John Bass Big Bore Gun (Big pictures!)

[taterbug]

Oh, BTW, it's also great to see such detailed pics too.  I don't waiting a few seconds to see things so clearly. 

[Mattox Forge]

The Germans certainly did get fast rifling to work well, as did the English apparently. According to George in his book English Guns and Rifles, nearly all of the big bore flintlock rifles were fast twist in the 1:40 range.  I am looking forward to seeing how to make it work.

The wood is not burned. It is covered with what might be black paint.  It could be a degraded varnish. I am not sure.

Regarding the breech plug. I was the first person to remove it since the day the gold touch hole liner was installed. The threads were coated with some sort of rosin, and a small slug of gold was sheared off when the plug was removed. The threads are as found, they have not been cleaned. The seal was quite effective. You can see the chambering arrangement where the touch hole penetrates the thread and intersects a hole drilled on the barrel centerline.









upload pic

If anyone has an interest in a detailed drawing of this barrel, please let me know. I have all of the information necessary to make a barrel drawing so that someone could manufacture a copy of it.
PS. Here is a section view of the CAD model showing an idealized version of it


Mike

[Bob Roller]

There was at one time a rhyme about loading a round ball and a fast twist barrel.  "Charge it lightly.load it tightly." I did this with my 1 in 18 Whitworth that had Alex Henry rifling.I used 40 grains of 3fg DuPont and a 445 ball and a cleaning patch for the M1 so small boys could fire it without the jolt of the 75 grain and 485 grain bullet.Accuracy at 50 yards was good and the youngsters got the thrill of firing such a rifle as did a man confined to a wheel chair.
Bob Roller

[Daryl]

Curious what velocity a 41 grain charge would be in that bore?  Like a slap shot hocky puck. 

I'm guessing in the 700 to 800fps range, SmyleeG. Forsyth noted, that in England (Scotland) most wounded game was brought to bag by the use of tracking hounds. This itself seemed to be the purpose and best use of these guns, that-in to wound game, not to kill it outright. Small powder charges, did not hurt disturb the sensibilities of the shooter as would heavier loads.
Of course, he was a proponent of slower twists and powder charges that killed, rather than wounded game.
Game in Germany was small in comparison to the stags of Scotland. Too, it does not take much of a wound to take a man out of the battle. As well, it takes at least 2 men out of the battle to carry a wounded soldier away from it. Thus, the intent to wound, was learned very early in history. Forsyth noted, that THESE guns perhaps did this better than any other.

[Pukka Bundook]

Daryl,
No one in their right mind, and if you knew British views on clean kills, (plenty of books out there) you would not come to these conclusions for a fast twist.
(merely to wound)   
Keith Neal used his Twigg to kill a deer at Packington hall, a one shot affair.
These guns were not intended to merely wound, but to produce clean kills and will do so.

I know you quote Forsythe, but he like any others had an agenda, and again, he like Greener, thought himself right and others wrong.


Re a wounded man taking a couple of others out of the battle;

This is a somewhat newer idea.
It was not like that in the 19thor 19th centuries.
Many observations  from 18th and 19th century engagements describe wounded men getting stepped over or even stepped on when there were too many to avoid.
At that time, picking up wounded happened After the engagement, not during.

I am not wanting to pick on you in the least my friend, but felt compelled to reply.

Very best wishes,
Richard.

[Daryl]

As you should and was expected, Richard. Lots of what Forsyth and WW Greener wrote was agenda inspired, but again, much of what they wrote was
absolutely true.
Forsyth also mentioned that a lot of Englishmen with fast twist large bore rifles in India, simply loaded them up as needed for dangerous game and used them
the same as large bore smoothbores and ignored the stripping/loss of accuracy. Jungle shooting being mostly close.

[RebelSon]

This barrel would make an awesome rifle!!! Amazing how well the plug threads look..albeit the face is a little rough. Very cool.

[alacran]

As you should and was expected, Richard. Lots of what Forsyth and WW Greener wrote was agenda inspired, but again, much of what they wrote was
absolutely true.
Forsyth also mentioned that a lot of Englishmen with fast twist large bore rifles in India, simply loaded them up as needed for dangerous game and used them
the same as large bore smoothbores and ignored the stripping/loss of accuracy. Jungle shooting being mostly close.

Most dangerous game seems to have been shot at 30 yards or less. Big reason why they are dangerous. 130 grains of 2f in a 1in 30 twist .60 caliber barrel will be adequate enough at that distance.