New Squirrel Rifle

mooncoon

mooncoon

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I just posted a photo of my newest toy in the antique thread. I guess you could call it a squirrel rifle; .34 cal with a 42" barrel. It appears to have been a bench rest gun although there are a lot of strange features about it. The barrel is 1.25" accross the flats and surprisingly is swamped about .050". The barrel weighs 13.8 lbs which makes the gun almost impossible to shoot offhand.
When I first got the gun it was broken completely through the lock area plus a broken sear, worn and damaged triggers and broken trigger guard.
I took the gun to the range for the first time today using buckshot and .019 patching; seems to be capable of a near one hole group at 25 yards when I can see the sights. I have filed the rear notch a bit deeper and hopefully I will be able to see it more clearly next time. I want to try the gun at 50 yards and farther and see how it performs plus hopefully find a .33 cal roundball mold

cheers mooncoon
 
An interesting rifle. That's a very large, very long small bore barrel. Odd that it is swamped. Usually mid 19th century caplock rifles don't have swamped barrels. From the photo you posted, the general style of the rifle is fairly typical, but the barrel is unusual. Probably for rest shooting, as you suggest. Given the weight of the barrel, its not difficult to understand how the stock got broken.
 
I find myself wondering if it was made first as a flintlock and much earlier than 1850. My reason for saying that is that the lock fits the inletting for it but was not properly fitted to the drum. The lock almost appears to be ground down on the top edge and the hammer stopped too far forward. The barrel is wrought iron because I draw filed a 4" patch on the bottom flat and put copper sulphate on it. Result was quite blotchy. Also if the gun had been made as a percussion gun in 1850, I would have expected it to have a cast breach plug with a snail rather than a drum.
What a shame the old ones cannot talk. Judging from the corrosion at the breach, it has been shot a lot.

cheers mooncoon
 
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