Build # 2 with 6 ft barrel

[Capt. Jas.]

I just finished a looooooooooong barreled fowling piece today. It has a 6' barrel by Ed Rayl.
It was inspired by a 19th century account of a fellow hunting deer in Southwest VA with a shotgun withe a 6' barrel and 24 buckshot per load.
I have banged that thing in the shop so many times it's not funny. I can't help but think that the original must have been created for waterfowling only and just ended up in the mountains.
Has anyone ever seen a gun this long that was not a waterfowling gun?

Here is a link to the pics. The lock is a Chambers Late Ketland and everything else is hand made. http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj136/fowling_gun/Abbitt Loooong Shotgun/

 

[roundball]

CJ, that's really something...muzzle looks pretty big... .12ga? .10ga? ...have you fired it yet?

 

[Capt. Jas.]

This is my second build just off the bench today. It started off as a "canoe" gun until I dropped a few magic beans down the bore.

This gun is built around an Ed Rayl 12 bore octagon to round barrel 6 feet long. The lock is a Chambers Late Ketland. It is stocked in worm tracked maple that started it's life as a rough cut of the "Feather" gun butt profile. It's a scraped finish with aqua fortis and linseed varnish. The trigger, plate, thimbles, and patch box cover are all handmade by me. Jim Webb made the front thimble for me. The patch pox cover is based off of 4 different original guns. Many thanks to Frank Kobilis for helping me locate some of the examples. The trigger guard is off a Bess that has been cut way down in the rear, inletted and pinned in the front and surface mounted with screws on the rear extension. The butt plate is of thick veg-tan leather that has been wet formed and nailed on with square cobblers nails. The front sight is coin silver.

The owner requested a mountain cobbled smoothbore with a six foot barrel. It was inspired by a reference to a shotgun with a six foot barrel being used for deer hunting in the 19th century by Charles Coale of Abingdon VA (1807-1879). Mr Coale wrote the Life and Adventures of Wilburn Waters and was editor of the Abingdon Virginian. He was a member of the House of Delegates and my version of the gun he used was made for my delegate. Wilburn Waters was a famed hunter around the White Top Mountain area in Southwest VA. I had family that lived on White Top when Wilburn Waters was a hunt'n it so I was intrigued by the idea.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Sorry RB it's a 12 bore. No I have not fired it. It was built for a friend. He is picking it up tomorrow.
I drilled the touch hole but it is coned inside with the same curve as the White Lightnin liner.

I just remembered glancing thru a paperback at Dixon's that had some original Appalachian mountain builds in it. Does anyone know the name of that book? I think I remember seeing a very long gun in that one.

 

[Capt. Fred]

That is just too cool! :thumbsup: I love the leather butt plate and super simple patch box. :thumbsup:

 

[hawk]

:thumbsup:

 

[trent/OH]

So how do you load it, being of such length?

And how does it swing on birds?

When shooting such long barrels, is it typical to load more powder than used in a more standard length fowler barrel?

 

[chance]

Coooooool!!

 

[Lorne Johnson]

like you might have got the wrong symbol in the title. That happened in "Spinal Tap" also . . .

 

[KHickam]

way cool :thumbsup:

 

[colmoultrie]

That's neat! Of course, I can see needing a trailer to transport it. Can you imagine trying to get that thing into and out of a sports car like a Mustang?

There is a part of me, however, that looks for a club butt to balance out a barrel that long. Now if I only had the barrel, the time, and the skill, I'd make me a beautiful Hudson Valley fowler.

As I say, I'm just lacking the time, skill, and barrel - all of which you seem to possess in abundance! :thumbsup:

 

[Dirk Perry]

Wonderful job! Extremely nice!

 

[Roy]

:thumbsup: Love it

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Typing in the dark. :rotf:

 

[Jason Lewis]

does this gun go to 11?

it's nice, please have your friend give us details when he shoots it.

 

Cap't. Jas,
I also have a 72" barreled fowler.It was built a couple of years ago for me by Ken Netting in 20 gauge. Overall the gun is 7'4", 11 pounds and you stand in one county and load it from the next. The stock is walnut and the lock is a Pedersoli tower that has had the cast engraving filled and filed to a round face as well as having the belly depened and the tail lengthened. We have shot it and it is really not to hard to handle. Can't post pics but can send them if you want.
Mark

 

[jbwilliams3]

Did you split and form the ramrod yourself?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Six foot barrel!

The advantage is you can trip the lead goose and then shot several as they extract themselves from the resulting pile-up.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

The ramrod came from a square blank that had been sawn. Out of about 12 I picked the best one and still had some runout.

 

[August West]

Good looking gun, I really like that patchbox. I have never seen one like it. Chris