Screw barrel flintlock rifle?

[Ky-Flinter]

I happened to see this on eBay and thought it was interesting.  Is someone reproducing this parts set?  The Rifle Shoppe, perhaps.  I would be interested to see pictures of a complete rifle, if anyone has one.

Here's a link to pictures......
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=22460&image=570621286&images=570621286,570621262,570621237,570621245,570621258&formats=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0&format=0

-Ron

[Old Ford2]

Puts another view on in-lines???
With use and wear, it would be hard to keep the front sight alligned.
The creativity in the firearm industry never ceases to amazed me!
I am supprised that this simple action did not take over the market.
Thank you for the pictures.
Old Ford

[kutter]

Rifle Shoppe sells a 'John Harmon' screw bbl pistol parts set. They offer a 6" bbl with it but as they say in the notes, ,18" bbls available on special request.
Or make up your own long bbl for the gun .  

Maybe convert a small gauge damascus  tube from a junker  set of shotgun bbls for the job.
That'd look pretty spiffy

http://www.therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/english_pistols/(635).htm

[rsells]

I talked to Ed Rayl last week, and he said that he had made the barrel for the fellow who originally planned on making the build, but I didn't ask about the action.
                                                                        Roger Sells

[Kermit]

Was that really intended as a breech-loading system? I'm thinking it was a shot at making up a lock/breech system all in one hunk. Sorta like a patent breech? Hardly seems very practical otherwise, but stranger things were devised.

[kutter]

The screw bbl pistols are quite common.
Remove the bbl with a 'key' or wrench that slips over the muzzle and down to the breech end. The small lug on the bottom of the bbl keys into the wrench and turns the bbl off. Most times you don't need the wrench at all.
The pistol(s) rarely have a front sight, so the issue of clocking it straight up is not there.
On a rifle or shotgun, perhaps so  if it becomes worn.
Maybe a small front sight bead mounted on an adjustable 'ring' on a cannon type muzzle shape could take care of that and be disguised well enough. Just a thought

Aside from fumbling with getting the bbl screwed back into the frame at times w/o spilling some powder, the small pistol I had for a short time worked easily for me. More common to have the chamber in the frame I guess.
I'd drop the proper size ball into the 'chamber' (no patch) where it stops up against the start of the rifling.
Fill the remaining cavity behind it with B/P to level of the bbl. Screw the frame and bbl back together,,prime pan and you're ready.

The sealed breech with the ball up against the rifling is probably a plus as far as the power quotient goes, but at a few feet or yards, it probably didn't make much difference.

A rifle or shotgun made from the action would be different and neat to play with I think.

[dannybb55]

The nice rifles had interrupted threads in the breech like a modern howitzer. This would make a dandy poacher's gun. The Butt and Barrel could be made into a cane and the action could be dropped into the coat pocket. With the sights mounted on the barrel, they will never misalline.

[smart dog]

Hi Ron,
Those parts were cast by TRS.  I have a set as well and they are pretty nice castings.  Screw barrel rifles were not common but were occasionally made as deer park hunting rifles.  The British actually had quite a tradition of making various styles of breech loading rifles for deer hunting starting in the mid 17th century.  The ball is slightly larger than the bore similar to a modern bullet so it makes a good gas seal on firing.  You load the chamber which is immersed within the breech plug threads with powder then place the ball in the recessed cup at the top of the threads.  Next you screw on the barrel, prime, and fire.  The guns (rifles and pistols) were accurate and powerful for their powder charges but slow loading, which was not an issue for deer hunters on the big estates.  Some screw-barrel rifles had wooden forestocks pinned to the rotating barrel and others had no forestocks.  They were all well made and I am sure quite expensive for the times.

dave    

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

Here is a photo of a screw barrel long gun, not rifled, from the book Blunderbusses, by Baxter.





And here is one I made from the photo.  I made all the parts, except for the lock parts which were from a Siler kit.









Jim

[heelerau]

@!*%, that is a really clever built rifle, and pistol combination.  Poachers gun?

Cheers

Gordon