Down sides of a 3/4" barrel ?

[Tim Ault]

Was thinking about another rifle  and wanted it to be a small bore .36 cal. something like a generic "southern" style squirrel rifle. Im not a fan of heavy rifles especially real nose heavy ones and can shoot light weight guns fine if they balance well for me My current rifle is a 45 with a 13/16 at 36" long and I love how hangs off hand  and could even be a hair more heavy out front without complaint. So I was considering a 36 cal with a little  straight 3/4" barrel for it . Question is are there any down sides or issues of using the small barrel in a rifle build I will be using a pre carved stock with just the barrel inlet and of course the RR groove and hole done for me for the lock was considering the LR Bailes/Manton. Yes I know most originals had beefier barrels but like I stated this is just for my hunting and shooting wants and needs.

Thanks Tim

[rsells]

I have been using 3/4 across the flats barrels in 42 and 44 inch length to build Southern mountain rifles in .29, .30, and .32 cal with good success.  I like the look and feel of the rifles.  If you can get a copy of "Gunmakers of Buffalo Valley & Greasy Cove by Dave Byrd" you can see data and photographs of rifles made by Joseph Beals, William Beals, W.K. Brockus,  and Jason Harris using 3/4 inch across the flats barrels.  The only short coming I have seen on the small bore rifles is the 1/4 inch hickory ramrod I have to use on the .29 and .30 cal. rifles.  I go to a 5/16 hickory rod when I go to .32 and .40 cal barrels.  I will send you a photo of one rifle so you can see the profile.
                                                                                                   Roger Sells

[whitebear]

Roger please post the photos of the rifle on the sight I would love to see them and am sure that others would also.

[gwill]

I have a 3/4" barrel on order and would really like to see the profile also. Thanks.

[rsells]

These rifles have been on Art Riser's blog in the past and folks may have already seen them.  The first two photographs  are of the same rifle based on a William Douglas profile and hardware using a 44 inch .29 cal. 3/4 barrel, Davis #4 triggers, and a Chamber's late Ketland lock.



The third photo is using the same profile, but using the patch box and triggerguard from a Grimsley rifle made in Overton county TN:


Both stocks are alike from the lock mortis areas forward. The rifle in the third photo is a .30 cal. 42 inch long 3/4 across the flats using Davis #4 and a late Ketland lock.

I have made a couple .36 cal. rifles, but do not have any photographs of them stored on the computer, because they were built in the late 70's using H&H barrels that were 44 inch in length.

I hope these will be of help to those who have not seen them before.
                                                             
                                                                                Roger Sells

[gwill]

Thanks for posting these photos. Super looking rifles. I was a little concerned about the lock - wrist transition with such a thin breech but it looks like yours turned out great.

[Bob Roller]

Roger,
These are my favorite types of long rifles.Good lines,outstanding craftsmanship and
good parts.No distracting inlays.Fine work.

Bob Roller

[Jim Kibler]

I have been using 3/4 across the flats barrels in 42 and 44 inch length to build Southern mountain rifles in .29, .30, and .32 cal with good success.  I like the look and feel of the rifles.  If you can get a copy of "Gunmakers of Buffalo Valley & Greasy Cove by Dave Byrd" you can see data and photographs of rifles made by Joseph Beals, William Beals, W.K. Brockus,  and Jason Harris using 3/4 inch across the flats barrels.  The only short coming I have seen on the small bore rifles is the 1/4 inch hickory ramrod I have to use on the .29 and .30 cal. rifles.  I go to a 5/16 hickory rod when I go to .32 and .40 cal barrels.  I will send you a photo of one rifle so you can see the profile.
                                                                                                   Roger Sells

For .29 and .30 caliber guns, why not make a rod just under bore size rather than taking a big drop to 1/4"?  Make your own drill and pipes to the size you want as well.  Every little bit should help.

[Tim Ault]

Thank you for posting those pics , wonderful looking rifles ! I really like that stock profile could you tell me roughly the dimensions of the butt and how much drop ? looks like a very comfortable rifle to shoulder

[sz]

The trick to making a rifle with a very thin barrel is to build form a blank. 

Get the top line of your stock blank dead flat.  Use a long straight edge and a sanding block to get it as perfect as you can. 

Then when you inlet your barrel use a scraper a lot to get the bottom of the channel exactly ½ the depth of the barrel, (I use a vernier caliper to measure every 2 inches to be sure) and that the sides are not curved at all. 

 This will insure that barrel is laying dead straight in the channel and that it’s not flexed at all side to side or up and down. 

If you follow this procedure the thin whippy barrels will be just as accurate as any heavier barrel --- assuming the quality of the barrel is there to start with.

[rsells]

Thanks Bob.  Mountain rifles are close to my heart.  I was raised up in an area in TN that had a few makers building rifles in late 1800 and early 1900.  I was exposed to their rifles growing up and have learned to love them for their simplicity, graceful lines, and accuracy.  I will build a Hawken or a VA rifle now and again, but I always come back to the Southern rifles because I enjoy them so much.  I have an Atkinson, Douglas, and an unsighed Unicoy county rifle that I use for reference when building my Southern rifles.

Jim, I have thought about making a slightly larger drill and stay just under the bore size on the small cal rifles, but have not taken time to make the change.  I made a 1/4 inch drill when I built the first .29, got some hickory 1/4 inch ramrods from Steve Baily, and have stuck with it over the years.  I have been supplying a ball mold and a small funnel to aid in loading to my customers with the rifle to make things less complicated.  The are fun to shoot and really great to squirrel hunt with in the Fall and Winter months.

Tim, I sent you a note about the stock profile.
                                                                                Roger Sells

[EC121]

I have a .30cal. No. Carolina rifle built by Mike Miller.  Iron mounted side swiveling wooden patch box.  Small Siler lock.  3/4" 40in. barrel.  Really fun to shoot.  No recoil.  I use the rifle's rod, and ram the ball with short strokes to avoid breaking it.  Clean with a metal rod.   I removed the steel screw from the jag and installed a longer screw to get more clearance behind the jag for the cleaning patch.  Log Cabin Shop has Rush Creek .283 & .30cal. balls.  Mostly shooting out of the bag.  Since I am mostly making smoke for fun, the .283 is fine with a ticking patch.