell me I don't "need" one thing or another and, therefore, have no right to it, I bristle. Thanks for your input, but I can decide for myself if I need an SUV, a semiautomatic .22 rifle, a cigarette, or a greasy fried hamburger….or perhaps, even a blunderbuss. So, I hope that the answer to my friend's rhetorical question, "What are you going to do with that?" always remains, "Whatever I please."
Eternal vigilance, my friends. Eternal vigilance.”
David Crisalli
* Just look up "sitting on an air bag" on YouTube.
(https://i.ibb.co/t8yLmTD/Shooting-Blunderbuss2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2gXZn1d)
(https://i.ibb.co/JHn36Rd/Shooting-Blunderbuss1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Fz6HZbW)
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18th century English carriage drivers went armed with a blunderbuss against highwaymen.
In Ireland the HIGHWAYMEN used blunderbusses. Or so I heard.
May Willie Brennan long be remembered!
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I got bitten by the Blunderbuss bug back in 2012. It's just fun. This is a Dutch design with iron furniture including iron wire inlay. Hank
(https://i.ibb.co/h85df8N/20190726-181655.jpg) (https://ibb.co/w6HQs6q)
(https://i.ibb.co/3m6yJR3/20190726-181717.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qYqMZJS)
(https://i.ibb.co/vhGgv3f/20190726-181756.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3vqGYpV)
image upload (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/1v0cSvr/20190726-181904.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DV1dqV9)
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This is a very nice little book on the Blunderbuss. Hank
(https://i.ibb.co/0jF5G89/20190726-185323.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JRyZs0p)
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I found at least one thing to do with mine.
(https://i.ibb.co/GxcDZjX/IMG-0111.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6ngSK52)
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Well done, Mark - got the blighter as he was coming over the gunnel or flying past the mainmast?
Buckshot, swan-shot, cube shot - or ball? Fun to play with and appears to have been the demise of that bird.
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Dave C. - BRAVO!
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Hi Guys! Blunderbuss is a Nice gun see the blunderbuss With underside bayonet used in Brithish Navy photo from my book I have for many years!
Runar
(https://i.ibb.co/Z1gJFFQ/DSCN4331.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3YFsjjx)
(https://i.ibb.co/gVDc8dZ/DSCN4332.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nCDKyBM)
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Dave C - that's a 4 bore, is it not?
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I wonder, in a well made brass barrel of say 11 balls to the pound (.75), what would be a top end safe charge? I’d imagine a brass barrel would be far weaker than steel and would have to be used with low powder charges?
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All depends on alloy and thickness at the breech.
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Daryl,
Yes...the one I made for me is a 4 bore. This one (below) that I made for a fellow was a 10 gage. To answer Smokey's question, in my case I have loaded my brass barreled 4 gage with 270 grains of power and 3 to 4 ounces of shot. I don't think the barrel was stressed at all.....but the recoil was fairly severe :o :o :o
So.... 10 drams of powder is my personal limit..... ;)
(https://preview.ibb.co/kKvaz5/Sean_BB_Final_1.jpg) (http://ibb.co/g4HoK5)
(https://preview.ibb.co/cwpPsQ/Sean_BB_Final_2.jpg) (http://ibb.co/fdscCQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/jtLKRk/Sean_BB_Final_3.jpg) (http://ibb.co/ni5VXQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/gEKeRk/Sean_BB_Final_4.jpg) (http://ibb.co/byxAXQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/dPsoK5/Sean_BB_Final_5.jpg) (http://ibb.co/mrPeRk)
(https://preview.ibb.co/jNyvz5/Sean_BB_Final_6.jpg) (http://ibb.co/mAzPsQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/jtQxCQ/Sean_BB_Final_7.jpg) (http://ibb.co/nrt66k)
(https://preview.ibb.co/bKwR6k/Sean_BB_Final_8.jpg) (http://ibb.co/cqoHCQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/mrTHCQ/Sean_BB_Final_9.jpg) (http://ibb.co/n9dvz5)
(https://preview.ibb.co/mQjeRk/Sean_BB_Final_10.jpg) (http://ibb.co/ks866k)
(https://preview.ibb.co/eiJTK5/Sean_BB_Final_11.jpg) (http://ibb.co/mJYHCQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/eFxcCQ/Sean_BB_Final_12.jpg) (http://ibb.co/ej5m6k)
(https://preview.ibb.co/fwqKRk/Sean_BB_Final_13.jpg) (http://ibb.co/eeghe5)
(https://preview.ibb.co/ewQVXQ/Sean_BB_Final_14.jpg) (http://ibb.co/jLVxCQ)
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Oh, man!! I’m wanting a brass barrel one now. Tell me, does anyone make a good brass barrel for them?
