Recent Posts

21

Black Powder Shooting / Re: Wearing a single glove on the support hand for NMLRA offhand?

« Last post by Bill in Md on September 21, 2025, 11:54:08 PM »

So technically, if  "offhand" meant "off the hands"; can we assume that the butt of the rifle cannot touch the shoulder either?.....

22

Antique Gun Collecting / Re: Rifle id help.

« Last post by Tanselman on September 21, 2025, 11:07:46 PM »

The John Jr. rifles I've seen have low combs like this one has, but much more exaggerated butt plates with extended heels and later, deeper curvature.

Shelby Gallien

23

Black Powder Shooting / Re: Wearing a single glove on the support hand for NMLRA offhand?

« Last post by Daryl on September 21, 2025, 11:06:26 PM »

We had one Alberta club put on a match at Rendezvous B.C., who stated offhand meant off the hands. Elbow resting against the ribs or waist was not allowed.
Here is the position he explained and is the position Taylor and I use. I do not "see" a reason for not allowing a glove or shooting mit. When I shot with the mitt,
I was long enough in the body, I made a fist and rested the forend on my padded knuckles.  That position might not protect the fingers.
Taylor's 1853 Joseph Lang 16 bore

My "English" 14 bore

Disregard the sling and hand stop. 2 Shooting Mitts.

24

Contemporary Accoutrements / Re: More knives!

« Last post by Seth Isaacson on September 21, 2025, 10:55:10 PM »

They are all great, but that second knife with the turned and banded handle is especially gorgeous.

25

Antique Gun Collecting / Re: Antique Longrifle with Straight Rifling

« Last post by Bill Paton on September 21, 2025, 09:09:37 PM »

This post is from a long thread about straight rifling on this site in March of 2014. It’s pertinent to this discussion.
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Re: Straight rifling
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2014, 09:29:40 PM »
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Dillin writes that straight rifling was probably for better patched ball accuracy than a smooth bore would produce, and therefore done to make a combination gun. He also states that straight rifled barrels comprised about 15% of all American rifles (seems too high to me), and those he had examined were made before 1800 (many original percussion double rifles exist with one straight rifled barrel). He reports a shooting trial between smooth bore, straight rifle, and twist rifle at 100, 200, and 300 yards at a man sized target in which the straight rifle performed slightly better than the smooth rifle.

A modern maker of swivel rifles told me several years ago that he used straight rifled barrels to shoot shot better than a smooth bore, but they were touchy in that respect and needed very careful load workup to get the tightest pattern, which was better than a cylinder bore.

However, I have examined two flint swivel breeches (one early Reading and one jaeger) with one smooth barrel and one straight rifled barrel. Given the great accuracy advantage of spiral rifling, I think the makers of those two swivels intended them to be combination barrels for shot or more accurate ball shooting than a smooth bore would deliver. If they hadn't intended for shot use, they likely would have spiral rifled the rifle barrel for better accuracy.

Dan mentioned a friend who reported more accurate shooting with straight rifling than a smooth bore. I would like some of you shooters to do an experiment to compare straight and smooth rifle accuracy, working up the most accurate patched ball load possible. Maybe Dan's friend already has the data I am after and could report it to us.

My take is that straight rifled barrels were intended to shoot shot, and also a patched ball more accurately than a smooth bore could.
Maybe some data from you modern shooters could shed light on this issue. I am eager for the materials and methods, and the results to be reported.

I think the European 16 ga straight rifled rolling block Dan mentioned is like my fancy German double SXS pin fire with one spiral and one straight barrel, likely intended for shooting balls at red deer and boars in the woods, and hares and birds as well.

Bill Paton
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26

Black Powder Shooting / Re: Straight rifling

« Last post by Bill Paton on September 21, 2025, 09:01:10 PM »

Dillin writes that straight rifling was probably for better patched ball accuracy than a smooth bore would produce, and therefore done to make a combination gun. He also states that straight rifled barrels comprised about 15% of all American rifles (seems too high to me), and those he had examined were made before 1800 (many original percussion double rifles exist with one straight rifled barrel). He reports a shooting trial between smooth bore, straight rifle, and twist rifle at 100, 200, and 300 yards at a man sized target in which the straight rifle performed slightly better than the smooth rifle.

A modern maker of swivel rifles told me several years ago that he used straight rifled barrels to shoot shot better than a smooth bore, but they were touchy in that respect and needed very careful load workup to get the tightest pattern, which was better than a cylinder bore.

However, I have examined two flint swivel breeches (one early Reading and one jaeger) with one smooth barrel and one straight rifled barrel. Given the great accuracy advantage of spiral rifling, I think the makers of those two swivels intended them to be combination barrels for shot or more accurate ball shooting than a smooth bore would deliver. If they hadn't intended for shot use, they likely would have spiral rifled the rifle barrel for better accuracy.

Dan mentioned a friend who reported more accurate shooting with straight rifling than a smooth bore. I would like some of you shooters to do an experiment to compare straight and smooth rifle accuracy, working up the most accurate patched ball load possible. Maybe Dan's friend already has the data I am after and could report it to us.

My take is that straight rifled barrels were intended to shoot shot, and also a patched ball more accurately than a smooth bore could.
Maybe some data from you modern shooters could shed light on this issue. I am eager for the materials and methods, and the results to be reported.

I think the European 16 ga straight rifled rolling block Dan mentioned is like my fancy German double SXS pin fire with one spiral and one straight barrel, likely intended for shooting balls at red deer and boars in the woods, and hares and birds as well.

Bill Paton

27

Antique Gun Collecting / Re: Iman Halfstock

« Last post by Roger B on September 21, 2025, 08:55:49 PM »

I really like those!
Roger B.

28

Antique Gun Collecting / Re: Antique Longrifle with Straight Rifling

« Last post by rich pierce on September 21, 2025, 08:44:34 PM »

From the pictures I am seeing, it looks like a restock at some point.

There’s a JP Beck with straight rifling in the barrel.

29

Items for Sale/Wanted / Re: Powder Horn Books for sale

« Last post by rich pierce on September 21, 2025, 08:43:01 PM »

I take the Penn. Horns of the Trade and the Banded horns book.

Those 2 are sold.

These are good prices, I think. If anyone is interested in the remaining books, still available - make a good offer with your reasoning behind it.

30

Antique Gun Collecting / Re: Antique Longrifle with Straight Rifling

« Last post by Seth Isaacson on September 21, 2025, 08:40:16 PM »

A swivel rifle I owned had straight rifling in one barrel and a twist in the other.

Buck

That was a fairly common arrangement from the examples I've seen. You'll find that on German combination muzzleloaders sometimes as well. A lot of the time both barrels are the same caliber. Is yours two different calibers or one?