Chambers English gentlemans Sporting Rifle

[longcruise]

Has anyone here built this kit? It looks to me like a perfect rocky mountain big game rifle. I don't think I've ever seen a completed chambers kit but they seem to be a step up from a Pecatonica.

If you have any comments on his kits I'd love to hear them.

 

[FlinterNick]

Has anyone here built this kit? It looks to me like a perfect rocky mountain big game rifle. I don't think I've ever seen a completed chambers kit but they seem to be a step up from a Pecatonica.

If you have any comments on his kits I'd love to hear them.

Dave Person built a very nice English Rifle, not sure what kind, look up his posts.

 

[dave_person]

Hi longcruise,
It is a very fine kit and makes a very fine rifle that I believe is one of the two best big game flintlock hunting rifles out there. The other is the Edward Marshall rifle. I would rank Chambers kits as a big step above Pecatonica or Track of the Wolf but they are not Kibler kits. They require much more time and skill, and they are not completely immune to mistakes or sloppy machine inletting and stock profiling. I am not trashing them here just reporting honest and objective experience. The English rifle is a bit of a challenge. The butt plate is not simple to inlet, you have to inlet a standing breech and pierced side plate, which intimidates some folks. Regardless, I think it is an excellent kit to advance and hone your skills and to be inspired by the high quality workmanship in British sporting guns. Now for full disclosure, I have never built that kit not because I don't like it but rather I don't need a kit to build a fine English sporting rifle. However, I built several rifles using the exact same Chambers components just using my own stock blank. Moreover, I advised and directly helped several folks building the kit so I am very familiar with it. You will get a fine 31" Rice barrel of premium grade, the wonderful Chambers round-faced English lock, superb cast steel or brass ramrod pipes, a beautiful steel or brass butt plate, classic and authentic husk trigger guard, and classic standing breech. I also urge you to look at the Edward Marshall rifle as a great hunting gun. When done right, it it hard to beat. Anyway, I attached photos of my English rifle and my Edward Marshall rifle which are very similar to the Chambers offerings so you can see the potential and perhaps be inspired.

dave

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Those are beautiful and functional rifles!

 

[longcruise]

@dave_person thanks Dave that's exactly the information I was looking for. I'm going to give the Edward Marshall some consideration. That pierced side plate is intimidating. I think it would be very challenging but may nevertheless attempt it.

Is the wood sliding patch box considered HC on the English rifle?

 

[BS]

If you are horseback hunting, shorter rifles are nice.

The bigger the bore, the lighter the rifle.

I like big bores, you can load them up or down.

 

[dave_person]

Is the wood sliding patch box considered HC on the English rifle?

Hi,
Yes. The English borrowed from the Germans when it came to rifles.

dave

 

[CuNosecap]

I have done several Chambers sets, but not either of these two. I can’t say enough good about Chambers, but they are a step above both in challenge and in quality. That lock is fantastic fast.

 

[AZ Muzzleloaders]

This is a Chamber's kit built by Mike Gahagan. Engraved by Mike Roby.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I've not seen an authentic original English rifle with a sliding patchbox. A clam shell or a hinged cup, yes but not the sliding cover. Not nit-picking, just pointing that out if you are set on authenticity of an English copy.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I've not seen an authentic original English rifle with a sliding patchbox. A clam shell or a hinged cup, yes but not the sliding cover. Not nit-picking, just pointing that out if you are set on authenticity of an English copy.

Get a hold of a copy Great British Gunmakers by Neal. Some of these rifles made in the Germanic style even had wooden guards.
Also check out the 1740s Turvey rifle in Rifles of Colonial America. The Chambers kit is i think loosely based on this Turvey but I would put it a bit later than the original.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

The English kit has a weird buttplate
The gun was designed by Bob Harn, I have no idea why he did that buttplate. That being said it's an excellent rifle. I built a couple some years back.
The Eddie Marshal is a great gun too. I did more than a couple of those. Big gun but handles well in larger calibers.

 

[longcruise]

The Eddie Marshal is a great gun too

I'm looking hard at that one. Should make a good elk gun.

 

[FlinterNick]

The English kit has a weird buttplate
The gun was designed by Bob Harn, I have no idea why he did that buttplate. That being said it's an excellent rifle. I built a couple some years back.
The Eddie Marshal is a great gun too. I did more than a couple of those. Big gun but handles well in larger calibers.

i do a chambers kit, it’s either the officer’s fusil in English walnut or the Issac Haines Rifle, but I’m leaning more towards the fusil, Rice does a nice job with those dolep barrels.

 

[LongWalker]

There have been two or three of the sporting rifles built in my shop (I had a "loaner bench" for visitors). As mentioned, the buttplate and the sideplate can be issues for some; one guy made a new solid sideplate somewhat like on the Gahahagan rifle pictured above. It makes up into a good hunting rifle, but do try to handle one before committing. I've not been involved with or observed a build of Chamber's version of the EM rifle but have handled/shot/hunted with one. I probably would lean this direction, but I tend to prefer a more muzzle-heavy rifle--again, if you're considering one, try to handle one before you order.

