short Ferguson video

[4ster]

My brother came to visit to shoot my Ferguson and he put together a short video.  This is from a non ML perspective and the intro is a little over produced for this group.  I also was operating without a script and my narration has a few gaffs, in particular I apologize to Rich Pierce for referring to him in the past tense twice.   

There are some neat frames showing the gun going off in slow motion so its kind of fun.  I hope you enjoy it.

[omark]

well done and very interesting since i had never seen a fergy shot before.  thank you, mark

[Daryl]

My brother came to visit to shoot my Ferguson and he put together a short video.  This is from a non ML perspective and the intro is a little over produced for this group.  I also was operating without a script and my narration has a few gaffs, in particular I apologize to Rich Pierce for referring to him in the past tense twice.  

There are some neat frames showing the gun going off in slow motion so its kind of fun.  I hope you enjoy it.

I guess I missed that, 4ster - did you refer to Rich as the Late Rich Pierce?  




 

[blunderbuss]

 

Some one needs to tell that fellow not to load from a horn to a weapon ,sparks fly every where from a flint lock, percussions too for that matter I saw a flask blow up from a percussion lock at 18" If you notice when he fired the first shot he didn't empty the measure on the end of the horn,not that it would have done much good if a spark goes down the end of that'' funnel'' measure they're not spark proof. Those type measures are probally the most dangerous thing on the range. I would recommend the use of a cartridge and disposing of the paper (not using the paper inside the barrel)  Nice weapon wish I had one

[4ster]

That is one of the gaffs I mentioned.  Paper cartridges are the way to go.  I hesitated to post the video because of how I was using the horn.  There is a school of thought that since the barrel is open on both ends and if you seat the ball with your finger (I didn't in the video, I used a tool) any residual embers are extinguished.  Of course that doesn't cover a stray spark falling into the powder measure on the horn.  I now go from horn to measure to gun.

Cartridges for a ferguson have to be a little different since the ball goes in first and you don't stuff the cartridge in the gun with the ball.  My Ferguson cartridges are made so that the ball is separated from the powder and the ball is pushed out of the cartridge with a thumb pressing against the breach hole.

Thanks for telling me blunderbuss!

[Campy]

What diameter ball did you use? Any lube applied?
        Thanx!

[4ster]

What diameter ball did you use? Any lube applied?
        Thanx!

Ball is .615 and is lubed with a mixture of 2 parts beeswax to one part Crisco. 

A great resource on Fergusons is the book _Every Insult and Indignity_ by Ricky Roberts and Bryan Brown.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=18330.0

[Daryl]

Taylor built a Ferguson rifle which had a .650" groove diameter. I suspect the 'action' is the same one as yours is built on.  I was merely wondering if you slugged the barrel before chosing the .615" ball?

[4ster]

Yes I believe that we both used parts from The Rifle Shoppe.  However his finished rifle looks better than mine.

I just measured mine again today in response to a PM from a member.  The groove diameter on mine is .648, land diameter is .610.  

There are a few schools of thought about what ball to use in a Ferguson.  I subscribe to the school that the rifle used .615 British carbine ball.  It is pretty well documented that is what Patrick F. ordered when he wrote to the quartermaster.  I would like to know if the example used by The Rifle Shoppe to construct their reproduction parts had the same bore as when it was supplied to one of Patty's riflemen.

[Daryl]

I don't have that knowldge, but thought they were either .62 cal. or 20 bore which is actually .615".  I thought the Rifle Shoppe's barrels were around .65. Taylor used a .65 cal. ball and it gave very good accuracy.

I would think an undersized ball might lead the bore worse than a groove diameter ball is why I asked. The gas leakage around the ball would tend to sluff off material and plate the bore with it.

Lead might be difficult to remove from the bore's fairly deep rifling.  I suggest strips of copper from a Curly Kate kitchen scrubber wrapped around an undersized bronze brush for removing leading, whereever it might be found, in whatever gun.  It's quite effective, and more-so than steel wool.