Baxter Bean Rifle

[Mike Lyons]

I'd really like to build a .36 caliber Baxter Bean rifle in the future.  What is going on with this tang?  Is there a reason it stretches out so long and curves around the comb?  Would you weld an extension on a normal sized tang or custom order something?  What's that rear, rear bolt attached to?  What in the world is that extended, linked toe plate apparatus?

[smylee grouch]

While I don't have an answer to your questions I'm thinking that to build one like that would not be for the faint of hart when you start on that tang.

[Mike Brooks]

The tang is basically the blacksmith/gunsmith showing off his skills. The rear screw usually threads into the trigger plate. The toeplate on this particular gun is also a "patch box".

[B.Barker]

I like to cut the tang off of the breech plug and braze a long piece of steel on to the plug. However you can weld an extension onto the existing tang.

[rsells]

I have copied some of the characteristics of this rifle in the past.  I cut a slip joint under the end of the tang and make an extension from that back, up, and over the comb.  I use a template of the line down the wrist, up over the comb and back to the end of the tang to form and fabricate the extension.  I slide the two pieces together and weld them together at the slip joint, and braze or silver solder the thin line at the top side of the tang.  The double patch box was not too hard to make, but I had more trouble fabricating the hinged toe plate, spring, and catch mechanism than anything else, but it was worth the effort when finished.  I put cavities under the hinged toe plate to store the jag, breech plug face scraper, and ball puller.  A near little tool box.  The original is a nice rifle.  The Great Smokey Mountain Heritage Center has this rifle on display currently along with several other original Southern rifles.  Well worth going to see if you are in drive distance.  If not in drive distance, you can look on the KRA web site and order a DVD of the rifles on display, and you will get a bunch of pictures of this rifle to use as reference.  I got mine in the mail yesterday. They charge $20 plus $5 for shipping for this DVD.  I also purchased a DVD of  another group of Southern rifles named (President's Display "Southern Rifles") that has good reference photo's as well.  In my opinion both are worth the money to look at the details of each rifle.
                                                                                              Roger Sells

[Mark Elliott]

I take a commercially available long tang 6" and forge it out.    On my current rifle, Ed Rayl made me a 10" tang, but I am still going to have to forge our the rear part to reach the butt piece.    The thin part is about 1/8" wide and about 1/4" tall.   Forging the tang  is not the hard part.   Inletting it is the hard part.   I have a short (3") threaded piece of iron bar that I use for holding a machined breech plug and tang for forging.   

[scottmc]

I did this on a gun I have started.  I just cut a piece of steel long enough, shaped it as you see in the picture, filed a bevel top and bottom of both ends to be joined and then tig weld them together, cleanup top and bottom and you're set.  This particular one is welded to a rice breach plug from the southern classic barrel.

[scottmc]

Here's the other pic.

[Mike Lyons]

Thank you all for the comments. The knowledge here is unreal.  I thought learning about longrifles was going to be a challenge and building one was going to be near impossible. You all have made this enjoyable and encouraging. I have a rifle before trying this but I'm going to give it a go soon.

[PPatch]

Besides serving about zero purpose in my experience those extended tangs are a bear! A bear to fabricate, and a bear to inlet. There are plenty of examples of original SMR's without them, in fact the majority of them. So, be sure you are confident in your skills before you try one. If I were planning my first SMR from a blank I would concentrate on form and slimness. With SMR's some of the most beautiful are quite plain, it is their superb architecture that makes them so appealing. Draw full plans and make sure your barrel / ramrod hole are in good relation to one another, that your lock and triggers are going to be positioned to work in tandem with one another, etc. You will have a lot to contend with just with those relationships and combining them with good architecture. I wouldn't mess with a over the comb tang right out of the gate.



dave

[Nordnecker]

There was a very good tutorial on inletting a tang like this. I don't know where or when, but it showed how and why the tang finial moved while inletting. It is difficult to do and easy to screw up.

[Ezra]

It is true that the extended tangs, particularly over the comb, are very difficult and easy to screw up.  Don’t ask me how I know!  . Having said that, IMO, when done skillfully and correctly, they peg the cool meter.  They are not for the faint of heart, and are next to impossible to do by the seat of your pants.  You (at least I do) have to plan, think it through and watch some tutorials.  I have tried twice now, failing spectacularly.  I need more experience and time, I attempted this much too soon.  Still on my radar screen, but later.

I do have a question for the more experienced guys (not trying to hijack your thread AV, it is related), but do you guys ever do, or see these extended tangs with castoff?  I do not believe I have ever seen that.


Ez

[Ezra]

AV, you might find this tutorial of interest.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8143.0


Ez