A .69 Sporting Rifle

Last night, I took a few pictures of the gun over at my buddy's place as he now owns this fine rifle. I've spoken often about her, and of course miss her badly. When we made this rifle, the English flat bottomed breeches weren't available on the market, however the proper locks and bars for them, were. Taylor filled in the slanted lock plate cut and fitted the sliver brazed (filler)piece to the Hawken bolster we used. On my monitor, these pictures are quite dark, but on Brad's they were just fine. Hopefully they will be light enough to see wood grain, etc, here, on the forum.
: The rear sight has 3 flip-up leaves plus the standing point blank sight. The last leaf is sighted for 328yards, which is 300 meters. IT is used on the steel plate at the local rendexvous & has never missed. I can say that now as I no longer own the rifle. The point blank sight is zero'd for 80-100 yards, depending on the charge. With my hunting load, the 1st leaf is 150yd. and second is 200 yd.
: This rifle is now 20 years old & has killed many moose and deer.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Hey! It looks just like my T/C New Englander (I even have about 1/5 that much striping in the wood). :crackup: I know, that wasn't nice . . . but it does.

Very nice. certainly looks to be a practical rifle. I'd love a set of those express sights on mine, but I don't think I need 328 yards :shocking: Maybe 50/100/150 (I shoot the demon conicals out of it).

 

Stumpy: "Hey! It looks just like my T/C New Englander (I even have about 1/5 that much striping in the wood). I know, that wasn't nice . . . but it does."

Now go to your room and don't come out till supper! :nono:

Really dandy rifle there Daryl.
(now you see why Daryl likes ME more!?)

 

[Stumpkiller]

Does so! This one has the Mattell plastic stock instead of wood, but if you imagine it brown, and . . . squint . . . kinda out of the corner of your eye . . . in low light . . . sort a . . . :sorry:

Side note: There is NO good image on the Internet of a T/C New Englander.

 

That rifle is unbeaten on the 'duel' target at the primitive range. It is fired at from 50 yards, 2 shooters, side by side, rifles at 'port-arms' positon. On the signal, each tries to hit his 'paddle' about 7" in diameter plate before his opponent. Hitting the paddle or plate, instantly swings the the rack sideways, making the plates disappear from view. Even a .36 will swing the rack sideways so any rifle is competitive.
: It turns fast enough that when two shots go off, sounding almost as one, one will miss. We've never had a "tie".
: With the concentration on the centre of the plate, picking the "spot" as we say in insitinctive archery shooting, when the gun is shouldered, the trigger is pulled the instant the stock is pulled into the pit of the shoulder. IT has never missed. As the stock comes in, the front bead comes into the centre of the plate, every time.
: The most interesting aspect about this, is it doesn't matter who's shooting the rifle, as long as they will trust to concnetrate and 'pull' as the stock comes into the shoulder, that big ball hits the plate, most often within 1 1/2" of the centre, if the concentration is "spot-on".

 

[glazer1972]

Nice rifle. I was going to ask how much to make me one but I don't know if it would get us in trouble with the import/export?

 

Daryl,

What twist rifling did you use?

 

HEY STUMPY!!!!!!!!!!!

That dead deer don't much care what the stock is made from do it? :haha: :haha: :haha:
What kinda load you use on that critter?
Accuracy at 50? 100?

 

[roundball]

Nice deer Stumpy !!


(usually horns on road kills get all broken up but those look good!)
:: ::

 

[Stumpkiller]

Ain't my deer, but it's a typical mature buck for this area. Just wish I typically harvested one like that.

I've been using 350 gr Maxi Hunters & 100 gr FFg in the .50 New Englander (mine was a kit and does have a nice stock - some flame in the buttstock - but I don't have a digital camera). This year I'm rolling my own 320 gr R.E.A.L.s and am still working up a happy load. I expect I'll stop when I get to 3" at 50 yards and 8" at 100 (offhand) at an 80 to 100 gr charge of FFg, whatever shoots best. Where I hunt most offerings are at 30 to 40 yards. First attempts with the R.E.A.L.s have been disappointing, so I'm going to try adding a 1/8" card between the powder and the bullet as I've heard this helps with flat-based lead bullets.

This particular rifle is the 5th T/C I've owned and the only one that will not spit a roundball accurately. Anything over 60 gr or so and it's 5" groups at 50 yards from a seated position. If Daryl wants to trade for that .69 I'd be willing to listen. :thumbsup:

For the primative season I use my .54 Renegade with PRB.

Roadkills usualy get more broken up . . . oh, har de har har.

 

[Keith]

Ain't my deer, but it's a typical mature buck for this area. Just wish I typically harvested one like that.

Yup, that's a typical NY mature buck. I just wish a few more would make it to maturity. I was watching one last night that had six points, maybe eight hard to tell at the range I was looking at it, but man it had a high rack. Must have been 10-12 inches above his head, kinda narrow though.

By the way Beutiful gun Daryl. If you want to trade I've got a New Englander, and I'd be willing to throw in my wife's Renegade! :haha:

 

The man who made this rifle is now retired from that business, unfortunately. HE pretty much finished the wood-work and browning, and I put a finish on the stock & helped out with browning parts,d rawfiling, etc. ALL of the engraving, lock, tang, barrel, trigger guard and Butt plate, he did of course. The stock is a nice select piece of Claro/English. The horizontal striping didn't show well in the photos for some reasn, it's generally more prominent than the vertical stripes.
: Total weight is 9lbs. The barrel is 30" by 1 1/8" .69(14 bore) X 66" twist .012 rifling depth - Green River blank. For plinking and the trail walk, I used 82gr. 2F(3 drams)& for hunting I used 165gr. 2F(6 drams) The 165gr. charge gave a piddling 1,540fps with the .684", 484gr. ball. In WW, they weighed 466gr. It took 200gr. to hit 1,700fps. The 3dram target charge gave 1,180fps. James Forsyth once killed a Sambur Stag at 250yards with a 14 bore double, 1 shot using 2 1/2 drams. The ball went though and through him. At 300 meters, my rifle broke a new 2X4 when 2 shots happened to hit close on a 45 degree angle. The blown-out backs showed impressive smack for that long range of 328yards.
: The 3 dram load gave 2 1/2" at 100 meters while the 6 dram charge gave the best accuracy at 1 1/2" at 100 meters. I used .020" patch with all charges. At 200 meters, it mostly held 4 to 5 inches with the 6 dr. load & just barely over 2" at 150yards. ON the 300 meter plate, a large dinner plate would hole most of the shots. Most people have never fired their RB guns at long range and just don't realize how effective & accurate they can be. The guy in the local club who wins the 240yard gong at Heffley Creek Rendezvous year after year, shoots a .45 (cap/flint)longrifle made by my bro, uses a .445 ball and .020" patch.

 

:agree: - there is no GOOD image of a TC on the internet. :sorry:

 

[Stumpkiller]

It is amazing the quality of work some of the third-world countries can produce with such cheap labor, the crude materials and simple, hand tools they have to work with. I sometimes wish I lived in Canada, myself. :winking: