Dream rifle?

If you could afford any rifle at all, built by anyone, what would it be?
Style, caliber, type of wood, lock, trigger, barrel, embellsihments?
Of course it would have to be a rock lock.

 

36 caliber John Armstrong Maryland rifle, flint, 42 inch barrel, extra fancy Tiger Maple stock and all the fixing. Build by someone who really knows what there are doing (that's obviously not me).

 

[Stumpkiller]

A John Rupp of the Lehigh School. 44" swamped bbl, .54 cal, Silver wrist inlay with my initials, incised stock mortice and carved fleur-de-lis at comb and wrist, carving around tang and lock, carved "Indian" (I think it's actually a Liberty head with liberty/phyrgian/manumission cap) in front of triggerguard (unique to Lehighs), simple engraving on patchbox and toeplate, hand forged ramrod tips for ball puller and tow/patch worm, mine will have iron buttplate, triggerguard and thimbles/entry pipe.

If I wasn't paying for it I would specify a forged iron barrel and an exact copy of a Rupp lock. Here's one $12,000 could produce.

John Donelson is making mine (for substantially less than his $12K "millenium gun" shown above). He put together a patch/skinning knife for me loosly based on one I like from Madison Grant's book on hunting pouches. The knife came back quickly, relatively inexpensively, and well made. With that, and his great sence of humor, I decided to have him emake me the rifle I've wanted for a long time. The deposit has already been sent: barrel and J.Chambers' Christian Springs lock are on hand and the buttplate & triggerguard are roughed out. Whoo Hoo! :: :: ::

 

[musketman]

Anything from Jacob & Samuel Hawken in St. Louis...

 

Probably one of these. It's the perfect hunting shape, feeling exactly like a fine English Rifle to the shoulder, fast, accurate and would have to be .69 with 30" barrel and 10foot twist.
Daryl
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:cost, approximately $6,000CDN

 

[SquirrelsaurusR]

A large-bore double flint dangerous game rifle.

(And a couple of mighty big pistols for back-up!)

 

Have to agree with you there - being a Dream rifle! - My calibre and twist-type remains, except that it be 24" barrels and 1/4 turn with 9 lb. weight.
Daryl

 

[flm_shooter]

Okay, it's corny:

An 1803 Harper's Ferry. It was the last rifle I helped my Dad work on before I ran off to join the army. He finished it and sold it somewhere. This may be the first kit I end up building myself.

 

: Never belittle a man's dreams. In the same context- never belittle YOUR OWN Dreams. They are the most precious of all thoughts. It matters not what the Dream is, only that it is a Dream worth fullfilling for you. You OWN it.
: Track has the 'kit' so-to-speak for the 1803 and perhaps the 1805. It might be worth a looksee. Of course, Militaryheritage and Loyalist have complete mustkets for less than Track's parts list if you are interested in smoothbores of a bygone era. These can be a stop-gap measure to 'fill in' for a period of time while building your dream rifle. they're immense fun to shoot.
Daryl

 

Daryl, That mighty fine Jaeger you pictured appears to be made from the Track kit that I'm currently building. Man sakes alive! I wish I could carve like that. I also have the curly maple stock and it's a .62. This is my dream rifle.

 

Roaddog! Nice rifle. Get in touch with birddog6. He knows what he is doing as I have two of his rifles and they are handsome brutes (http://www.geocities.com/birddogsix/index.html).
By the way I LOVE your new look!
daehtalf ::

 

You betcha Stumpy!!! You owes it to yerself. ::

 

": Never belittle a man's dreams. In the same context- never belittle YOUR OWN Dreams. They are the most precious of all thoughts. It matters not what the Dream is, only that it is a Dream worth fullfilling for you. You OWN it."

Ahmen!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice touch Daryl.
Never, ever, let still be your dreams.

 

Why is it that even the best fancy grade modern rifles can NEVER look as good as a fine rock lock?

 

[charlie47]

I think my dream would be one of the Caywood Crockett rifles, it would certainly only be a dream at $12,500.

I have seen and felt a really nice Armstrong. I can truthfully say I never had rifle that felt so natural.
Regards,
charlie47

 

[Eric/WV]

I just ordered my first custom flintlock today. It is a Culpeper Smooth rifle from Narragansett Armes. It is a .62 cal. Smoothbore, 38" barrel with a rear sight. It will be trimmed in iron with a patchbox and cheek piece inlay. It will have a Queen Anne lock, and all metal will be antiqued. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. I won't get to hold it for 6 or 7 months though.

Eric/WV

 

"ANTICIPATION is making me wait....." yup it'll be a looooooong 7 months, but just think about how beautiful it will be.
Of course we all expect photo's of it.

 

Thanks, but no - not from a kit. The rifle was built from parts gathered from Track and other sources. The wood had been sitting in the rafters since late 1970's. The barrel is a Getz at .60 cal. and uses a .595 ball with .022" patch and loads a slick as can be. It absolutely SLAMS deer & he can generally hold it in 3" to 4" at 100yds. standing.
: Taylor does nice carving and engraving for certain. It's a lovely rifle to hold and shoot. In the hands, it feels much like an English rifle - perfect hunting rifle for sure.
Daryl

 

[sse]

My dream would be one of those beautts some of those fellows build (I think they're all from Oh-High-Oh) from "scratch". They don't "order" much, just make everything themselves!! It would need some fancy, but not overdone engraving and carving.

OK, my second choice would be an authentic, "original", shootable antique. Not sure of the style, but a trade gun would be good for starters, or a Tulle, then from there to the above mentioned, then on to some plains rifles, Hawkens...Sorry, gettin carried away!!!

Regards, sse

 

[tg]

It would not be a rifle, but an original mint condition Fusil Fin French hunting gun from Tulle, with a bore of around .590-.600