Need help with maker ? Kentucky Percussion ?

[BCWILL]

Hey I just aquired this 50 cal “Kentucky” rifle. Actually a decent piece of wood on it….one piece !

No stampings anywhere ? Defarbed I guess…..a few things I’ve noticed that are “different” barrel pins are actually drilled through barrel (is this a normal/common practice?)
Ram rod pipes are just round cylinders, no attachment points or fin ? I assume they were glued in place ?
Breech plug has a hexagon “allen” type hole in it so it simply plugs onto the tang ?
Lock is pretty crude with what looks like a replacement hammer screw and simply stamped “warranted”
Gun was dismantled and i bought it as is…..I’m thinking an early spanish import ? Not sure really….
Anybody recognise this manufacturer?

 

[BCWILL]

Mystery solved it seems !
A Hopkins and Allen Minuteman rifle !
sold by Numrich in the 60’s-70’s as kits or complete guns !
Thanks folks

 

[user 31232]

Hey I just aquired this 50 cal “Kentucky” rifle. Actually a decent piece of wood on it….one piece !

No stampings anywhere ? Defarbed I guess…..a few things I’ve noticed that are “different” barrel pins are actually drilled through barrel (is this a normal/common practice?)
Ram rod pipes are just round cylinders, no attachment points or fin ? I assume they were glued in place ?
Breech plug has a hexagon “allen” type hole in it so it simply plugs onto the tang ?
Lock is pretty crude with what looks like a replacement hammer screw and simply stamped “warranted”
Gun was dismantled and i bought it as is…..I’m thinking an early spanish import ? Not sure really….
Anybody recognise this manufacturer?

Looks like the Hopkins and Allen. Numrich arms now

 

[tallPercshooter]

Bought my Minuteman .45 online for $175 last year. Good shooter. Someone took care of the bore all these years.

 

[BCWILL]

Nice yes i picked this all up for pretty cheap too !!!
I’m pretty sure what I’ve got is a kit someone began but never actually finished…..nipple looks like it’s never been smacked and pretty sure the bore is unfired.
Inlets on the stock are plumb full of dust……she’s been sitting in pieces for a long time I’m thinking

Bore measures out at .495 and .510 !

I’m quite happy it’s a 50 too

 

[BCWILL]

Been unassembled for abit…..

 

[BCWILL]

Bore measures out at .495 and .510 !

Typo .495 and .514 !

 

[poker]

Id be doing some real good measuring before shooting that one. Its not normal to drill through the barrel for pins, and the one hole you show looks to me like it is quite close to the bore. I may be wrong, but dont take a chance on it.

 

[Eterry]

Id be doing some real good measuring before shooting that one. Its not normal to drill through the barrel for pins, and the one hole you show looks to me like it is quite close to the bore. I may be wrong, but dont take a chance on it.

So it's ok to cut a dovetail a half inch wide and .030 deep for front and rear sights and barrel tennons, but a small hole bored thru isn't? The dovetail is plugged with metal, but so is the pin hole.

It's not common, but I've seen it done.

 

[poker]

So it's ok to cut a dovetail a half inch wide and .030 deep for front and rear sights and barrel tennons, but a small hole bored thru isn't? The dovetail is plugged with metal, but so is the pin hole.

It's not common, but I've seen it done.

Its not the hole perse, its the height it appears to be from the bottom.

 

[poker]

A 1/16 hole is .062 and theres at least that under it if not more

 

[BCWILL]

Yes at first the pin holes were admittedly concerning to me as i was not expecting them ! However I am now coming to discover there’s a heck of alot of these H & A ‘s out there ! All of them used the pins through the barrel….36-45 and 50 cals.
I also agree that when a solid pin is tapped into said hole it becomes a moot concern…..at least IMO

 

[Uncle Miltie]

So it's ok to cut a dovetail a half inch wide and .030 deep for front and rear sights and barrel tennons, but a small hole bored thru isn't? The dovetail is plugged with metal, but so is the pin hole.

It's not common, but I've seen it done.

Drilling holes in the barrel for pins was sometimes done on original rifles.

 

[tallPercshooter]

I had a Mowrey 12 ga shotgun that had the forearm attached with a pin thru the forearm and thru the barrel. The barrel was not that thick anywhere, like a one inch barrel with a .72 hole in it, leaves what, .14 barrel wall? But worked fine and never gave any trouble.

 

[Eterry]

I had a Mowrey 12 ga shotgun that had the forearm attached with a pin thru the forearm and thru the barrel. The barrel was not that thick anywhere, like a one inch barrel with a .72 hole in it, leaves what, .14 barrel wall? But worked fine and never gave any trouble.

My first Mowrey had the same setup. Never had a problem.

 

[BCWILL]

Not sure what the industry standards are but Track of the Wolf repeats in their instructions for dovetails and such to leave a minimum.050” barrel wall.
I measured this out and there is .084” barrel wall thickness between the holes and bore !
So I have no worries

 

[deerstalkert]

at one time it was considered the optimum method, pinning through the barrel.