Ferguson rifle

[smart dog]

Hi Bryan,
I have a J. Tanner 0.615 mold, and a beeswax and tallow mix.  The mix may be 50:50 I don't remember.  I will try your ratio.  I melt the wax and dip the breech into it and also use it on the ball.  With that setup I could shoot the rifle at least 10 times without cleaning but the accuracy was not acceptable.  I also could barely get 60 grains of 3f swiss powder into the chamber.  If I recall Ernie Cowan recommends that you don't fill the chamber with powder.  Anyway, the best accuracy that I have achieved with my Ferguson has been with the 0.648 ball.  I completely agree with you that the smaller ball makes sense because Ferguson would have designed a rifle around existing military ammunition to ease the logistics and supply.  I will have to try your tallow and beeswax mixture to see if that does the trick.  Thanks Bryan.

dave

 

[bryanbrown]

Dave

The higher % of beeswax is due to the summers here in the Carolina's.  Thinner mixes just run out.  Weather in your area may or may not dictate a thinner mix.  DEEEP winter here MIGHT hit 20 degrees Fahrenhiet.   MAYBE 1 or 2 days nearer 0 at night.

Summer, well that can get a might toasty come August.

The stiffer mix works year round here in the Carolinas.  Not sure about your weather.

Ricky and I both use the same  .615 Jeff Tanner mold as well.   Ricky used .645 ball  at one point, but his first model Bess was more consistent.  .615 works well in his.  but as we all know these beasties can have a bit of "personality"  some may have been bored slightly diff.  I have only used the .615 mold and have been happy with the results so I cannot personally speak to the .645 or .648 ball.

[Daryl]

breaking the rules or not- I don't know- but I enjoyed reading it just the same.

I don't think Taylor mentioned it, but he used a Rapine mould, .650" RB.  Any time a lead sphere or bullet is shot from a gun, it needs to be lubed and lubed well with a lube that is proper for Black Powder. The mix of a fairly thick - beeswax and a bit of tallow, would allow the power gasses to atomize and blow a considerably amount of the lube off the ball's anterior surface, forward into the bore and grooves ahead of the ball for lubrication and fouling softening - this all makes sense of course, although a larger ball will shoot with better accuracy.

 One method that is good for removing leading is "Kurly Kate" pot washing copper scrubbers. Cut a couple strands and pull them out of the Kurly Kate (or Curly Kate), then wrap them around an slightly undersized bored brush. You now have a 'brush' that removes leading like magic and will not damage any bore.  With modern 4140 steels, I use 4-ought wool with Birchwood Casey's lead solvent in it.  mostly, these days, I don't get any or much leading and what's there comes out on the cloth patch.  this has to do with proper lubes and the right amount of same.

I guess I could take a picture, eh?

[bryanbrown]

Anything I can to to encourage the spread of the "Ferguson addiction"  it has a haunting whizz bang aspect to it.  And living near Kings Mountain SC ( Where Patrick Ferguson died and is buried)  it is something special for me.

Ricky and I generally do demos and lectures there on the evolution of the rifle with a focus on Patrick Ferguson's breech loading ordinance rifle at Kings Mountain NPS.  But we haven't heard from the Rangers this year yet so I cannot provide any dates.  We will be doing them at the Loch Norman Highland Games if folks are in the area http://www.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net/

We also do a number of demonstrations with them at various historical events  using "demo ball"  basically water soaked Scott brand TP put in a .65 or .67 mold (Ricky uses .645 mine is a .67) to make "less dangerous ball" once they have completely dried.  We still insist on a min 100ft safe firing lane with some sort of backstop. But the balls shred themselves coming out of the bore and give you a patch of confetti about 10 ft out.   Don't try waxing the TP balls they can get too soaked and become too firm and can carry beyond 50 ft.   "Demo balls" are not recommended for everyday use, but it allows you to do demos of an in my opinion pretty cool bit of 18th century technology for a broader audience then if you are restricted to lead ball and traditional ranges.  We have done most of the demo that Patrick Ferguson did for King George at Woolrich in 1775 using this technique.  Including going from loaded firelock, dumping a full canteen (@1qt/1Lt) down the bore and into the pan and then firing again in under 1 min.

[Naphtali]

I did build a Sporting Ferguson last year. However the action was made up by a fellow in Montana who has been doing it for many years. I`d have to do some looking to find his contact info. His machine work was very fine. The threads were precise and tight. One of the common features of a mediocre Ferguson Breech is gas leakage through the threads.

Possibly, the Montana maker -- he's quite old now, or deceased -- is:

Steve Sklany
Sklany’s Machine Works
566 Birch Grove Drive
Kalispell, MT  59901

Another, less likely candidate -- he's even older, but I believe still alive -- is:

Elmer Johnston
Mattawa Metal Works
Third & Broadway
P.O. Box 1245
Mattawa, WA 99344

Hope these help.
***
I've been working toward Ferguson Officer's Sporting Model rifles by fits and starts since 1993. I think, Mr. Scott, I visited you with two Ferguson barrelled actions to try to engage you to finish the rifles. At the time your backlog was more than three years, so you passed. Bad for me became much, much worse. I engaged a fine gun maker in Idaho. He had a shop fire that destroyed two rifles and one double-barrelled pistol -- no insurance. He told me "tough-luck-buddy" and retired.

Years pass. I think I have roughly profiled Officer's model actions being completed. With luck, I still seek a gun maker to finish them.