Soddy Daisy Build Just Completed

[Daniel Coats]

Here's my latest rifle build finished today. All hardware hand forged by myself with a Rice barrel Chambers late Ketland lock and single phase double set triggers by Ross Dillion. Rifle has that diamond shaped cross section that is often missed but included in this build.

Here's a link documenting the actual build process.

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=69202.0

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

[Stoner creek]

Congratulations. Looks like you got your proportions all right. That stick of wood certainly has a lot of character!

[Mike Brooks]

Looks authentic. Also nifty. Very cool beans man.

[Austin]

You got the grand prize! A hat tip from Brooks and Stoner on a smr are few and far between! I like it also!!

[Keith Zimmerman]

Turned out great!  Cant wait to hear the range report.

[Robert Wolfe]

Nice all the way around. Particularly like the way the ash stock turned out.

[MuskratMike]

I could close my eyes and run my hands over it and tell it is a Soddy! Really nice work and I for one like the "patina" you put on this rifle. Tell us all it will be seen at the CLA show in August. I really want to fondle it!

[Ken G]

Nice work Daniel.  She turned out real nice and looks like Soddy.  You have something to be proud of for sure.  Thanks for sharing the progress.  I've enjoyed the blow by blow.

Ken

[ScottH]

Well Done! 

[Preacher Dave]

This is an amazing rifle. I truly enjoyed watching your build process over the weeks that it took. The riveted toe, butt plate, and heel plate were particularly interesting to me watching your progress. I've worked very little with ash, primarily turning hammer handles on a lathe. The open grain and tendency to split along grain lines would drive me crazy! You seemed to take the challenges in stride. Congratulations on the completion of a wonderful piece of American history.

[mountainman70]

I also appreciate your work. I enjoy working with different woods that most wouldnt think about,but thats just one of my many quirks.
I like everything about her. Iron work,wood and metal fitting, and finish superb.
Getting kudos from Mike and Stoner heap good med-cin! and CCF too.
Best regards to y'all! Dave F

[Daniel Coats]

Thanks guys my Soddy Daisy is getting international attention! One of our members asked for permission to post my pictures on a gun forum in Germany. I said yes of course and thought I would show what is being said. I got a kick out of it and I think you will too! 

First in German:

Jemand hat mal gesagt, eine Southern Rifle wäre eine longrifle mit einem Schaft, der grob aus einem Zaunpfahl geschnitzt wurde. Minimale Beschläge, immer aus geschmiedetem Eisen, oft keine Schaftkappe, oft keine Patchbox. Soddy Daisy Rifles oder die Rifles der Bean Familie gehörten zu denen, von denen ich anfangs gehört habe.

Nun hat der User Daniel Coats (offenbar einer der meisterlichen Gunmakers; wer weiss, wer das ist?) aus dem ALR-Forum seine neueste Creation vorgestellt. Der Schaft ist aus Eschenholz. Ein grobporiges Holz, das wegen seiner Zähigkeit u d Bruchfestigkeit gerne für Axt- oder Schaufelstiele verwendet wird, aber den Eindruck vertieft, der Schaft wäre ganz grob zurecht geschnitzt. Das Holz ist selbst eine Herausforderung bei der Bearbeitung, da gerne beim Bearbeiten und Ausstechen Fasern ausbrechen. Das sieht man an einiges Stellen, verstärkt aber den Charakter dieser neu gebauten Soddy Daisy.

Translated to English:

Someone once said that a Southern Rifle is a long rifle with a stock roughly carved from a fence post. Minimal fittings, always made of forged iron, often no recoil pad, often no patch box. Soddy Daisy Rifles or the Bean family rifles were among the ones I first heard of.

Now the user Daniel Coats (apparently one of the master gunmakers; who knows who that is?) from the ALR forum has presented his latest creation. The shaft is made of ash wood. A coarse-pored wood that is often used for ax or shovel handles because of its toughness and break resistance, but gives the impression that the shaft has been roughly carved. The wood itself is a challenge to work with, as fibers tend to break off when being cut and cut out. You can see that in a few places, but it reinforces the character of this newly built Soddy Daisy.

 

[oldtravler61]

  Recoil pad on a Soddy interesting or any other old longrifle...

[Daniel Coats]

  Recoil pad on a Soddy interesting or any other old longrifle...

I'm guessing he meant butt plate. In another post a lock counter plate is mentioned instead of side plate. Instead of diamond shaped stock  a rhombus shape was the term used.

[Daniel Coats]

More comments from the forum in Germany:

A very nice box! :thumbup:

The wood wouldn't be my first choice, but that doesn't detract from the excellent work. Tennessee Rifles have their own charm. The two styles known today are the "East Tennessee Rifles" of the Bean Family and consorts (The Beans have Schmieded taught the local gunsmith trade), and the Soddy Rifles, who continued originated southwest. More precisely - the beans were native to Washington County, right on the map, the place Soddy is southwest, in Hamilton County.


The term "soddy-daisy" is actually wrong. The town of Soddy-Daisy is the merger of the towns of Soddy and Daisy, this took place in 1969 - a little more than 50 years ago. The ones mentioned here Rifles originated 100 years and more before that.

