Nelson Lewis Buggy Rifle - History Mystery

[mhb]

That's a good way of obtaining a rough measurement - but you should know that the shanks of twist drills are often a bit smaller than the nominal diameter. For instance, the 11/32" drill from one of my (U.S. made) sets, which is nominally .344", and actually measures that across the flutes. is only .341" at the butt of the shank.

In any case, the bore diameter of the pistol is apparently significantly smaller than any available maxi mold I know of, though I don't have a TC .36 to check. So a custom mold may be the only answer.

mhb - Mike

 

[Big6ft6]

The .342 was the diameter with my calipers on the drill shank (for what my calipers are worth..who knows). There was some minuscule wiggle room of the shank in the bore so the bore is slightly larger, but not much.

Yeah I was searching at work for a while and I couldn't find any molds for anything in the .3X caliber range at all...

 

[M. De Land]

You need to borrow or rent a set of plug gauges in .001 increments to get the true story on bore diameter. An expanded lead plug will give you the truth about grove diameter but having seven grooves you will need a Powely gauge or tri-mic to get the real dimension. Mike D.

 

[curator]

Ethan Allen, doing business as Allen & Thurber, Allen & Wheelock sold both rough castings and finished actions to gun makers in the north east from about 1840 to about 1880 when they changed their name to Forehand & Wadsworth. Allen had the patent for the "crucible steel" process and had a secret technique for annealing cast iron so it could be machined. Lewis was probably the gun smith who assembled the gun but could have also made the barrel. I have seen a couple of guns similar to yours and both had barrels discretely marked "Hitchcock & Muzzy." Nice piece! A real artifact from America's past.

 

[Many Klatch]

Once you figure out the actual bore size, you could start off with a custom roundball mold from Jeff Tanner http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/moulds.htm. Jeff can make a round ball molds in any size.

The Picket ball gun may shoot a roundball well enough to at least get started.

Many Klatch

 

[Big6ft6]

Thanks Many! When I finally get to the point where I find a trusted antique gunsmith that can confirm firing condition and replace the stuck nipple, the round ball option seems a smart direction to go. I don't plan on making this gun into a regular shooter (I don't think) but I would like to get it into "shootable" condition and take at least one shot. That is my desired objective for this first chapter of this journey.

Any references for a good gunsmith for antique firearm in Wisconsin or N. Illinois?

 

[Many Klatch]

Replacing the nipple is the easiest part of your journey. Back the nipple out, measure the threads, call Track of the Wolf http://www.trackofthewolf.com/index.aspx and buy a couple. The threads most likely are NOT metric. As long as the nipple threads in easily, locks up tight and you don't cross thread you will have done the gunsmithing yourself. Don't forget to buy a nipple wrench and a decent gun oil to grease the nipple threads.

There are a number of blackpowder shooters in your area. I used to shoot with a group in Beloit and Rockford when I lived near Madison. Join the NMLRA http://www.nmlra.org/ they have a list of member organizations and contact information.

You can also subscribe to Smoke and Fire News. http://www.smoke-fire.com/ They list every event in the US and there will be plenty near you.

Many Klatch

 

[Dphar]

RB should work fine.
With the False Muzzle the barrel should not have a muzzle crown so the FM will likely be needed to load it.

It likely shot a bullet much like the flat point shown here. These are made from lead wire (cast slugs will work too) in a simple swage.

Swage

The bad news is that the picket also needs one of these to put the picket bullet into the barrel properly. These are far easier to make than a false muzzle which is the hard part.

This is still precision part that has to fir the FM properly and the "ram" has to be made to match the bullet nose and be inline with the bore when installed.

Dan

 

[Big6ft6]

Thanks Many and Dan.

Many, if the nipple is corroded in place, can I use the same methods of getting it out that I use on stuck bolts in my old cars? (penetrating oil etc) Or are there special things to consider in this case? How will I know what threads the nipple uses..isn't this from before thread standardization?

Thanks Dan for your post, I was hoping you'd see my thread, I've come across your threads in different places on the web..very jealous of your straight starter and your other projects. I have a buddy with a lathe in his basement itchin' for a project..so maybe I'll set him loose on one some day, but for short term, a roundball will do the trick.

 

[Many Klatch]

Big, treat the nipple like you would any other old rusted in place nut. Penetrating oil and a little heat may be all you need. Worse comes to worse, you drill it out and retap it to something more standard. That is the wrong thing to do if you are trying to maintain the historical value of the gun, but could be necessary if you want to shoot it.

Many Klatch

 

[Big6ft6]

Thanks Many...yeah, there is a line I'm trying not to cross as far as respecting the historical value of the gun. If I can get the nipple out by soaking with penetrating oil etc, so be it. I can keep the nipple I remove if someone want to put it back. But drilling and tapping is probably over that line. If I can't get it out being careful..I'd then go to a professional...if they can't, then it isn't mean to be I guess.

Interestingly after posting the question I just got the chapter in Ned's book that discusses stuck nipples.

 

[44-henry]

Unless you have a good bit of experience I would not attempt that job yourself. You run the risk of damaging a very nice and valuable piece. You have something special there, it would probably be best to pay to have the work done by a well respected gunsmith with knowledge of antique arms.

 

[Billnpatti]

In looking at the photo of the internals of the lock, I noticed one thing that bothers me. :hmm: The half cock notch appears to be worn to the point that it will not stay in the half cock position. It appears that you could pull the trigger when the lock is in half cock and the gun would fire. This is a serious safety concern. :nono: If you do put it into firing condition, one thing I would seriously urge you to do is have a properly trained gunsmith recut the half cock notch so that it will not fire from that position.