I’d like one of .75 caliber or so. Wonder if a well made one could take 100 grains of 2Fg and say a dozen 00 buckshot pellets?
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Smokey,
You might have to wait a while, but Ed Rayl makes these barrels in both steel and brass. I know he makes them in both 10 gage (.775 bore) and 4 gage. He can probably do an 11 bore for you as well. The pictures of the blunderbusses I made above are both Ed's barrels. Ed makes them with just a simple flair at the muzzle. The cannon muzzle type rings on these barrels I added myself. The following link will show you what I do to install the rings:
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=6671.msg63033#msg63033
I think 100 grains would be a great load in a 10 bore.....perhaps even a little on the light side.
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Smokey,
You might have to wait a while, but Ed Rayl makes these barrels in both steel and brass. I know he makes them in both 10 gage (.775 bore) and 4 gage. He can probably do an 11 bore for you as well. The pictures of the blunderbusses I made above are both Ed's barrels. Ed makes them with just a simple flair at the muzzle. The cannon muzzle type rings on these barrels I added myself. The following link will show you what I do to install the rings:
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=6671.msg63033#msg63033
I think 100 grains would be a great load in a 10 bore.
That is EXTREMELY cool!!! The cannon ring barrel is an absolute gem. Personally, I would slaughter and devour my newborn baby if I could get ahold of one of those straight flared Rayl barrels in steel, 10 bore.
Can one get ahold of Mr. Rayl and possibly work some magic and exchange favors with him to have one made??
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(https://i.ibb.co/QdHXHNv/Blunderbuss-and-Horn-7.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YZdbdkB)
(https://i.ibb.co/Q6bBKK6/Blunderbuss-Muzzle-and-Ball.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gDj1RRD)
Hungry Horse and I have sparred about this topic before. Recently he said,
My question is what in the world could you use it for. No good for target shooting, worthless for trap, or hunting. But, it is an dingbat magnet, if you get one every dingbat in camp will be in your camp fondling your blunderbuss. Been there, done that, never again.
Hungry Horse
I have built several blunderbusses in the past many years. One for myself and all the rest for others. I get what Hungry Horse is saying about one being a "dingbat magnet".....But then, I have seen all sorts of firearms being used by dingbats. And dingbats don't just limit themselves to firearms. I have seem them perform all sorts of stupid stunts with water skis, go carts, chain saws, fireworks, cars, tractors, gasoline & matches (always a perennial favorite), crossbows, etc., etc*....and it goes without saying that the more lubricated the dingbats are with alcohol, the more....how should I put this......"creative" the stunts are......:)
I wrote an article about this gun for Muzzle Blasts magazine several years ago explaining how and why I built it. For space reasons, the article got hacked way down and the thread of the story line was lost. (I can post my original unedited text, if anyone is that interested). The bottom line was that I had always wanted a blunderbuss, couldn’t afford one, so I built one. I built it just for me and, as a contemporary builder, was not particularly concerned with making it look like any particular original in all details. This was the start of the article........
"Have you ever really been fascinated with owning something for which you had no earthly use?
One day, minding my own business, I was paging through a copy of Muzzle Blasts when I saw something that made me jump. The Vernon C. Davis Company was advertising a blunderbuss barrel, made by Ed Rayl out of brass and in four gauge! I almost fell out of my chair.
