Let's see your squirrel rifle!!!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The front sight on Jim Kibler's mountain rifle is cast brass.  That stock is hard maple and has the tightest most consistent curl I've ever worked with.  Double click on some of those images for a close-up of the wood.
I gave this rifle to my daughter Sarah, for Christmas.  Once she took it out of the box, she hefted it to her shoulder and exclaimed, "It's so light!"  Sarah is 6' tall and well muscled, so this long rifle suits her perfectly.  I can't wait for some better weather to get her and her sister Theresa out with their new rifles.  Unfortunately, we cannot shoot squirrels here legally...they are fur bearing animals and have a market value for trappers.  I understand that the hairs from the tails of our red squirrels are used to make 'sable' brushes for art work.

[smylee grouch]

I thought those front sights on Kiblers rifles were brass but in the photo it looked more silver or white to me. Stunning contrast with the sight and browned barrel. I guess the whole rifle is stunning. Must be a happy daughter this christmas!

[hanshi]

This thread just gets better and better! 

[oldtravler61]

Hanshi I keep saying along with everyone. It should be a sticky.....!!!!!

[iloco]

Hanshi I keep saying along with everyone. It should be a sticky.....!!!!!

I agree 100%

[Eric Krewson]

I just went back to my post on this thread and realized photobucket had zapped my pictures. I replaced the pictures with updates from Imgur.

There are so many pictures lost in this thread I encourage everyone to check their post and update the pictures if necessary.

[Curtis]

Here are a couple pics of mine, recently finished... .40 cal Colerain barrel, Zornes lock.













Curtis

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Nice work Curtis...and deadly too I see!

[hanshi]

Even "very nice" is a major understatement, Curtis.

[oldtravler61]

  Dang Curtis that's one very fine tree rat killer...! If I was a squirrel I'd give up just seeing that beauty in the woods...😁

[Curtis]

Thanks guys!  It was a fun project and the rifle is a joy to carry with the A-weight barrel.   I will try to get out in the next week and "scare some more squirrels to death" with it!  Here are a couple more pics.  The target has eight shots on it at 30 yards, five of them in the bullseye.  The low flier was a different patch, the high flier was the first shot on the target and I have no excuses for it. 









Curtis

[Daryl]

Thanks Curtis - I really like the simple squiggly silver wire in the carving.

[Vomitus]

Daryls, what calibre is Sarah's cool lil rifle?

[Ted Kramer]

Your squirrel rifles all look really nice guys. It's great to be able to look at so many. But, for some reason some of the pictures are there one time I log on and are gone the next time I look, then might be back the next time. Crazy computer magic I guess.

Anyway, thought I'd try to post some pictures of a Southern Mountain style squirrel rifle I just finished.

.38 cal. Charles Burton barrel, 1-50" square bottom rifling, 40" long, 7/8" breech with just a slight swamp and back to just under 7/8" at the muzzle. Maple stock stained w/Aqua Fortis and then a quick wipe with Homer Dangler's reddish brown. Several coats of  Formby's Tung oil varnish. Chambers lock, Davis triggers. I made the butt plate, trigger guard, toe plate, grease hole cover  and the one piece cow horn nose cap. Metal was cold blued, left to rust a couple days, rubbed back w/oily steel wool.

I was only able to shoot it a few times since our temps dropped to below zero for several days in a row. It grouped nicely at 50 yards with 40gr 3fg, a .370" ball with a .015" spit patch. It was grouping quite low at 50yds so I filed the front sight down. Got it to hit about 2" low at 50yds. I don't want to take any more off the front sight so will put a taller rear on it.   



make url for image

[hanshi]

That's a squirrel rifle after my own heart, Ted.  What a nice rifle!

[Daryl]

.40 - same calibre as Therisa's new rifle, the one Taylor is holding in this picture.  Hope to get out on New Year's day, if not too cold.

[Darkhorse]

This one's not fancy as I"m not an artist, just a simple hunting rifle. I built it to be a turkey rifle with squirrels second. Rice .40 cal. B weight 38" barrel, Chambers large Siler lock, and Davis set triggers. LMF Nut Brown stain, 8 coats of Chambers original oil finish, the last one rubbed back with scotch pad to cut the shine. I made a few parts and picked up the rest here and there.





This bull on the full size target is the size of a quarter. A quarter covers all 5 shots. This small bull at 30 yards is the limit my old eyes can shoot with any kind of accuracy.

[hanshi]

That's an accurate little rifle you built, Darkhorse.  It also looks very attractive, too.

[sqrldog]

They are all nice rifles. Ted I really like that little .38 cal. Nice. Tim

[Ted Kramer]

Glad you like the .38 hanshi & Tim. If I hunt with it, it'll probably take more rabbits than squirrels.

Nice rifle there Darkhorse and it shoots well too. Good looking wood. I'll bet it handles nicely.

Ted 

[Darkhorse]

Thanks Ted. I keep going back to look at that horn nosecap. It really sets that rifle off and makes it special.
I find my .40 is very sensitive to increases in the main charge. You could probably get that .38 in the bull just by increasing the charge 5 or 10 grains if you don't want to do anything to the sights at this time.
Ron

[hanshi]

My experience as well, Darkhorse.  Just going from 35 grains of 3F to 40 grains of 3F gives me a velocity jump of over 200 fps.

[David R. Pennington]

There seems to be an awful lot of these with the locks on the wrong side. Are leftys more prone to be squirrel hunters for some reason?

[Clear Spring Armory]

Lets see if we can get to page 24









From top: .32 Indiana I'm finishing up (in my hotel 😂). Copy of locally made original.
.32 Tenn. With close up of nose cap.
.30 Ash stocked rifle I've posted to ALR before. Sold it recently (regretfully), so....I get to build another.

[Daryl]

I REALLY like your ash rifle.