50 too much for East TN. rifle?

[Dancy]

Wow! Y'all got some awesome mountain rifles with some great wood too! Thanks for posting those and for sharing your experiences, that's my favorite style longrifle by far.

James

[Ken G]

[Dennis Glazener]

Here is an originial NC mountain rifle. It has a .41 caliber 46 1/4" barrel. It was made by my GG uncle Mathew Gillespie circa 1810.


And a .50 caliber that I built

[Dancy]

Ken, I don't remember seeing that bottom rifle before, is that a new'n??

Dennis, I was hoping you would post some of yours up, thank you very much, a M.G. may be next on my wish list!

[Ken G]

James, that is the last one I finished.

[Daryl]

Question - did Tenn. rifles have mostly straight or swamped barrels?  If early swamped and later straight, about when did they switch?  TKS.

[Dancy]

Ken,

You really nailed that comb profile! Looks great even with a less fancy grade of wood. Is that fashioned after a particular original or specific builder's style? Would enjoy hearing more about it and how it shoots.

Thanks,

James

[Ken G]

James,
The owner is a regular poster on this board.  Maybe he will tell us how she's shooting.  It's built in the upper E. TN style but not after any specific builder.  
Ken
here's a link to some additional pictures. 
http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Packdog1/TNHogrifle/

[G-Man]

Most that I have seen were swamped, but some were straight. 

I don't think there is a consistent correlation between period and barrel style (straight vs. swamped) on mountain rifles, other than you wouldn't really expect to see straight barrels in the early period.  Most surviving mountain rifles are from the period when commercially made straight barrels were becoming available, yet some mountain gunsmiths apparently continued making swamped barrels right up through the late 19th century. 
I think in general there was a tendency toward heavier barrels as time went on, but even that is probably an overgeneralization as well - I have seen some fairly early (early as far as mountain rifles go - pre 1820) guns with barrels that folks today would not consider using for an offhand gun.  The weight on many of these guns is surprising when you pick them up - the crisp slender lines tend to hide the scale of the barrel.

Guy

[Ken G]

Like Guy I've not seen any correlation between early and late guns.  I have seen an awful lot of "straight" barrels that actually had a little swamp in them when you actually measured them. 
Ken

[Nate McKenzie]

If any of you have pictures of your TN. you would care to post, I would love to see them.  James

Here are a few I have built. First one is .45cal. The other two are .50cal.

[Dancy]

Mr. McKenzie,

Each of those rifles has their own unique character, I like the variety, that last one looks especially lean and mean! Thanks for posting.

James

[Sequatchie Rifle]

Yep that's my rifle!  She shoots like a dream and has a quick lock.  I've shot her a couple of 100 times since getting her back in the spring.  The double set trigger was hand made by Ken.  I can consistently place three balls in a 5 inch group in the standing position from 50 yards, I get a little spread at a hundred yards.  I use the hand made deer antler 40 grain measure Ken provided with the rifle.  I've been using a 40 year old can of Dupont 3F powder!

James,
The owner is a regular poster on this board.  Maybe he will tell us how she's shooting.  It's built in the upper E. TN style but not after any specific builder.  
Ken
here's a link to some additional pictures. 
http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Packdog1/TNHogrifle/

[Dancy]

Sequatchie Rifle,

That is one dandy of a hog rifle, I know you're proud of er!

James