I've also guided a hunter who used one of the sporting rifles for elk. It handled OK on horseback, and he kept up while hunting on foot. I got him about 25 yards from an elk and he missed! We were both laughing so hard we almost didn't notice when the elk stopped at about 80 yards. He reloaded, made a picture-perfect shot: elk took a couple steps toward us and rolled down the hill. Last time I saw the rifle he'd added a sling.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

Hi longcruise,
It is a very fine kit and makes a very fine rifle that I believe is one of the two best big game flintlock hunting rifles out there. The other is the Edward Marshall rifle. I would rank Chambers kits as a big step above Pecatonica or Track of the Wolf but they are not Kibler kits. They require much more time and skill, and they are not completely immune to mistakes or sloppy machine inletting and stock profiling. I am not trashing them here just reporting honest and objective experience. The English rifle is a bit of a challenge. The butt plate is not simple to inlet, you have to inlet a standing breech and pierced side plate, which intimidates some folks. Regardless, I think it is an excellent kit to advance and hone your skills and to be inspired by the high quality workmanship in British sporting guns. Now for full disclosure, I have never built that kit not because I don't like it but rather I don't need a kit to build a fine English sporting rifle. However, I built several rifles using the exact same Chambers components just using my own stock blank. Moreover, I advised and directly helped several folks building the kit so I am very familiar with it. You will get a fine 31" Rice barrel of premium grade, the wonderful Chambers round-faced English lock, superb cast steel or brass ramrod pipes, a beautiful steel or brass butt plate, classic and authentic husk trigger guard, and classic standing breech. I also urge you to look at the Edward Marshall rifle as a great hunting gun. When done right, it it hard to beat. Anyway, I attached photos of my English rifle and my Edward Marshall rifle which are very similar to the Chambers offerings so you can see the potential and perhaps be inspired.

dave

Wow. Thats a very nice gun. Dang its pretty

 

[virgilmerk]

Hi longcruise,
It is a very fine kit and makes a very fine rifle that I believe is one of the two best big game flintlock hunting rifles out there. The other is the Edward Marshall rifle. I would rank Chambers kits as a big step above Pecatonica or Track of the Wolf but they are not Kibler kits. They require much more time and skill, and they are not completely immune to mistakes or sloppy machine inletting and stock profiling. I am not trashing them here just reporting honest and objective experience. The English rifle is a bit of a challenge. The butt plate is not simple to inlet, you have to inlet a standing breech and pierced side plate, which intimidates some folks. Regardless, I think it is an excellent kit to advance and hone your skills and to be inspired by the high quality workmanship in British sporting guns. Now for full disclosure, I have never built that kit not because I don't like it but rather I don't need a kit to build a fine English sporting rifle. However, I built several rifles using the exact same Chambers components just using my own stock blank. Moreover, I advised and directly helped several folks building the kit so I am very familiar with it. You will get a fine 31" Rice barrel of premium grade, the wonderful Chambers round-faced English lock, superb cast steel or brass ramrod pipes, a beautiful steel or brass butt plate, classic and authentic husk trigger guard, and classic standing breech. I also urge you to look at the Edward Marshall rifle as a great hunting gun. When done right, it it hard to beat. Anyway, I attached photos of my English rifle and my Edward Marshall rifle which are very similar to the Chambers offerings so you can see the potential and perhaps be inspired. On https://casinosanalyzer.com/online-casinos/minnesota-usa I read about the best sports betting sites and explore the legality of gambling in Minnesota.

dave

Both the Chambers English rifle kit and the Edward Marshall rifle are praised for their high quality and potential to produce excellent hunting rifles. However, the passage suggests that the Chambers kit is more challenging to build, requiring more time, skill, and attention to detail. I am curious could you elaborate on the specific aspects of the Chambers kit that make it more demanding, and how these challenges can be overcome to achieve the same level of craftsmanship as the Edward Marshall rifle?
And what specific advice would you offer to aspiring gunsmiths who are considering building either of these kits? I will be really grateful.

 

[Rudyard]

I've not seen an authentic original English rifle with a sliding patchbox. A clam shell or a hinged cup, yes but not the sliding cover. Not nit-picking, just pointing that out if you are set on authenticity of an English copy.

Then you haven't seen enough English rifles . I invariably add a tool box ,but a deep affair like women's hand bag not the shallow affairs many seem to favour .I suppose you could put patches in them but I put a jag, ball drawer, flints ,rag, maybe a vent pick .But I resisted the notion of adding a Marmalade sandwich (They draw ants ) Clam shells ? new one on me ,the hinged tool boxes are late I put them on caplocks mostly.
I'me being levitus here but its never a sound thing to say' never 'some example is' bound to turn up' surer than Mister MaCawbers fortune to contradict us .
Regards Rudyard