Photos of an Original English Sporting Rifle Stock

[TNVolunteerEngineer]

I found this nice old stock this week.  The stock is the only thing I have.  It came with a Davis lock and a hooked breech plug, but I don't think they'll work.   The barrel appears to be round.  I don't think it is swamped.  There is a serial number stamped on the barrel channel.  I wish I knew what happened to the barrel and lock.  Some Bubba probably stole them to make a "dyar rifle".  Any suggestions as to who made it?  It looks a lot like an Alex Henry but it had a ramrod, so not strictly a target rifle, but there are bases for both a tang sight and a sight  on the stock's heel.  



Here is the link to the photobucket album:  http://s396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/Vol423/British%20Sporting%20Rifle%20Stock/

[Curt J]

That's an awfully fine rifle to have become a "parts gun"!  I can't imagine what someone was thinking.

[Feltwad]

Lets see more images I may be able too help
Feltwad

[Bob Roller]

It looks like Tweedle Dee the wonder dummy has struck again if your theory about the "dyar rifle" is correct. I saw one many years ago that had been chromed by a guy that worked in a shop where they refinished bumpers for old cars. That could be an Alex Henry sporting and target rifle or any one of a wide group of high class English guns. The round barrel suggests possibly a Rigby but no way to know for sure. Does the lock mortise show "intensive"inletting? That is the kind of inletting where even the screw slots are accomodated. That is a superb piece of wood and this may be a fine restoration project. I can copy the lock and Jim McLemore can make a proper barrel but neither will be cheap.

Bob Roller

[T*O*F]

For those of you wanting more pictures, copy and paste the URL at the bottom of his posting.  There are 50 pictures there.

It came with a Davis lock and a hooked breech plug

I notice that some of the pictures are taken atop a Don Brown blueprint.  Did it come with the rifle?  Also, the breech plug that you have is a Don Brown plug.  The barrel may have been scavenged to make a new Alex Henry gun.

The barrel appears to be round.  I don't think it is swamped.

The barrel was most likely to have been in the Rigby style.  It would have had a top flat and two side flats.  The side flats tapered down toward the bottom of the barrel which was round.  This gives the appearance of the barrel inlet having been round.  This style was used by many English makers.

[Curt J]

The link will not work for me.

[T*O*F]

Curt,
Just tried it again and it works fine.  Perhaps you can get the neighbor kid to come over and help you.  

http://s396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/Vol423/British%20Sporting%20Rifle%20Stock/

[TNVolunteerEngineer]

I bought the stock with the Davis lock and a breech plug.  Both had been supplied by Don Brown to the previous owner.  He was going to do the restoration but didn't get around to it.  The literature was with the lock and plug.  The stock was made for a rebated plug so I'll have to do some carving on the plug to make it work.   I tried to show the inletting in all possible angles to show the workmanship of the gunmakers who originally inletted the lock.  There isn't a tool mark anywhere that I have found. 

[Curt J]

The first link (under the photo) did not show up blue, and didn't respond at all. The second one, by T*O*F, just took me to a Photobucket start page. I guess I'm not supposed to look at those pictures.

[Robert Wolfe]

The link works fine for me...

[TNVolunteerEngineer]

 http://s396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/Vol423/British%20Sporting%20Rifle%20Stock/

[Curt J]

The last link took me right to it, don't know why the others did not.  The closer you look, the better it looks.  Why would anyone have done this?

[JTR]

Bought on Ebay?
John

[Dphariss]

If it had a heel sight it was a 1000 yard rifle.

Dan

[Dphariss]

That's an awfully fine rifle to have become a "parts gun"!  I can't imagine what someone was thinking.

I gave up trying to understand this sort of thing years ago.
Human stupidity runs really deep.
Some anti-gun type may have sold the barrel and lock for scrap.
Don't scoff its entirely possible.
Or the gun was made into a lamp.

Crying shame is what it is.
Dan

[Bob Roller]

The owner of this stock has been in contact with me about a proper lock for it and if he sends the stock to me wih the breech in place,I will see what I can cobble together to get it on the line again. He sent me a close up picture of the lock inletting and it is in the "Intensive,dedicated inletting"catagory and I just might have a bridle drill fixture for it as it is a "3 pin"like I have used in Schuetzen locks.
Ve Vill Zee,Ja?

Bob Roller

[TNVolunteerEngineer]

Mr Roller is a true gentleman and I look forward to having him make a lock.  I will take the stock to a good man locally who is a nationally known gunsmith, even if he is a bit of a recluse now, to have the breech fitted.  The local man has the skill to make the barrel, including rifling it, if I can talk him into doing it.  I will post photos as the project matures.