Jim Chambers Pennsylvania Fowler

[Larry (Omaha)]

Pennsylvania Fowler
circa 1760-1770



If anyone out there has made one of these fowlers from Chambers, I would appreciate your input. Everything I read on this forum about Chambers is good.
Thank
Flintlocklar

 

[Buckskinn]

I didn't get a fouler, but am coming into the last turn with one of Jim's Rifles. I don't think you can go wrong with a Chambers...

 

[dave_person]

Pennsylvania Fowler
circa 1760-1770



If anyone out there has made one of these fowlers from Chambers, I would appreciate your input. Everything I read on this forum about Chambers is good.
Thank
Flintlocklar

Hi Larry,
I had one of those kits that was started by another person who buggered it badly. I eventually could not salvage it and used the parts on other guns. It is a good kit but I don't really understand what it represents. It has all English style furniture and lock. There is nothing Germanic about at all. If you added a hook breech and barrel keys, it would look more like a British gun than something made in Pennsylvania. Contrary to the photo, my kit did not have a muzzle cap although that might have gotten lost before it came to me. I dislike the sheet metal rear ramrod thimble. The shape is ugly in my opinion and hard to reshape because of the way the step is made. Mine was not already machine inlet but most Chambers kits have partially machine-inlet rear pipes and in that case you are stuck with it. Chambers kits generally are good but they are not snap togethers and some have issues like the Little Fellas rifle I built for Rifleman1776 and posted. I currently have an Chambers Isaac Haines kit to build for a member of this forum. It appears to be very well made.

dave

 

[Keb]

I put together a walnut kit in the 90's. It hit me in the face pretty hard, bruised my cheek so I sold it. I never regretted selling it.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I have probably built a dozen of them. They go together as well as any of the other Chambers kits do. I have one sitting in the corner I have to get to soon.
Here's one in Walnut I did many years ago. I put a rifle trigger guard on it instead of a fowling gun guard.
http://www.fowlingguns.com/kitgun3.html

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hi Larry,
I had one of those kits that was started by another person who buggered it badly. I eventually could not salvage it and used the parts on other guns. It is a good kit but I don't really understand what it represents. It has all English style furniture and lock. There is nothing Germanic about at all. If you added a hook breech and barrel keys, it would look more like a British gun than something made in Pennsylvania. Contrary to the photo, my kit did not have a muzzle cap although that might have gotten lost before it came to me. I dislike the sheet metal rear ramrod thimble. The shape is ugly in my opinion and hard to reshape because of the way the step is made. Mine was not already machine inlet but most Chambers kits have partially machine-inlet rear pipes and in that case you are stuck with it. Chambers kits generally are good but they are not snap togethers and some have issues like the Little Fellas rifle I built for Rifleman1776 and posted. I currently have an Chambers Isaac Haines kit to build for a member of this forum. It appears to be very well made.

dave

Dave,
Thanks for the input, I am now thinking of other ideas about a next winter project. I love the long barrels, but do not want something too heavy, and of course it needs to be a flintlock.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Larry,
The Getz barrel in my kit was very light and well made. I loved the barrel and used it on this gun:

It was a fine shooter with patched round ball. After using 0.020" thick patches, it zeroed in nicely. Note the 3-shot group on the right shot at 85 yards offhand:

dave

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Dave,
Thanks for the input, I am now thinking of other ideas about a next winter project. I love the long barrels, but do not want something too heavy, and of course it needs to be a flintlock.

Long barrels doesn't mean a heavy barrel. These guns go about 7lbs or so. Very light and handy.

 

[Pete G]

I have a deluxe one in walnut. They come without the nose cap, and like Dave says, they are definitely not Pennsylvania; more like an English Virginia style.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I believe they were inspired by what used to be known as the "Bullard" rifle but is now known as the "Newcomer" rifle. When it was the "Bullard" rifle the experts all believed it was Virginia. When it became the "Newcomer" rifle it became Pennsylvania.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Long barrels doesn't mean a heavy barrel. These guns go about 7lbs or so. Very light and handy.

Thanks for the tip, but I am aware that a fowler smoothbore is lighter than an octagon rifled barrel. That is why I was looking at the Pennsylvania Fowler. Dave and Keb have changed my mind. I am still lookin at what will work for me. I would love a 46 or 48 inch barreled fowler. Still in the planning stages.
Flintlocklar

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Thanks for the tip, but I am aware that a fowler smoothbore is lighter than an octagon rifled barrel. That is why I was looking at the Pennsylvania Fowler. Dave and Keb have changed my mind. I am still lookin at what will work for me. I would love a 46 or 48 inch barreled fowler. Still in the planning stages.
Flintlocklar

Not necessarily so, A rifled swamped oct. barrel can be nearly as light as an Oct/rnd fowling barrel. Just make it big at the breech with a rapid taper in the first 6" or 8". You can make a rifled barrel gun with a 48" barrel in the 7lb range with a properly swamped barrel.