The Art of Longrifle Building

AShooting Journal ^ | 12/7/2015 | Frank Jardim

[w1n1]

Knowledge is a fleeting thing if steps aren’t taken to preserve it. Whether it’s building the pyramids or a family recipe, if knowledge isn’t passed on to subsequent generations, it is eventually forgotten and lost. Thirty-four years ago, the passionate desire to preserve the 18th century gun-making techniques, by which American longrifles were handcrafted, led to the creation of an extraordinary training seminar by Professor Terry Leeper, Ph.D., of Western Kentucky University (WKU) and master gunmakers Wallace Gusler and Jon Bivins. Three years later the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA) began cosponsoring the seminar and it remains the premier resource for serious subject-matter students. While classes are technically challenging, the instructional team has years of experience at meeting both the basic and most advanced skill levels of the participants. It is serious scholarly instruction in the true master-and-apprentice style.

Prior to every seminar, the instructors assemble a study collection of original and contemporary black-powder firearms (frequently valued in excess of a million dollars) for participants to examine and learn from hands-on investigation and observation. A glance over the five-volume Journal of Historical Armsmaking Technology that grew out of the early seminars indicates the depth of knowledge available for the asking. If you want to learn how every part of a firearm was made over 200 years ago, how to make the tools and dies required and what materials were used, there are instructors at the seminar who know.

Every year several of the best contemporary artisans/artists who specialize in making guns and related accoutrements in the manner they were made over two centuries ago, gather and spend nine to 10 days passing on that knowledge for the 50 to 70 students who attend.

The courses are intense and the days commonly run 10 hours. All but one of the courses are taught in the WKU industrial arts shops used for technical education labs on the Bowling Green, Ky., campus. The only exception is the Southern rifle-building class taught by the House brothers in the famous Woodbury School of iron-mounted gun-making in Woodbury, Ky., where they have several coal forges set up for students to learn and practice hand-forging iron parts.

The atmosphere during the House course is like stepping back in time. The workshops are tucked into the forest and two structures that the students use are historic log cabins. I watched a dozen students beating iron bars into shape on the anvil, rasping out the first stages of their stock architecture, roughly grinding their newly formed iron parts to shape on an ancient bench grinder powered by a 90-year-old, single-cylinder engine, forge-welding their trigger-guard parts together, fine-filing the details of their metal stock furniture, and then locating and inletting them into their stocks. While this was going on other students were making knives, petting the many dogs that lounge around the area and firing rifles at targets in the woods. Read the rest of the story here.

[Lurker]

Very cool. Thanks for posting it.

[gorush]

You might enjoy this...neat idea but they must mount a sight at the end of the barrel.
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/12/03/convert-your-glock-to-a-rifle-with-amg/

[Mariner]

Thank God this knowledge is being preserved.

Remember, it was American "snipers" who won the Revolutionary War, not the Continental Army.

These rifles were revolutionary. Their accurate range being 400+ yards. There were no tactics to defeat them, making every farmer and every merchant a deadly soldier.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I’m reminded of the open letter to a British newspaper from an British officer serving in the “Colonies”.
He told his fellow officers to get their papers in order as Americans did not fight “fair” but targeted officers with their long rifles.

[MileHi]

This guy made his own rifles. As I recall, he made his barrels from worn out jackhammer bits.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Mountain-Men-Harold-Peterson/dp/0960356665

[redfreedom]

I used to make them from kits. First one in the mid-70’s, a flintlock. Have about 8 or so, 32 cal to 58. It can be a fun hobby to build and shoot them.

I bought an Italian made Colt Walker 45, supposedly the most powerful handgun until the 357 came about, or that’s what Dixie Gun works used to claim. Load the holes in the cylinder completely full, place a ball on top, and force it in until flush with the cylinder and fire. It kicks so hard the loading lever comes unlatched and flies towards the cylinder.

The 58 I used to put 120 grains of 2F in, then a 600 grain civil war bullet. After about 4 shots it will put the nicest blue/green/gray soar spot on your shoulder you’ve ever seen. Kind of pretty how the different colors on the skin sorta radiate outwards.

Those that watch the old cowboy shows have all seen where they shoot the padlock off the strong box to get the loot. Don’t try it. Black powder bullets are pure lead. It will splatter into thousands of little pieces, many of which may ricochet off the box and get the shooter in the leg.

Those big soft lead slugs did more damage to soldiers from hitting bones and splattering than a slug that sails straight on through. Surgeons could not find all those little pieces and the soldiers eventually died of lead poisoning, or so the stories go.

History can be fun.

[Bull Snipe]

In the mid 80s, saw a two hour show on PBS about building a Pennsylvania pattern long rifle. The builder was the head gunsmith at Williamsburg VA. He started with a handful of scrap brass, a few pieces of scape steel, some flat steel stock and a big piece of maple wood. He hammer forged the steel stock into a barrel, button rifled it. He cast the lock plate and lock components, case hardened them. Cast the brass furniture. Rough shape the stock, inletted the barrel, lock and trigger assemblies, finished the stock.
He finished the show by taking the rifle out an punching a 36 caliber hole in the X ring of a target at 50 yards. Not a single power tool used. This man was a master craftsman.
Some still exist in our world of automation, mass production and shody workmanship.

[Frank_2001]

This is definitely NOT your average American university! ;)

[Big Red Badger]

Cap and Ball

Pa,,POW !