h&a underhammer rifle

[larry white]

I have an h & a underhammer rifle barrel say .45 the old books I have say .433 or .435 ball with .440 lands, an unpatched .440 will not fit in the barell
anyone with other ideas or information
thanks and happy to have found this form
whitelightnin

 

[awebbersr]

Seems like a .430 ball and .010 patch. :hmm:

 

[Metalshaper]

The Old H&A's are famous for their tight bores!
my .36 barrel, made by the same company uses a .340 ball..

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Jonathan

 

[Zonie]

Back when Numrich made the H&A rifles they often identified the caliber using the modern method that's used on cartridge guns.

The modern method is to identify the caliber by using numbers that are close to the rifling groove diameter. Most muzzleloaders on the other hand are identified by the bore diameter.

This causes some of the old guns to be called .45's when they are closer to being .44's.

The .433 or .435 diameter balls will probably work fine.

I say "probably" because I don't own one of these rifles so I can't say it for a fact.

Maybe one of the other members who owns a gun like this will chime in?

 

[Rifleman1776]

I used to sell H&A rifles and kits in my shop. My family and I used them extensively. I have never owned any .45 cal. moulds in sizes other than .440 and .445.
However, ml barrels do vary and there is no fixed rule for what will work. You simply must try and test.

 

[MSW]

if you go to track of the Wolf's website, there are a wide variety of cast roundball in the forty four to fortyfive caliber range...

try here:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Search.aspx?search=cast round ball

also, check out Dutch Schoultz' method if you don't already have it.

make good smoke!

 

[Blizzard of '93]

welcome to the forum, could you post pix of your a&h?

 

[hanshi]

I own one of the very old H&A under hammers in .45. It was ordered new in the mid 1960s and has been fired a lot. I only had a .440 ball mold and loaded it with a thin patch. A bit tight but it worked. They are more a ".44" than a .45". A .433 ball is usually recommended for this rifle.

 

[frogwalking]

In the '60s, we used Numrich barrels exclusively, as they were the only thing we could afford to build with. I remember a 435 ball as about right, as the .45 was no where near what we call that today, and the ,.36 was also much smaller than one would expect. They all shot fine, however. You can try a .440 ball if you want, but bring a hammer with you to the range. I would get some .435 balls and have a good time.

 

[sbhg]

Pound the .440 in the barrel a lil ways, pull it out and measure it. Then you'll have your l & g diameters.

 

[F.G. Ford]

Congrats on your U/H find, if your barrel is in good shape, you are about to start a great journey in muzzleloading and great target shooting.
Don't trade or sell your gun, many of us did, and most of us regret doing it.
There are many nicer looking guns, but none more accurate.
Find yourself a good .430-.433 mold, and start practicing.
Does your rifle have the original peep sight? (even better )
I have a .40, and a .58 that will stay with me until I can't shoot anymore.
So good luck with yours.
Fred

 

[smo]

Welcome to the fire! Great find in the underhammer . :thumbsup: I picked up a nice .36 cal. a few years back myself. The better half laid claim to it as soon as it came in the house. :haha: Of course that made explaining why I bought the CVA .50 cal the same day easier. :wink: Beside they were both a deal I couldn't refuse. :thumbsup: :grin:

 

[F.G. Ford]

I forgot to mention, when holding a underhammer, while shooting, you will have to practice keeping your forearm sideways, rather than under the rifle. If you don't, you will get hot caps embedded in you arm.
A good thick sleeve works.
I thought I would mention this, so that you would enjoy your rifle more.
Fred

 

[Rifleman1776]

Don't trade or sell your gun, many of us did, and most of us regret doing it.

Amen, Bro.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Safety reminder:
If you replace the nipple, contact Track of the Wolf and tell them what you have. The H&A underhammers do not use a standard nipple. A friend shot one into his arm not knowing the rifle (wasn't his) had an improper nipple. That can kinda ruin yer day. :shocked2:

 

[satx78247]

YEP. - I surely wish that I had not "traded off" my .36cal MOWERY underhammer, that I 1st bought 4+ decades ago in my "college DAZE".
MANY a fox squirrel & swamp bunny fell to that one, loaded with 000 buckshot, when I had it.
(Fwiw, I traded it even for a Martin Dreadnaught guitar, which I never really learned to play & finally got frustrated & sold.)

yours, satx

 

[M. De Land]

I bought my H&A "Buggy Rifle" .45 cal in 1972 while in the Air Force because it was all I could afford , shot it a bit and left it in Michigan on our farm for 25 years after being transferred to
Alaska.
I finally brought it back with me from a visit to the farm and made a match rifle out of it by re-barreling with a 34 inch Green Mountain .45 cal barrel and new stock.
I finally got tired of burning my left arm so developed a flash divert-er that works and it now is my go to target gun.
I really like the reliability of the nipple directly over the main charge. I can't remember it ever misfiring unless I dry balled. Mike D.

 

[hanshi]

Pound the .440 in the barrel a lil ways, pull it out and measure it. Then you'll have your l & g diameters.

I never got around to doing that. While the bore is still perfect, It is now retired because of problems with the tg & h spring rendering it unsafe. Shame; it is a true one-holer at well beyond the 50 yard mark.

 

[satx78247]

UNDERSTOOD. = I never had THAT problem with mine.

Btw, WELCOME HOME

 

[Billnpatti]

I have one and you are right about the cap fragments being an occasional irritation. There is one other small problem that I encountered and that was accidently getting a nipple with undersized threads. I suspect that it accidently got mixed into the wrong pan of nipples at the dealer in Friendship. Anyway, after about 20 or so shots, it blew out. Fortunately, I had begun holding my rifle in a manner similar to how a handgun is held with the supporting hand covering the strong hand. Because the rifle is quite light, this manner of holding it is quite comfortable and keeps my supporting arm away from any cap fragments. Because I was holding it in this manner at the time the nipple blew out, I was sparred having it embedded into my arm. All I got was a few black powder tattoo specks in the front side of my forearm. the forestock was split and blown off the rifle but I found both halves and was able to repair it. Now I take more care in making sure that the nipples are of the correct size and I still like to hold it similar to a two handed hold on a handgun.

Mine is a .45 caliber with the barrel coming from Long Hammock. It takes a .440 ball and a .018 patch.