really big bore

[tcsmokepole]

I saw on october country's web page a 4 bore percussion rifle. A 1330 gr. roundball in front of 300 grs. of 2f. Have any of you fellas ever fired one of theses behemoths? I would really like to have one but they're out of my price range.

 

[musketman]

Oh boy, do I want one, the bigger the better, I says...

At 5 round balls to the pound of lead and 23 shots to the pound of powder, it's almost as economical to shoot as the .32 caliber... :winking: :haha: :crackup:

 

[silverfox]

Big bore? You might check out one of the gun auction sites I think yesterday I say a .94 listed. Looked like the barrel was thick enough for a really large charge. I think you could call it a hand held cannon for sure. :thumbsup:

 

[stickbow]

20 years ago or so Outdoor Life had an article by Jim Carmichael (I think) about a bunch of guys hunting Africa with big bore MLs. One of them was a 2 or 4 bore "Cape Gun". They took cape buf and elelphant I think.

Email Carmichael at OL and ask him if it was him and if it was, can he get you a reprint.

I still can see a picture of the ball and powder from that cape gun. Made your shoulder hurt just to look at it.

 

[waksupi]

I have a friend in Canada, who is an arms collector. He has two original 4 bore flintlock elephant rifles. Unfortunately, he won't let us shoot them. Years ago, John Taylor, in Kalispell, Mt., made a 1.35 bore rampart gun that was rather interesting to shoot. Good thing it weighed 35 lbs.

 

[Plains99]

I just received a new book from Safari Press - RIFLES FOR AFRICA - Woods, G. - that gives a good description of early 4 bore elephant guns and their place in African history. Bloody mouths and noses, permanent nerve damage, broken fingers, dizzyness, headaches, dislocated shoulders, uncontrollable lifetime flinches... and that's just from being on the back end of the rifle! And then unless they were very fortunate, they had to shoot any given elephant several times to bring it down... often at distances of nine paces... that is if it didn't stomp the democrat right out of them in the meantime. NO THANKS! No romantic 4 bore notions here.

 

[Deadeye]

At the Pacific National rondevoux a few yrs. ago one of the shooters had one and was letting anyone shoot it with just the load you mentioned, it wasn't something you wanted to do repeatedly but was bearable. In one of Selous books on Africa he uses a 3 bore and while chasing Elephants on horseback and loading on the run ,from a pocket full of powder, pouring a handful at a time down the bore, he overloads it and when fired it broke the stock and also broke his arm. You can load them down. My .75 with a 600 gr. ball is a one holer ar 25 yds. with 25 grs. of 3F.

 

[jimeckersley]

A member of our Black Powder club, Jim Gefroh, shoots with us regularly. He usually shoots one of his little 10 bores in our club shoots.

Jim is a custom big bore rifle maker. He especially likes the Yeager and English sporting rifle designs. They are very reasonably priced unless a lot of carving is requested. He not only builds the rifles but has taken nearly every game animal in Africa. He is featured regularly in Black Powder Hunting magazine and has been recognized by Safari Club International.

He can be contacted at:
Jim Gefro
2954 Silver Plume Dr
Fort Collins, CO 80526
970-377-9564
[email protected]

 

[Rat]

I guess there is really no real concensous to what is a big bore...I know many consider the .62 as the beginning of the big bores, and I know the old BP Afican hunters considered a .58 to be a small bore.

To my mind the really big bores kind of start at .69", that seems to be where you hold the ball in your hand and say: "now that's a BIG ball!"

Also seems to me that when you get over eight-bore you enter the realm of shoulder-cannons...not really a "small arm" anymore. ??

I love big-bores but 8 gauge would probably be my limit, even if my $$$ had no limit. I think a .69" rifle would be a real power house, but would still make a reasonalby light rifle...maybe the best of both worlds.

I have a Brown Bess carbine, and I've often thought that having one rifled for minnie ball would make for a pretty neat piece. But you'd have to keep loads somewhat moderate if you used a minnie-ball, I think even a short .75" minnie weighs in at over 700 grains. !!! I'm not sure if you'd want to rifle such a gun for round-ball, maybe the barrel is not really thick enough for the deeper rifling...or again you'd have to keep loads moderate. The full length musket might be a better platform for that too, get a little more velocity from lighter charges.

Just some rambling thoughts...!!

Rat

 

[Donny]

Read somewhere detached retinas was common, & one of the afflictions noticed after you got off the ground and put your arm back in the socket.

 

[Stumpkiller]

.69 is a large bore. But you stated a "really big bore". I would say the really big bores start over 0.80". The "Cape Rifles" of Africa. Like the four-bore (0.935") on the right, above. That dinky gun beside it is a mere 500/465 Nitro Express that you can fit your whole index finger into the chamber of. Before cordite & breechloaders the really big critters were hunted with HUGE bore muzzleloaders.

Never fired one, but would love to. An old tale circulates about an American of a Southern State who was offerred a chance to shoot a 4-bore. The American fired one barrel, centering the bullseye, and handed the gun back to the owner without firing the second barrel. The owner, a British gent, asked if the American thought that was a rifle capable of killing a grizzly bear. The American responded: "If he was on the same end I just was, I reckon it would."

 

[madstone]

I think I have that old article! I saved all my "gunbooks" from the past decades and review them regularly. It was a double bbl 4 gg. But it weighed a ton!

 

[madstone]

Ric,
Coincidence? Wasn't there a John Taylor who hunted elephants? Pondoro? I remember well when he died and the gun mag's had articles about him. He wrote a couple of books, too?
I always wanted a "swivel gun" like they mounted in early blockhouses. Inch and a half bore? 2 inch if loaded light? Otherwise it would tear the ramparts down?

 

[madstone]

.75-25-600? Sounds like a target load?
This 75 can use a full 12gg ball, can't it. That's a big bore to me!

 

[Rat]

Ha ha yeah I guess there's small bore, medium bore, big bore and HUGE bore!!

A .50" is definately a small bore compared to even a .62", but of course cartridge guns are a whole other story.

I'm still thinking that eight-bore would be big enough for me.

Rat