Bear pistol... er, carbine? Pig gun?

[Eric Kettenburg]

Looking for ideas as to what the heck YOU think it is.  All ideas welcomed!  Not really my area of expertise.  I thought about it as a "bear pistol" with a subsequently added stubby stock.  I love the idea of a brushy "pig gun" but I don't think feral pig hunting was a thing during the early 19th century.  Probably not that many feral pigs anyway until after the Civil War.  Barrel is .50 cal, 17" long.  Lock is recycled from a 1798 Austrian cavalry pistol and is a monster.  Lots of layers of secondary work.

 

[Cory Joe Stewart]

That is fantastic!!!

Cory Joe Stewart

[elk killer]

Thats great, how is the shoulder stock attached?

[Majorjoel]

Some hunters liked "POACHED" meat!  The Kings deer always tasted better than a steady diet of squirrels and rabbits.   Just a wild guess but it is a cool piece Eric!

[MuskratMike]

Eric: it is a masterpiece! Seriously cool bear/pig pistol.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Perhaps the forerunner of the 19th C "buggy rifle"...after church shooting matches.

[Daryl]

Exactly, Taylor - as pictured in Ned Robert's book. I thought of the same thing.

[Eric Kettenburg]

Thanks guys!  Hmmm, there is indeed a bit of a 'buggy rifle-ish' look about it too.  I was thinking about a percussion conversion but this lock is in fantastic shape and I really had a "bug"  to use it for something.  I have to say it's really handy, it actually works perfectly with a squared shooting stance, nose up to my thumb, a lot like shooting a more modern type of unnamable rifle.

The stock is glued, iron bracket mounted below and a huge lag screw that runs straight through the grip and into the shoulder stock nearly to the end of the cheekpiece.  I don't think it's ever coming off.  Also the shoulder stock was carved and fitted to mate up pretty closely with the octagonal flats of the pistol grip.  The idea was to create a primitive or 'backwoods' look, but I did want to make sure it was solid and not loose on there.

[Mike Brooks]

Well crapola....I thought this was an old gun. You're doing some great work. I'm glad I'm not an old gun collector.

[t.caster]

Eric, you are one of few who can pull that type gun off! Pretty cool ! I want to pick it up and try it! just curious....what is the trigger pull, and how far is the peep from your eye??

[oldtravler61]

  Erik I thought it was an old Navy style boarding pistol.. Something ya shoot from the crow's nest... or an ole coach gun of some sorts.  None the less I like it...  Oldtravler

[bob in the woods]

That is a fabulous looking pistol / carbine .   Extremely useful and perhaps much more accurate than a normal pistol , and more easily carried than a rifle; especially if working with dogs. I love it !

By coincidence , I'm working on a similar piece, but I don't want to hijack this thread, so will post separately .   

[Eric Kettenburg]

The trigger reach works out at 12 7/8".  I didn't want to make it too long and ruin the "look" and also wanted to keep the whole thing as compact as possible.  I have no problem with it at all, but as I mentioned, that's with a squared shooting stance to the target and I will admit that I'm used to shooting a number of shorter-reach guns, to the point where anything over @ 13 1/2 just feels too long anymore.

Also, I have to add, in the event one was actually shooting up into a tree at a bear, the shorter reach feels really good!

I'll have to measure the peep distance from my eye.  I'm going to shoot it some more over the next few days and with a peep sight, I can actually see well enough with my right eye to shoot a RH gun right handed which is a very nice change.

[hanshi]

Fooled me.  I thought it was an original gun you cleaned up.  You may have just outdone yourself, Eric.

[Robert Wolfe]

When Eric presents a gun you should just assume he made it unless he specifically says otherwise!    Wonderful, imaginative work.

[T.C.Albert]

With some silver bullets it would be a great werewolf hunters gun.
Sorry, I just watched the Sleepy Hollow again this weekend and have that stuff on the brain.
I really like it a lot and honestly would case it some how. Maybe like Louie made the antiqued
Wooden case for a Hawken awhile back.
TCA

[B.Barker]

Erik that's a super cool rifestol or what ever it is. Did you use a rifle barrel cut down or a long pistol barrel? Just wondering if the rifling twist is fast or slow. A gun like that would be pretty handy to hunt with in the knob land where I hunt.

[WadePatton]

It's a gun they confiscated off the Samsquatch that got caught on trail-cam and followed to it's den. I hear they like beefy locks. 

It's certainly not a long rifle.

Interesting Eric, for sure.