Now, my reaction to this simple line in an advertisement might seem a bit over the edge, but for whatever reason, I had always been fascinated by the unique shape of a blunderbuss. If you are reading this magazine, chances are that you understand the aesthetic attraction of the slender, graceful lines of a long rifle. Comparatively, a blunderbuss is about as elegant as a mud fence; yet its stocky lines, the flare of the muzzle, and most impressively, the size of the bore appeal to me.
Thankfully, as with so many other things that have caught my eye over the years, there were initially no blunderbusses to be had. So my fascination had always been limited to picking up a few small books on the subject and cogitating on how I might build one for myself – someday - if I had any free time. At a gun show, I came across a Pedersoli Brown Bess lock. It was beautifully made and I liked the size of it. I had no use for it (notice the familiar recurring theme here) but bought it with the justification that if and when I ever built the blunderbuss (which I also had no use for), it would be perfect. A few years later I bought a huge, three-inch-thick plank of beautifully figured walnut for the same reason. And so the lock and the plank sat collecting dust for over twenty years.
From time to time I would think about making the barrel, but it was a fairly involved undertaking and one of those tasks that I really never quite had the time to start. So there, except for the occasional perusal of the books or playing with the lock, the project stalled. However, building a blunderbuss was not on anyone's required actions list and it had given me many hours of pleasant mental exercise over the years. And that's when I saw the ad. And that's why I jumped and was hurled lock, stock, and now barrel, right out of my blunderbuss building lethargy.
When the barrel came, I was thrilled. It was just the right length and at four gauge, the bore was just over an inch. This certainly was not going to be any sort of a wimpy firearm. After looking at the barrel for a few days, I thought perhaps I should be designing a gun carriage for it rather than a stock. My suspicions were confirmed when a friend who saw the barrel sitting on my work bench asked incredulously, "What are you going to do with that ?" "
The article went on to explain how I built the blunderbuss and how I decided what to engrave on it. Referring back to the original question of "What are you going to do with that ?", I will answer with the last paragraphs of my original MB article (which, I believe, were deleted for political correctness reasons):
“We had great fun that day and shot away a considerable amount of powder and lead with the blunderbuss and a half a dozen other guns. As I watched the others shoot, I had to reassess my earlier thoughts about building something I really didn't need. The blunderbuss itself was just so much brass and wood, flint and steel, but what it represented to me now was something I do need, something I cherish. On the side plate I had been inspired to engrave the word "LIBERTY". It was not very original and my engraving of the letters was more than a little shaky. But as I watched the gun roar out again and again, I reflected that we all still enjoy the liberty to build or own or do something we don't need. Like our forefathers, we still don't have to seek permission from some higher authority to do many of the things we want to do whether we have a reason or not. We can follow our hearts and our abilities and our opportunities wherever they may lead us. In the most recent film version of Last of the Mohicans, Hawkeye is explaining to Cora why a slain frontier family would have chosen to live so far from civilization. He tells her that to be free and "not livin' by another's leave" was worth everything to them.
But with each exuberant thundering of the blunderbuss, there echoed a distant warning. Much of the freedom our predecessors held dear has already slipped away. Throughout human history, liberty, like glory, has been fleeting. We, as Americans, have enjoyed more of it for a longer period of time than any nation on earth. But, as the saying goes, eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
For those who enjoy muzzleloading arms, we re-create, we re-enact, we re-live a time long since past, and, in so doing, we remember and honor the lives and courage of those who preceded us. Each time I do something I enjoy - shouldering one of my guns, teaching a young person how to shoot - I give thanks to Providence for being born in this land. And every time I hear a politician, or another of my countrymen, tell me I don't "need" one thing or another and, therefore, have no right to it, I bristle. Thanks for your input, but I can decide for myself if I need an SUV, a semiautomatic .22 rifle, a cigarette, or a greasy fried hamburger….or perhaps, even a blunderbuss. So, I hope that the answer to my friend's rhetorical question, "What are you going to do with that?" always remains, "Whatever I please."
Eternal vigilance, my friends. Eternal vigilance.”
David Crisalli
* Just look up "sitting on an air bag" on YouTube.
