H&A Buggy Underhammer rifle

[springfield art]

What would be reasonable for a Hopkins & Allen Underhammer Buggy Rifle. Not looking currently, but would buy one if it showed up at auction or something. Thanks. These were from the 1960's, I believe.

 

[Mark Herman]

H&A 's. Will bring anywhere from $300 to whatever someone thinks it's worth. Like everything else, condition will dictate value. Any H&A can be a buggy rifle, it was just a short barrel nothing else. Buy whatever H&A you can find and cut, or replace, the barrel.

 

[springfield art]

H&A 's. Will bring anywhere from $300 to whatever someone thinks it's worth. Like everything else, condition will dictate value. Any H&A can be a buggy rifle, it was just a short barrel nothing else. Buy whatever H&A you can find and cut, or replace, the barrel.

Yes, you're right. I've had about 3 ML rifle barrels shortened by my gunsmith; if I found a regular H&A I'd have it done, too. Not actively looking right now, but I check out couple local gun auctions, and surprising things sometimes show up.

 

[Crow-Feather]

What would be reasonable for a Hopkins & Allen Underhammer Buggy Rifle. Not looking currently, but would buy one if it showed up at auction or something. Thanks. These were from the 1960's, I believe.

A long sleeve shirt is required to shoot these rifles if your left arm is under the hammer/nipple area.

 

[kemart17]

A long sleeve shirt is required to shoot these rifles if your left arm is under the hammer/nipple area.

i have had 1 for several yrs now. have no problem with cap shrapnel. shoot it with just a t-shirt all the time

 

[FishDFly]

Saw one over the weekend for $350, let it go.

"A long sleeve shirt is required to shoot these rifles if your left arm is under the hammer/nipple area."

Have heard that for years, I have been shooting under hammer rifles for 40 years with no problems.

 

[hanshi]

I've had an H&A underhammer for near 55 years and it has been used a lot. I never noticed a problem until about 12 or 15 years ago when the TG spring/guard went south. It even set a towel on fire last time I fired it. I had the towel for covering my arm since it had begun "spitting". I fired and the towel caught fire! Same thing would have happened if I'd been hunting in a long sleeve shirt. But it did serve well and I keep it for sentimental reasons as a wall hanger.

 

[FishDFly]

Most likely, having problems with shooting an under hammer
might be how a person shoots off hand with their supporting arm.

 

[Mark Herman]

It also depends on how worn your nipple is. A good nipple won't spit back.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Saw one over the weekend for $350, let it go.

"A long sleeve shirt is required to shoot these rifles if your left arm is under the hammer/nipple area."

Have heard that for years, I have been shooting under hammer rifles for 40 years with no problems.

And I was rid of mine when it burned the manure outta my arm.

 

[M. De Land]

A long sleeve shirt is required to shoot these rifles if your left arm is under the hammer/nipple area.

No not really, I developed a flash diverter that works very effectively and lets you shoot in short sleeves if you wish without burning the manure out of your support arm.

 

[Crow-Feather]

No not really, I developed a flash diverter that works very effectively and lets you shoot in short sleeves if you wish without burning the manure out of your support arm.

Is there a picture please?

 

[M. De Land]

I milled it out of a solid piece of brass and it fits onto the lower three barrel flats snugly and is held captive by the nipple flange through it's base. The contour fit to the barrel bottom three flats holds it secure from turning out of barrel alignment. The flash diverter base thickness was milled to make the nipple base flush with the bore interior contour when the nipple is fully seated. I did have to make a special T handle socket to remove the nipple and diverter for cleaning. The removable bottom cover on the diverter is held on by one scope screw and is milled to slide over the bottom of the main body so it cannot be twisted off it's seat.
Click on the pictures to get a full size view.
The hammer spur was removed to make it lighter and fall faster but it does not need to be to function. I cock it with a deer antler tine.

 

[springfield art]

I milled it out of a solid piece of brass and it fits onto the lower three barrel flats snugly and is held captive by the nipple flange through it's base. The contour fit to the barrel bottom three flats holds it secure from turning out of barrel alignment. The flash diverter base thickness was milled to make the nipple base flush with the bore interior contour when the nipple is fully seated. I did have to make a special T handle socket to remove the nipple and diverter for cleaning. The removable bottom cover on the diverter is held on by one scope screw and is milled to slide over the bottom of the main body so it cannot be twisted off it's seat.
Click on the pictures to get a full size view.
The hammer spur was removed to make it lighter and fall faster but it does not need to be to function. I cock it with a deer antler tine.

Clever!

 

[M. De Land]

Well, I don't know about that but it does work most efficiently! Necessity is truly the mother of invention because I have burned my wrist countless times since I bought this rifle back in 1970 and finally came up with a design that stopped the wrist carnage.

 

[troy2000]

Ok, why under hammer long guns? I've read that boot pistols were intended to be easier to pull out, but I haven't seen anything that explains why a rifle would have an under hammer.

 

[FishDFly]

Because they are fun to shoot.

The vast majority of Light and Heavy Bench guns (rifles) ae under hammers.

The flame from the nipple goes directly into the powder, faster ignition.

 

[troy2000]

Because they are fun to shoot.

That isn't much of an explanation; they're all fun to shoot.

 

[FishDFly]

Read the rest.

 

[troy2000]

Read the rest.

Looks like you added some info. Thanks; that makes sense.