What is a chunk gun?

[James]

Hello, I searched chunk guns and would like to know more than what I found. What constitutes a chunk gun? Accuracy potential? Choosing caliber? Matches- target size, distance etc... Anything you can tell me I would like to hear. Well other than where to go...  If this has been discussed and I didn't find it could you post that thread? Thank you, James

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Here's a link to what Mark Elliott has to say about Chunk Guns.

http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2010/02/carved-early-virginia-chunk-gun-by-mark.html

[Roger Fisher]

Here's a link to what Mark Elliott has to say about Chunk Guns.

http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2010/02/carved-early-virginia-chunk-gun-by-mark.html

I'm tempted to be a smart A    and say any rifle you shoot w/said rifle resting on a chunk or log.   Actually most chunk guns are heavy barreled and around 50 caliber or so with fixed open sights using shaders over the sights either flint or 'cussin' ignition.  You asked what is a chunk gun and thats about it.   

[zimmerstutzen]

What I have read is that nearly any regular long rifle or half stock can be used as a chunk gun, but that normally they tend to have heavier and perhaps longer barrels.  I haven't been able to figure out if they are required to have a ram rod that fits into thimbles under the barrel.    From what I read, the target is basically a either 2 inch or 4 inch circle dissected into four by an "x" .    One reference says 2 inch circle but the target shown is about two and a half times the diameter of a silver dollar in the picture, which probably means a 4 inch dia. circle.   

Also unlike some shooting disciplines, competitors are permitted to place a sighter target over the "score" target, to help give a point of aim. 

If I am wrong about this please correct me.

It does sounds like something I would like to try.

[Daryl]

The scoring target can be a simple cross on a white target, of about any diameter. With that one, you'll need a 'sighting target' or 'spotter' as the cross is invisible at 50 yards.  The spotter can take any form that you get a good sight picture on at that range.  It's just about time to start practising here, but there is still too much snow on our field - pretty wet, too. We could practise Roger's method, or sitting with high chunk, though.
I sent an ammendment to Rendezvous 2011 (Hefley Creek Rondy web site) to have them include that sitting would be allowed for those who cannot shoot prone as long as they provide their own wooden chunks as per the picture recently provided here.

[Don Getz]

A chunk gun, or over the log, match can be shot with almost any type of muzzleloader, but, like any type of shooting,
there were those individuals who decided to make a gun specific for the purpose....heavy, long barrel.   The name "chunk"
gun came from, I believe, the fact that you lay on the ground and would rest the muzzle of the gun on a log or "chunk"
of wood, hence the name "chunk gun"........Don

[okieboy]

 James,part of what confuses people a bit about chunk shooting is that each chunk shoot is its own event and can vary as the people putting it on see fit. There is (thank goodness) no National Chunk Shooting Association making standardized rules that everyone has to follow. Like the ramrod question, some shoots don't care, others require that a ramrod could be held under the barrel. The chunk shoot in Iowa near Ames allows underhammers, but the hammer must be powered by a spring that serves as the triggerguard; that is their rule.
 As to the circles on paper targets, they are to make scoring easier; any shot outside the circle is given an automatic number of inches without measuring, at the York it is an automatic 3". Originally the targets were boards or wood shingles, often charred black and you cut an X for each shot with a sharp knife. I know of at least one shoot that still shoots at knife cut Xs on boards.
 60 yards is a common range, but that can vary. Ten shots is common, but that can vary. At some shoots the big winner is the shortest string, at others there is no string, the closest shot is first, the next closest shot is second and so on.
 The most common rules are these:
 No false muzzles,
 Rear sight at least 6" ahead of the rear of the barrel,
 Rear sight can be a vee, U, or square notch only,
 Front sight can be a pin head, blade, or barleycorn only,
 The rifle butt can not touch the ground or be supported by anything other that the shooter,
 There is no barrel length limit,
 There is no caliber limit,
 There is no weight limit.
 This local variation is one of the charming aspects of this style of shooting for me, each local shoot has its own distinctive flavor or personality.
 As to what is a chunk gun, any gun meeting the rules above could complete and I would encourage you to shoot what you've got. If the shooting grabs you, you can always move on to a different gun if you want, but shoots are not won by who shoots the best gun, but by who shoots his gun best.

[James]

I'm getting it now and it sounds like some kind of fun,  thank you all. I will show ignorance here, what is a false muzzle?

[zimmerstutzen]

A false muzzle is a short piece of metal that is machined to fit to the muzzle end of a barrel blank before it is final reamed and rifled.  It usually is a slip fit using three or four metal pins/dowels to hold it in place and because it is rifled at that same time as the barrel, the lands and groove match up perfectly.   It permits the shooter to load a PRB or bullet through the false muzzle, keeping loading wear in the false muzzle and then before shooting, the false muzzle is removed.  This leaves the barrel muzzle as close to perfectly square as possible and is supposed to eliminate inaccuraccy caused by an uneven muzzle crown.    It is often used on heavy bench guns and 200 meter offhand guns and some others.    I have three muzzleloading pistols with false muzzles and a target inline rifle made in the 1960's that also has a false muzzle.  (I'm not sure of the need for such muzzles on pistols, except to reduce wear)   

There are several photos of the heavy bench guns with their false muzzles available just by a google search.