Long barreled rifles

[Ezra]

I am in the beginning stages of my first complete longrifle build.  I have done partial builds, I have inletted barrels, locks and butt plates before but have never completed a rifle nor have I ever done final shaping and/or final finish of a stock and hardware.  In the next few days I’m sending my stock blank and barrel for inletting by a well known member of our forum. 
The first project up is a straight forward Gillespie, albeit using a Bobby Hoyt 50 1/2” swamped, octagon .42 caliber barrel in a very nice Ash stock I got from Allen Martin.
My other barrel is a 48” .25 caliber Bobby Hoyt barrel that I want to make into a Bean or Lawing style rifle.  I am open to other styles and and am open to suggestions.  Right now all I have is the .25 caliber barrel.  Thanks guys.

Ez

[flehto]

A few years back built an early Lancaster for a customer which had a 44" bbl which was approved by the customer...along w/ many other features. Sent him an email when it was finished and rec'd no response. So called him and he said he would pick it up w/in 2 weeks. A month passed and he never came. So called again and was told another 2 weeks which didn't happen. He had put a down payment on the gun  and told him over the telephone that I was going to sell it and keep the down payment. He showed up in a week and paid for the gun.

Was curious why he delayed picking up the gun and he told me that he realized that this long gun wouldn't fit in his gun safe and he became very depressed. He didn't do anything w/ the gun for a month {a mutual friend told me this} and it finally became a "wall hanger" which he doesn't like. It's a LHed LR and is shown below.....Fred

[ScottNE]

I really like the appearance of a long barrel. To me, it balances the lines of a long rifle better than a sub-42” barrel does. I have a 47.5” Hoyt .54 barrel and a very nice piece of cherry purchased here from another member. They’re going to go together (I’m planning on purchasing a Laubach lock for the build as well) but being saved until I deem my skills sufficiently advanced to do them justice.

But it has occurred to me more than once…When built into a rifle, I don’t think it will fit in my truck.

[smylee grouch]

ScottNE, I feel the same way, I sure like the look and feel and shoot ability of the longer barrel but if you have to travel with the thing sticking out the window I will go with a shorter barrel. One of the reasons I like the English style half stock gun, you can take the barrel out and even make it more travel friendly.

[Craig Wilcox]

Usually, the l o n g barreled firearm will fit in a vehicle or a gun safe on the diagonal.

Couple months ago, I wanted to get a gun safe, so went to TSC and looked at theirs - they had a sale at the time.

Admired a nice Cannon safe, so decided to measure the diagonal.  The sales guy, a friend, was there with me as I went down to measure to the bottom left corner.  Starting to get up, I fell - which I do frequently.  Henry (sale guy) tried to catch me as I landed butt first on a wooden pallet.  Instant fierce pain in the ---- well, buttocks!

Fast forward a couple weeks, and the VA arranged for "Community Care" - medical care close to home, instead of the VA Hospital 75 miles away.  The Doc made two small holes, one on each side of the spine.  MRI's had shown a fracture of the coccyx and sacrum - that Doc "robotically" put in some titanium and screws, and I woke up to no more pain in the butt!

I did find out that my longer ML's WOULD fit diagonally in the safe, and it is now here in my shop, about 15' away.  And any pallets go out in the garage!

[oldtravler61]

  My Lancaster sorta rifle has a 46 1/2 Getzs 54 caliber barrel on  it. Balances very well when still hunting. Plus I really like the long sight radius.  It's a deer basher...

[t.caster]

I've got a long one on my bench right now. It is a pre inlet & shaped curly sugar maple blank to a JP Beck profile. Uses a Getz .62 cal x 47 1/4" rifled Oct. to round tapered & flared barrel & Chambers Dlx. Siler lock. I'm going to take some liberties and have fun with this one.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .... you should build a correct Soddy match rifle some day,.. Old Mike has a 64" barrel,.. feller I got her from brought her home wrapped in plastic garbage bags, tied to the luggage rack on top of his 70's something Toyota,.. I bring her around in my truck,... regards,.. Cades Cove Fiddler...

[mountainman70]

Dana, looks like a proper Lightenin Rod,bro. Best not get out in a storm or y'all wind up like Alvin York ,a knocked offn his horse.
I likes em too guys.
Latest finished is a Chestnut flinter I got from moodyhollers plunder. 46" Rayl 54 cal. Have a great evenin y'all. Dave F

[smylee grouch]

Holy Mary, Mother Jesus 64" barrel! Thats more than two times as long as my current build. Even so I would get back into chunk gun shooting just to shoot that thing. I would need two helpers though, one to carry gun and one to help me get up after each shot. 

[Daryl]

Have to put in an extra charge of powder just to get the ball to come out the muzzle.

[Ken G]

Good Grannie's that's a long barrel! 

Cheers,
Ken

[Flint62Smoothie]

LH long barrel … uhhhh, so THAT’S why Flehto wouldn’t make me a lefty longrifle 😳 ! I get it now … less I wudda picked it up within hours of the notice!

Note, if that’s lefty is available, please let me know … 👍

[Ezra]

.... you should build a correct Soddy match rifle some day,.. Old Mike has a 64" barrel,.. feller I got her from brought her home wrapped in plastic garbage bags, tied to the luggage rack on top of his 70's something Toyota,.. I bring her around in my truck,... regards,.. Cades Cove Fiddler...

Now that barrel takes it!!!

Ez

[Rajin cajun]

Fellows that’s one fine”loooooooongrifle” that Dana has there..!🙀
Quiet impressive when seen with other rifles on his table. Ole Mike is a Great Soddy.!


Bob

[Daryl]

That barrel is long enough, they would HAVE to go into the same hole, wouldn't they? You wouldn't even have to be aiming that close
I reckon.

[Lone Wolf]

I never saw the point of making a beautiful rifle a safe queen.  These guns are meant to be displayed, not hidden away in a safe.  If theft is the concern, put that safe money into a security system or towards a house in a better location.  Theres plenty of other stuff in my house with an aggregate value much greater than my rifles but I don't keep my TV, car, furniture, tools, etc. locked up in a safe.

Practically speaking, a long barreled rife can be harder to transport as it might not fit well in the trunk of the car/SUV.

The other consideration is weight.  My first longrifle build had a 44" C-weight barrel in 50 caliber.  The finished rifle weighs 9 lbs and although that's within the range of many historic rifles, my arms feel it after an all day hunt.  If I had to to do it over again I would go with a lighter weight barrel maybe 42" and in 54 caliber.  In fact my next build will likely be a lighter rifle to replace it as my primary hunting rifle.

[Bill Raby]

I never had any problem carrying a rifle with a 44 inch barrel in a small car. The back seats fold down in just about every car made in the last 20 years. But it probably won't work in one of those hatch back cars.

[oldtravler61]

  Bill that's the reason they make Sun roofs....

[Daryl]

LOL

My .44" bl. Beck rifle with 14" pull easily fits laying on the floor or back seat in the truck. Even the 48" bl. Verner fit, but just barely.
Verner


Beck