(https://i.ibb.co/t8yLmTD/Shooting-Blunderbuss2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2gXZn1d)
(https://i.ibb.co/JHn36Rd/Shooting-Blunderbuss1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Fz6HZbW)
LIBERTY
All the reason a man needs.
Mike
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Mike and Craig Wilcox,
Thanks.....and I agree....LIBERTY
All the reason a man needs.
Smokey,
Contact him at W.E. Rayl, Box 91, Gassaway, W.V. 26624 Ph 304-364-8269 (good man to deal with). If he doesn't answer, try at the end of the work day West Virginia time. He is often running machines in the shop and can't answer the phone. I'm sure he can make you a barrel. He has made 5 for me.
Dave C
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Mike and Craig Wilcox,
Thanks.....and I agree....LIBERTY
All the reason a man needs.
Smokey,
Contact him at W.E. Rayl, Box 91, Gassaway, W.V. 26624 Ph 304-364-8269 (good man to deal with). If he doesn't answer, try at the end of the work day West Virginia time. He is often running machines in the shop and can't answer the phone. I'm sure he can make you a barrel. He has made 5 for me.
Dave C
Awesome! It seems from my research, most original blunderbarrels were shorter than 20”. I love the profile of Mr. Rayl’s barrels, and desire one in 10 bore quite badly. But, I wonder if he can make one a bit shorter, say in the 16-18” range?
I’ll ring him come Monday and see if I can get ahold of him. I’ll let you all know. Thanks gang!!
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I'm sure he'll make one as short as you want.
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Smokey,
The blunderbuss in the series of pictures I posted above has an 18 inch barrel that Ed made at my request. I had to wait several months for it as he is usually very busy. Besides adding the muzzle rings, I did re-machine the inside of the bore flair at the muzzle. As it came from Ed, the flair on the ID was more abrupt than the flair contour on the OD which left the wall too thick, in my opinion. So I set the barrel up in the lathe and matched the ID to the OD muzzle contour more closely resulting in a thinner wall at the muzzle and it made the finished gun a little less nose heavy.
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Smokey,
The blunderbuss in the series of pictures I posted above has an 18 inch barrel that Ed made at my request. I had to wait several months for it as he is usually very busy. Besides adding the muzzle rings, I did re-machine the inside of the bore flair at the muzzle. As it came from Ed, the flair on the ID was more abrupt than the flair contour on the OD which left the wall too thick, in my opinion. So I set the barrel up in the lathe and matched the ID to the OD muzzle contour more closely resulting in a thinner wall at the muzzle and it made the finished gun a little less nose heavy.
Interesting, I see. That 4 bore... my god! Does it have a strong kickback?? I think I’ll stick with a 10 gauge. Should be plenty. This begs the question. I wonder what performance I’d be getting with a 16” barrel 10 gauge? Considering the flare, there would only be I’m guessing around 13” of actual barrel bore to build pressure?
This requires further meditation. I do know, that this thread is absolutely fascinating and I’m “as the sponge”, absorbing all information on the Blunderbuss as I can. One thing is for certain about the Blunderbuss, and I’ve know it for years:
I want one!
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Smokey,
The 4 bore blunderbuss is fairly heavy, so with 180 grains of powder and a handful of shot / round ball, it is comfortable to shoot. If you start pushing 275 grains of powder, it lets you know when it goes off. I don't think the 10 bore would be too much to handle. You can always load lighter.
Here is another thread on a commission blunderbuss that I am woefully late in completing......4 gage, steel, Ed Rayl barrel with added muzzle rings....
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=42185.0
By the way, I really do prefer building longrifles.....I just built one of these darn things for myself for fun and things sort of got out of hand.... :o Perhaps Hungry Horse is correct and it's just the "dingbat" coming out in me. ;)
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Oh! We’re original blunderbusses available in such a large bore?
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Oh! We’re original blunderbusses available in such a large bore?
Yep.
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Oh! We’re original blunderbusses available in such a large bore?
Yep.
Interesting. That begs the question, would a 10 gauge be too SMALL for a true blunderbuss??
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I have seen them as small as 20 bore and flare to over an inch at the muzzle.
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I have seen them as small as 20 bore and flare to over an inch at the muzzle.
