Building my chunk gun for the york shoot

[Scott Bumpus]

Reading okie's posts got me fired up and I have started work on my rifle.   rayle 50cal  50"  1 5/16" barrel   in a cherry stock.  It will be loosley based on a tenessee style with preference given to shooting rather than staying true to any particular style.  1st question,  I am going to make a built in cant block, how far back from the muzzle is best?  2nd question, how have yall made shaders and how do you attach them?  Thanks and hope to see yall at the three forks.

[Roger Fisher]

You will surely get better answers since I only fiddle with chunk shootin....!  In any case, you may find that a portable removalable cant bar may be less of a problem when traveling with the lady your building. In particular if you put her in a case or traveling box/chest.  This is easier if she be a half stock.  I had used a section of upper forearm before she was shaped with a copper inlaid section.  I decided later on in her life that the cant bar rest was too narrow and was not doing the job properly.  I then inletted a unshaped section of upper forearm stock section crosswise with the barrel (about 4 inches long and I'm happier with that. (It is simply driven on the barrel at a shoot with a friction fit.  I figure it will last longer before wearing loose going on and off the barrel than I will or maybe even the next guy....   You will probably have to shoot the new lady to find her sweet spot.  In my case it was abt 9 inches back from the muzzle.  I stole parts of Barbara's quilting frame a few dozen years ago and so far she hasn't missed them.  The parts were just the ticket. half round metal with curled edges.  Sweeze them together some then a friction fit on the barrel.  Of course you could also do well with a center cardboard section out of a paper towel roll.  (Keep them away from a campfire)   Let use know how the new gal 'works'

[Bill of the 45th]

Scott, go to Bookie's sit, or PM him.  He has a bunch of pic's on the site of his chunk guns.  Most I've seen are pretty close to the muzzle.

Bill

[Don Getz]

Bill...........do you want to know how to find that sweet spot to put your cant block?    Here's something someone showed
me and try it...strange.     Take the barrel out of the stock and hold it vertically by the tang, then hit it with a piece of wood, working up and down the barrel......you will find a spot where you get very little vibration......try it, then report on
it.    Those long barrels are nice, but, let me tell you something.   You do a lot of cleaning in shooting a chunk gun match,
the more barrel , the more tired your arms will get.   Here's a helpful hint...build a stool that will kind of fit around the
butt of the gun when it is resting on the ground, that way you will not be reaching way up to push and pull that cleaning
rod thru the barrel, believe me, it makes a great difference..........Have fun.   I sure wish I could still get up and down,
really miss the game.   Getting down is no problem....it's the other one..................Don

[Rasch Chronicles]

Ahhhh!

More Chunk Gunnery

Looking resonance nodes!

This just keeps getting better!

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

[Roger Fisher]

Bill...........do you want to know how to find that sweet spot to put your cant block?    Here's something someone showed
me and try it...strange.     Take the barrel out of the stock and hold it vertically by the tang, then hit it with a piece of wood, working up and down the barrel......you will find a spot where you get very little vibration......try it, then report on
it.    Those long barrels are nice, but, let me tell you something.   You do a lot of cleaning in shooting a chunk gun match,
the more barrel , the more tired your arms will get.   Here's a helpful hint...build a stool that will kind of fit around the
butt of the gun when it is resting on the ground, that way you will not be reaching way up to push and pull that cleaning
rod thru the barrel, believe me, it makes a great difference..........Have fun.   I sure wish I could still get up and down,
really miss the game.   Getting down is no problem....it's the other one..................Don

I've heard this works; but being stubborn (read lazy) I shot the B     til I found what she wanted.....I started with the cant bar v close to the muzzle; but had high right shots maybe 1 out of 10 or a dozen.  So, I moved that cant bar back til the high fliers quit.

[Scott Bumpus]

Thanks guys, this is good info.  I been in the shop this afternoon, barrel and tang inletted over weekend, tennons made and installed today.  i will hang the barrel and try the ring test.  I think I will make an adjustable block so i can shoot  and adjust.  Don, I am only 5' 8" so a small ladder may be needed for loading and cleaning    Bill, I have looked at bookie's site a bunch, lots of good info there and in his books. 

[okieboy]

 Scott, as to shaders, I like a pin head front sight, so I use a "Swiss" sight in front. It is a globe, so it is always shaded and is allowed in NMLRA Rules. For the back shader, about 10" long, I use some moderately hard plastic tube that I found at a big  home builders store. It works easily with normal shop tools to get a spring grip on the barrel flats and then a rubber band or elastic to make it secure. I did take it from a slick shiney finish to a matt finish inside and out with some sand paper.
 Don, I have been to some shoots where the shooting was moved up onto tables or benches and politely renamed Centers Shooting. This was agreeable because most all of the shooters had "so many years of experience".

[Scott Bumpus]

May I pick the brain of the chunk gun shooters yet again?  I am about to make up the drum and nipple, what size should the hole through the drum be. i am talking about the flash channel that goes into the barrel.  is there any advantage to making this smaller or larger?  Is there a certain nipple that works best?  i have been shooting flint for 20 years and do not know all the tricks for cap guns.   I have a large siler lock and davis set triggers.  Any and all info is greatly appreciated

[P.W.Berkuta]

On my first drum & nipple gun I made the drum with a 8X32 clean-out screw and the flash channel was the same size as the tap drill (0.136"). When shooting I would get about two shots and the channel would "fowl" and I would have to remove the clean out screw and pick the channel clean. I came home from the shoot and removed the drum and put the drum in the lathe and from the barrel side I opened up the flash channel to a diameter of 0.159" (#21 drill). I did not drill past the perpendicular intersecting hole of the nipple so my clean-out screw remained the same size. I have not had any misfires since - your milage may vary!
"NOTE" - I make my own drums so I can have my nipple with the most "meat" for the threads to "bite" into.  I can make the flash channel larger and not lose thread engagement on the nipple - be careful on this dimension!

May I pick the brain of the chunk gun shooters yet again?  I am about to make up the drum and nipple, what size should the hole through the drum be. i am talking about the flash channel that goes into the barrel.  is there any advantage to making this smaller or larger?  Is there a certain nipple that works best?  i have been shooting flint for 20 years and do not know all the tricks for cap guns.   I have a large siler lock and davis set triggers.  Any and all info is greatly appreciated