Author Topic: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle  (Read 21962 times)

Offline Bill Raby

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Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« on: May 09, 2020, 12:41:48 AM »
   Here is the start of a new video series. This one is a 4 bore English rifle. I know, I am nuts and my arm is going to fly off. Its OK. I am not going to load 20 drams of powder for every shot. Problem is that I read to much. I always have. So I will blame this one on the old adventure stories. I have wanted one of these since I was about 16 years old.

   This one is going to be fairly complicated. The barrel is so massively oversized that nothing is going to fit without a bit of work. Some parts will need to be modified and a some made from scratch. This one may also be of some interest to those have you that like the Hawken rifles. The style is a lot different, but there are many similarities in how it goes together. This one should be fun. I hope that you enjoy it. Please do not hesitate with any comments or questions. The description will include and index of what is in each video. The plan is to post a half hour video every weekend.

Here is Part 1


Offline redheart

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2020, 01:42:35 AM »
Now by Gawd, that's gonna be a true manly man's rifle. I hope you have a good chiropractor Bill. :o ;)

Offline flatsguide

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2020, 02:08:12 AM »
Good luck with this project! I remember when I was a boy reading Selous’s adventures in Africa hunting with a 4 bore, wild stuff. I fired an English 4 bore smooth bore cap lock when I was about 14 quite the surprise. I don’t remember how many ounces of shot I loaded but when I pointed it up at a tree and fired it cleared a large hole in the canopy. 
Looking forward to your videos.
Cheers Richard

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2020, 02:39:09 AM »
Will this creature have any cross bolts or other recoil lugs of sort in it?

Offline Daryl

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2020, 03:03:34 AM »
16 drams was the full load for the ctg. guns, with a round ball.
12 drams with a round ball broke W.W.Greener's recoil machine which only went up to 200 pounds.
16 drams is 436.8gr.
12 drams, which broke the machine at well over 200 pounds is a mere 327.6gr.
The ball weight in pure lead is 1/4 pound at 1,750gr.  That being 1.052" in diameter and of pure lead.

Now, this is roughly 50 to 60pound recoil from a 14 bore rifle.




Good luck with that, Bill. Looking forward to the results.

 
« Last Edit: May 09, 2020, 03:14:16 AM by Daryl »
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2020, 03:28:43 AM »
Building a horizontal volcano. If you shoot full power loads you will have to notify the US Geological labs.  ;D One of my old gunsmith buds has built two and maybe three of them. Should be interesting!

Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2020, 03:08:33 PM »
I have a friend that shoots 4 bores. Google Mark Quade and watch his video. Not something I'd pull the trigger on. ???
NEW WEBSITE! www.mikebrooksflintlocks.com
Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Deuce50

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2020, 01:05:48 AM »
The deer won't know what hit them!

Offline redheart

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2020, 05:38:51 PM »
The deer won't know what hit them!
There won't be enough of the deer left to know anything! ;D

Canuck Bob

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2020, 06:34:02 PM »
Great video, very informative.  I was deeply influenced by J. R. Hunter's book Hunter about his African exploits.  It transformed me from a plinker to a big game hunter. 

What do you estimate the final weight will be?  You should have no clearance issues with dovetails in the barrel ;-) .

Offline OLUT

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2020, 07:19:42 PM »
Bill, for your ramrod, consider a steel one. That's what is on my original old 4 bore percussion rifle; it works well and allows smaller ramrod pipes. I'm too much of a wimp to fire a 4 ounce ball out of mine, but with blank loads, it sure makes a major boom and lots of smoke. I'm interested in following your videos as this is a unique build. Have you decided on express sights for this monster, or?  As an aside, I noticed your Green EDGEWOOD T-shirt. Is this the same as the old Edgewood Arsenal that was south of Aberdeen Proving Grounds? If so, I spent most of my army days in the mid-1960's there in the Toxicology Division of AEHA

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #11 on: May 10, 2020, 07:33:47 PM »
I,m thinking that if I fired a full bore load out of this piece I would want to blow my nose before I shot just to keep the snot off the stock.  ;D  :)

Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2020, 07:53:47 PM »
Bill, for your ramrod, consider a steel one. That's what is on my original old 4 bore percussion rifle; it works well and allows smaller ramrod pipes. I'm too much of a wimp to fire a 4 ounce ball out of mine, but with blank loads, it sure makes a major boom and lots of smoke. I'm interested in following your videos as this is a unique build. Have you decided on express sights for this monster, or?  As an aside, I noticed your Green EDGEWOOD T-shirt. Is this the same as the old Edgewood Arsenal that was south of Aberdeen Proving Grounds? If so, I spent most of my army days in the mid-1960's there in the Toxicology Division of AEHA

   I am going to go with an ebony ramrod. It is an excellent ramrod wood and was used often on this and similar kinds of rifles. Its an African hunting gun so why not use African wood? It will look really cool also. I am sure steel would be a bit more practical but it does not really matter. I am not likely to ever actually use the ramrod. I always use a steel range rod instead. I don't know anything EDGEWOOD. I just have the t-shirt.

Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2020, 02:24:30 AM »
Here is Part 2


Offline Craig Wilcox

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2020, 02:36:42 AM »
Love your "Bo Jangles" intro!  This will be a fascinating build - gonna follow you all the way.
Craig Wilcox
We are all elated when Dame Fortune smiles at us, but remember that she is always closely followed by her daughter, Miss Fortune.

Offline Daryl

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2020, 05:22:39 AM »
Crown looks fairly decent, Bill. Well done.  Good tool. I'd likely have used one of the 3/8" drive stones with paper on it for the initial chamfer. Your tool worked just fine, though.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2020, 05:32:34 AM »
I just wish I would have thought of putting it in a drill BEFORE I finished it.

Offline Daryl

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2020, 05:35:59 AM »
Only makes it go more quickly - mistakes, too.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2020, 01:43:46 AM »
Here is Part 3



Deuce50

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2020, 02:14:10 AM »
Great quality video as usual Bill.  Very instructional!

Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #20 on: May 29, 2020, 11:14:52 PM »
Here is Part 4


Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #21 on: May 31, 2020, 03:04:15 AM »
Here is Part 4.5

No building in this one. This is just talking about the tools that I use for a while.


Offline Bill Raby

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #22 on: June 06, 2020, 03:46:00 AM »
Here is Part 5


Offline Blacksmoke

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #23 on: June 06, 2020, 07:28:55 PM »
Bill: Are you NUTS!  But worthy of comment.  I had an acquaintance that built a 4 bore double that fired conical projectiles ahead of 400 gr. of black.  The gun weighed 17 lbs. but it would knock you down if you weren't firmly planted.  He shot an African Buffalo with it.  Good Luck,     Hugh Toenjes
H.T.

Offline Bob Roller

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Re: Building a 4 Bore English Rifle
« Reply #24 on: June 06, 2020, 08:31:40 PM »
Bill: Are you NUTS!  But worthy of comment.  I had an acquaintance that built a 4 bore double that fired conical projectiles ahead of 400 gr. of black.  The gun weighed 17 lbs. but it would knock you down if yoareu weren't firmly planted.  He shot an African Buffalo with it.  Good Luck,     Hugh Toenjes
This reminds of a line from a movie about some kid that has walked from North Africa to
about as far South as he could go and he found an aunt that took him in and asked him'
if he wanted and he said, "an old fashion elephant gun and a quart of whiskey".The startled
aunt asked him what on earth for? The kid said he'd drink the whisky down below the bottom
of the label to give him nerve to fire the elephant gun.Maybe the booze and the 4 bore rifle
are related ;D.

Bob Roller