Plank Rifles

[ratfacedmcdougal]

Noodling in the NRA virtual museum I came across this and thought of this thread. Coulda been a plank rifle maybe? Looks almost Bedford-ish to my unschooled eye.

http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum/the-galleries/the-prospering-new-republic/case-29-the-rifle-shop-and-the-plains-rifle/nicanor-kendall-(windsor,-vt)-underhammer-percussion-rifle.aspx

Too bad the NRA is so very lousy at actually telling us about these guns. Grrrrr. Not so much as caliber or barrel length, much less such insignificant efemera as twist rate. Who is running that outfit?

Aside from being a homely gun, that Quilted Birdseye is some gorgeous wood.
The Shelburne Museum in Shelburne VT recently had a fairly large collection of VT made guns donated by
Terry Tyler of Dorset Vt. Worth the visit if you are in the area.http://shelburnemuseum.org/exhibitions/lock-stock-and-barrel-the-terry-tyler-collection-of-vermont-firearms/
RFMcD

[smokinbuck]

Kermit,
The NRA museum rifle you talked about is much like the one I shoot chunk with, except that I have raised the cheek piece. Did you ever get a plank length from anyone? Happy, healthy new year.
Mark

[SPG]

Gentlemen,

There's not  a set or required length to the plank. Grab a sawhorse and set a plank so that you can rest the barrel and shoot the target. Some ranges will require different angles and/or lengths.

We have a notch in the front of the 3" by 14" plank we use for resting the barrel. I would guess our plank is 8 feet long.

I have used underhammers for plank shooting and they work well indeed, especially if one stocks them with the typical D.H. Hilliard dog-leg stock.

Steve

[Kermit]

Mark: never did. I'm starting to think this plank shooting thing is purely fiction.

[smokinbuck]

Kermit,
Might be fiction at that, but might try to make it reality this spring. How's that bench rifle coming along?
Mark

[Kermit]

It's getting a little exxercise. Settled on .535 balls, but playing with patches and lubes. Seems to prefer about 100-120 gr of  2X Goex. Mostly shooting with (shudder) a 16x Fecker while I continue messing with my long tube sight. I think I've slowed down on accumulating gadgets--for now. I ever send you a photo?

[smokinbuck]

No, no pics of the finished product. I thought I remembered that barrel being rifled for bullets?
Mark

[Kermit]

Maybe I ought to check the twist! Can't remember why I thought it was a RB barrel. A friend has been urging me to try slugs. Don't know if I can handle the slime though.

[smokinbuck]

I may be wrong but I thought it was a rather fast twist. Easy thing to check.
Mark

[Kermit]

Just checked it. One in about 68-70 inches. Not so very fast, eh?

[smokinbuck]

Kermit,
No, not very fast at all!! With all the rifles, and barrels, that pass through here I must have yours confused with another. I guess I would stick with the RB also.
Mark

[Dphariss]

Noodling in the NRA virtual museum I came across this and thought of this thread. Coulda been a plank rifle maybe? Looks almost Bedford-ish to my unschooled eye.

http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum/the-galleries/the-prospering-new-republic/case-29-the-rifle-shop-and-the-plains-rifle/nicanor-kendall-(windsor,-vt)-underhammer-percussion-rifle.aspx

Too bad the NRA is so very lousy at actually telling us about these guns. Grrrrr. Not so much as caliber or barrel length, much less such insignificant efemera as twist rate. Who is running that outfit?

Aside from being a homely gun, that Quilted Birdseye is some gorgeous wood.
The Shelburne Museum in Shelburne VT recently had a fairly large collection of VT made guns donated by
Terry Tyler of Dorset Vt. Worth the visit if you are in the area.http://shelburnemuseum.org/exhibitions/lock-stock-and-barrel-the-terry-tyler-collection-of-vermont-firearms/
RFMcD

Actually as underhammers go its pretty handsome. Nice sweep the the buttstock.  No clunky lines no square corners or lumps.
It is as cool as a J Armstrong? Nope. But it was made in a different time and place.
It has to be viewed as what it was and when and where.  There are FL Kentucky's that are far more odious and an even greater percentage of SMRs rate as such.

Dan