The Soddy gunsmiths are said to have been first-rate smiths,when it came to woodworking, they worked rather insensitively. Almost the lock panel is characteristically common in contrast to the bottom edge of the lock convex curved. the lines are sometimes a bit "daringly tight" on the lock.

The strong curvature of the butt plate made sense because the long rifles were placed on the upper arm, not on the shoulder, and you held the rifle sideways - parallel to your chest. The butt often had a more or less "rhombus-shaped" section drawn forward through which the cheek hardly noticeable with many rifles. The crest of the butt plate was usually longer than 1/3 of the butt.

And - as you might notice in the 2nd picture, the stock wood under the barrel is not semi-circular, but in one Level adjusted to the octagonal barrel.

So much for a few little things about the Soddies. Oh yes - the lock counterplate is almost an individual trademark of the gunsmith. Everyone had their preference, this one found on all surviving John Clement Rifles.

[Daniel Coats]

I'm going to post a few more comments from the gun forum in Germany. They are quite complimentary but I'm posting only to give feedback on this particular rifle not to brag in any way. Their perspective is very interesting and likely to influence my future builds particularly of the Soddy Daisy school. I'm tending to call it the Jack Duprey Soddy Daisy school. 

Hope you enjoy!

[Daniel Coats]

Posts from Germany today translated into English:


As I said. The ash wood gives my feeling of the rifle a very special charm, the utensil focused on the function. Nothing that you would call elegant or decorative at first glance. I have a couple of fairly old ash handle axes that are just useful. The wood is smooth from decades of use, and Dan has given his interpretation just that character.

For me, it gives the feeling that this rifle is usually in the tool corner in the barn and is just reliably there when you need it.

The metal has been aged to match and looks so beautifully used. Nothing out of the box, but forged by Dan himself. He managed to get the surface to look like iron parts after long use: with scratches and a slight rust patina, regularly wiped with a greasy/oily rag and yet cared for and valued as a tool, but not a small work of art, as one would expect from the wonderful decorated long rifles from the "golden era".

For me, a really coherent interpretation of a Southern Mountain Rifle that exudes the charm of a popular and reliable commodity.


Reply post from Germany translated into English:

There's nothing wrong with ash wood, on the contrary. Just because I personally like maple better in connection with American rifles doesn't speak against ash. And especially with Tennessee Rifles you take what is available and suitable. Much more over there than in this country. It's just that here - where you won't find a long rifle on every street corner - I'm more interested in the typical than the unusual. Call it "commerce" if you will. But when I present historical weapons here at an event to convey a feeling for their history, I prefer to show what is typical rather than what is unusual. If I want to show the typical knight's armor, I don't take one for 2.20m height either. It's quite possible that - if I lived over there - I would prefer the ash wood to stand out from the crowd - which just doesn't exist here.

Hand-forged steel components have a long tradition in Tennessee / Mountain Rifles. Even today, - more than with noble Rifles. The parts of my Tennessee are also completely hand-forged, including the 48" long barrel. Only the lock is a modified "Siler".

The components used by Dan and the type of processing look familiar to me. It would be interesting to know where he learned that. After all, the builder of my rifle held weekly courses in the craft from around 1975 to 2010.

There could be a certain relationship there.

[Ken G]

It would be interesting to know who the builder of his rifle was.  Not many folks hand forge 48" long barrels and during that time frame.  My money is on Steve Bookout.

Posts from Germany today translated into English:



Hand-forged steel components have a long tradition in Tennessee / Mountain Rifles. Even today, - more than with noble Rifles. The parts of my Tennessee are also completely hand-forged, including the 48" long barrel. Only the lock is a modified "Siler".

The components used by Dan and the type of processing look familiar to me. It would be interesting to know where he learned that. After all, the builder of my rifle held weekly courses in the craft from around 1975 to 2010.

There could be a certain relationship there.

[oldtravler61]

  Ken that's as good a guess as any. But I would bet on the House brothers if indeed the gun was built here in America.
 The Europeans do have a gift for quality work and I wouldn't put it past them...   Oldtravler

[Ken G]

Yep, could be the House Brothers.  I guessed the years mentioned of 1975 thru 2010 matched the years when Bookie was most active and about the time he stopped taking orders  It would be a small group for sure. 

Ken

[Daryl]

Really nice work, Dan.

[flinchrocket]

Not bad for a fence post. You could always paint it black. Just joshin, nice rifle Dan. 

[Daniel Coats]

Thanks everyone working with Ash on this project felt like whittling a gun stock out of a shovel handle with a Swiss army knife! 

[flinchrocket]

I would think anyone who ever replaced the handle in a sledgehammer or axe would have a pretty good idea of what it would be like to build a gun from an ash stock. I like the looks, but no thanks.

[Daniel Coats]

I used Ash to match the rifle I was using as inspiration. Part of it's look and appeal can really only be recreated with simple hand tools and hand forged hardware.

I'm glad it finished up well but my next Soddy has been started with the more common black walnut.