New Bogle gun

[Eric Krewson]

Thought you might be interested in the latest Bogle gun to surface.

Here is the current Joseph Bogle admiring the original Bogle gun at Norris. He photographed, measured and studied the original and decided he had to make one.



Joe had made a lot of B/P guns in the past but never recreated a specific gun. Attempts to find someone who would forge his mounts at a "reasonable" price were in vain so he built a forge in his back yard and taught himself some blacksmithing skills.

He forged all the iron parts, made a more suitable lockplate and used the guts from a Chambers late Ketland to complete the lock

He worked night and day on this gun and completed it in just a couple of months.

He said no matter how it turned out it was still a Bogle rifle and one of a kind.

Looks like it turned out pretty well to me.

[joe bogle]

two people that i really want to say "thanks" for their help in building this rifle.
   i had charles burton to custom the swamped barrel for me and he did a great job. i know that some that the mesurements were somewhat different from most barrels and took a lot of work.  i have never shoved a ball down a smoother barrel, and she be shooting good.
  ordered the stock from david keck of knob mountain and he also did an excellent job of inletting the barrel. he did a little removal of wood up to where the lock mortice began and left the front squared up with plenty of wood to work with the drop and profile that he chose was very good.
  i also send thanks to bill millican who i called on the phone many times to ask questions. bill is a great guy and very knowledgeable  about blacksmithing and gun building.
  much thanks to the owner of the orig. bogle rifle for his generosity in allowing me to observe and photo the rifle.

          so then;   thanks to these--- joe bogle

[nosrettap1958]

Beautiful lines on that rifle. Joe what is the rate of twist of your barrel??   
      

[djbogle]

I had the opportunity to view the most current Bogle rifle last weekend, and I must say that it is a fine piece of work. Uncle Joe did an outstanding job of re-creating the piece built by our ancestor, and I'm chomping at the bit for a chance to shoot it.

[joe bogle]

crawdad: thanks for the kind words. the rate of twist is 1 turn in 66".
  the barrel also has the round bottom grooves and comes clean sooo easy.  seems to take about half the time of flat grooves to clean.

[nosrettap1958]

Interesting to note concerning this particular Joseph Bogle rifle is where did he do his apprenticeship and under what ‘School’ of gun making?? Even though there is no record of Joseph Bogle’s apprenticeship as a rifle maker in York County PA, I believe, He was old enough at the time he left Pennsylvania to have already served several years as an apprentice. However this rifle shows such strong Virginia influence that it has been presumed to have been made in Virginia. Joe your rifle looks a lot closer in style to a Virginian then to a York county rifle is that your thought also?

[wattlebuster]

mr bogle  if she shoots as great as she looks then shes a centershooter. excellant work!!!!!!!!!!!

[joe bogle]

jos. jr. would have surely been old enough to have apprenticed for a little while in penn. and it is possible that he worked in the building  trade while in virginia, and when i look at pics of the rifle  it seems that i can see the influence of both schools.
  the crown or top of the butplate however seems mighty thin for either more like some tennessee rifles that i've seen but the butplate dosen't have such a fine cresent shape as most tenn. rifles.
  probably just my thinking but i wonder of this rifle has the influence of all three. i kinda think that it is in a category of it's own. there is certanly not any otherrifles just like it.

[WElliott]

Joe, you did great work.  Your ggggrandad would be proud.  We now have a 21st century "Bogle" rifle to appreciate.

From the research Tom Patton and I did, it is likely that Jos. Bogle (Jr.) apprenticed in York County, since he would have been 20 by the time he moved to Virginia.  Since he was  in Virginia for some three years after his discharge from Rev. War service, it is reasonable to assume that he worked as a gunsmith in Rockbridge (Augusta) County, Virginia.  It is also interesting to note that he was in the same Virginia regiment as John Davidson.  There are similarities in their work.

However, since Bogle was clearly in Tennessee by 1784 or 1785, the extant rifle signed by him was most certainly made in Tennessee.  In my opinion, that was made in the first few years after he moved to Tennessee.  He probably made much the same rifle he might have made in Rockbridge County.

See my article at http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=11592.0