Awesome, gang, thanks be to you all.
I’ll be calling Mr. Rayl tomorrow. Hoping to get a barrel on order. Pretty torn between a 16” and 17” one, in 10 gauge.
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Don't expect just because it's short that it's going to be cheap. ;)
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Don't expect just because it's short that it's going to be cheap. ;)
No problem, just looking for the right blunderbarrel. I’ll see if he can even do a full round barrel or reduce the length of then “square” rear section of the barrel as I think it’ll look better.
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Don't expect just because it's short that it's going to be cheap. ;)
No problem, just looking for the right blunderbarrel. I’ll see if he can even do a full round barrel or reduce the length of then “square” rear section of the barrel as I think it’ll look better.
Might want to get a book or two to look through and see if you can't find an original to base yours off of before ordering, if you think that you are going to want it to be period correct. Not to be rude, but you do seem to have a tendency to order first, and then start worrying about whether you ordered correctly....
Also, while it seems unlikely that you will need to eat an infant to order, be aware that said infant will probably be buzzing around the house on two legs and possibly talking before the barrel is delivered. Rayl barrels are not an instant gratification item....
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Don't expect just because it's short that it's going to be cheap. ;)
No problem, just looking for the right blunderbarrel. I’ll see if he can even do a full round barrel or reduce the length of then “square” rear section of the barrel as I think it’ll look better.
Might want to get a book or two to look through and see if you can't find an original to base yours off of before ordering, if you think that you are going to want it to be period correct. Not to be rude, but you do seem to have a tendency to order first, and then start worrying about whether you ordered correctly....
Also, while it seems unlikely that you will need to eat an infant to order, be aware that said infant will probably be buzzing around the house on two legs and possibly talking before the barrel is delivered. Rayl barrels are not an instant gratification item....
Thank you, Elnatan. I’ve scoured the net for the style that appeals to me, and this one is absolutely incredible:
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0V2Qs9t/5-FF5-E326-E65-C-4-D2-D-8-F19-F37-C0-ACA2-CE7.jpg)
Maybe a bit less length is what I’d want, thinking now 16” should be perfect based on looking at various barrels lengths. I’d like a more or less straight tapered fully round 10 gauge barrel.
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Never seen an original with a straight taper....back to the books for you.
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Never seen an original with a straight taper....back to the books for you.
Thanks, Mike. I shouldn’t a said that, I more or less meant one without a super abrupt flare. Poorly worded on my part, I apologize.
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I'd call Hoyt and rayle and the barrel Nazi and see what they have for original patterns.
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Smokey,
Many original early pieces hadn't got the steep flare or muzzle rings.
Most had short barrels as well, not like the military musketoon.
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Smokey,
Many original early pieces hadn't got the steep flare or muzzle rings.
Most had short barrels as well, not like the military musketoon.
Thank you, P. B.
What would be an appropriate barrel’s length? I’m think 17”. Is that too long for a true blunderbuss?
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For those interested, Tennessee Valley Manufacturing sells a .75 cal 14 in long blunderbuss barrel.
I know of a fellow who uses one for partridge hunting ,with some success.
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Smokey,
Many original early pieces hadn't got the steep flare or muzzle rings.
Most had short barrels as well, not like the military musketoon.
Thank you, P. B.
What would be an appropriate barrel’s length? I’m think 17”. Is that too long for a true blunderbuss?
Not at all
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For those interested, Tennessee Valley Manufacturing sells a .75 cal 14 in long blunderbuss barrel.
I know of a fellow who uses one for partridge hunting ,with some success.
I am aware and am not too crazy about the profile on that one, but it does seem like a great option.
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If thinking of using it for hogs or turkey's I'd want a 20", or 18" minimum.
A 10 bore would be plenty, with 150gr. 1F or cannon & a RB.
I have a can of GOEX Cannon that is identical in granulation to the cans of GOEX 1F that I also have.
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Thank you, friends.
I am thinking for my usages, a 10 bore with steel barrel at a length of 17” would be ideal.
I’ve called Mr. Rayl several times but he must be running his loud barrel machines! Will keep trying. Take care, gang!