Smallest caliber

[SmokepoleSam]

My wife has an original Flobert in .30 cal, it shoots nice but with arthritis in her fingers she doesn't shoot anymore.

 

[Britsmoothy]

My wife has an original Flobert in .30 cal, it shoots nice but with arthritis in her fingers she doesn't shoot anymore.

 

[Steve Milbocker]

I had a 25 cal southern mountain rifle made by Dennis Priddy that was a tack driver. #4 buck shot for balls and teflon coated patches.

 

[Britsmoothy]

So errr, what grade of powder do you guys use in these little rifles?

 

[Steve Milbocker]

3FFG. If I remember correctly about 30gr

 

[1950DAVE]

I have a friend who cobbled together an ml rifle using an old .22lr barrel. He use a shotgun buckshot (I forget the size) loaded bare. He was a meat hunter and that rifle accounted for hundreds of squirrels.

I am still working on one I started a little over a year ago. .22 Mossberg barrel 21 inches long, bored and reamed to .271. Percussion. Not happy with the hammer nipple geometr. Shoots but not consistent . Used 7 1/2 shot, wasp nest under and over. Need to get back on it, but I have some

 

[Bernard Streeter]

Wow didn’t know there were so many

 

[Carbon 6]

This guy made a .22 flintlock, I think he's a forum member. Nicely done, but check out that traditions lock speed. I think I have caplocks that are slower.

 

[Stantheman86]

.45 seems tiny to me, for a muzzleloader but I would like to get a .36 Kentucky repro rifle just to shoot at shorter ranges , since my gun club has 50 yard pistol pits and shooting big bore rifles in there seems foolish.

 

[Artificer]

In 1971 near the end of September, I visited my Brother and his wife who lived in Denver, CO while my Brother worked for the VA Hospital there. I was there to help them pack up and drive back home to Iowa. They lived in an old mansion that had been converted to apartments, though even my Brother now is not sure exactly where it was. As best as I can guess from the little I remember, it was possibly near the VA Hospital on Clermont Street, though that might be wrong. The area had many old homes/mansions, though, and it was in one of those old large homes I saw the rifle I am about to describe.

I didn’t have much money and I was still a few weeks shy of my 18th birthday, so I tried to look for inexpensive ways to entertain myself while my Brother and Sister in Law worked during the day. It just so happened there was a Local Historic Society that operated a free museum in another of the old large houses in the area, so I thought that might be both interesting and of course didn’t cost much of anything. The House/Mansion probably dated somewhat close to the UnCivil War Era, though I don’t know if it was before or after. I did find it interesting to look at the furniture and furnishings and they had some large glass display cases with some interesting items.

As I wound my way through the rooms, I was very surprised and delighted to see a full size Original Hawken Rifle in a glass case that was suspended so it was very easy to see from the rear, right side and finally the muzzle, as one walked around the case. Though I had never seen an original, I knew something of real Hawken Rifles even back then. It was to all intents and purposes easily recognized as a full size percussion “Mountain Rifle.” However, when I came around to muzzle side of the display case, I was shocked to find a Teensy Tiny Little Hole in what looked like an enormous barrel muzzle. Then I looked down and noticed a small lot of accoutrements and a small pile of tiny Round Balls that a small sign mentioned were .22 caliber. I stared for some time at the rifle, bore and tiny little round balls and was really amazed, but was not knowledgeable enough in those days to realize what I was really looking at.

In the next couple of years, I purchased both of J.D. Baird’s books on Hawken Rifles, but this rifle was not pictured in either book and was not specifically mentioned, either. So the rifle remained a mystery. The only thing I can imagine was this rifle was built as what used to be called a “Gallery Rifle” for target shooting as seems to me it would have been WAY TOO HEAVY to use for small game. Some small caliber rifles were known to be made/sold in/from the Hawken Shop, though they were scaled down for that purpose as one would expect and were not the Full Size of the Mountain Rifles.

It was over three decades before I returned to Denver and could not remember where the House was that held the rifle. I have never seen this rifle mentioned in print since that time, though I admit I wasn’t really looking for it. I have often wondered if that Rifle was/is still there in that Small Local Historical Society Display case, though, and if those who are really experts on Hawken Rifles have ever examined or even heard of that rifle.

Gus

 

[WRustyLane]

In 1971 near the end of September, I visited my Brother and his wife who lived in Denver, CO while my Brother worked for the VA Hospital there. I was there to help them pack up and drive back home to Iowa. They lived in an old mansion that had been converted to apartments, though even my Brother now is not sure exactly where it was. As best as I can guess from the little I remember, it was possibly near the VA Hospital on Clermont Street, though that might be wrong. The area had many old homes/mansions, though, and it was in one of those old large homes I saw the rifle I am about to describe.

I didn’t have much money and I was still a few weeks shy of my 18th birthday, so I tried to look for inexpensive ways to entertain myself while my Brother and Sister in Law worked during the day. It just so happened there was a Local Historic Society that operated a free museum in another of the old large houses in the area, so I thought that might be both interesting and of course didn’t cost much of anything. The House/Mansion probably dated somewhat close to the UnCivil War Era, though I don’t know if it was before or after. I did find it interesting to look at the furniture and furnishings and they had some large glass display cases with some interesting items.

As I wound my way through the rooms, I was very surprised and delighted to see a full size Original Hawken Rifle in a glass case that was suspended so it was very easy to see from the rear, right side and finally the muzzle, as one walked around the case. Though I had never seen an original, I knew something of real Hawken Rifles even back then. It was to all intents and purposes easily recognized as a full size percussion “Mountain Rifle.” However, when I came around to muzzle side of the display case, I was shocked to find a Teensy Tiny Little Hole in what looked like an enormous barrel muzzle. Then I looked down and noticed a small lot of accoutrements and a small pile of tiny Round Balls that a small sign mentioned were .22 caliber. I stared for some time at the rifle, bore and tiny little round balls and was really amazed, but was not knowledgeable enough in those days to realize what I was really looking at.

In the next couple of years, I purchased both of J.D. Baird’s books on Hawken Rifles, but this rifle was not pictured in either book and was not specifically mentioned, either. So the rifle remained a mystery. The only thing I can imagine was this rifle was built as what used to be called a “Gallery Rifle” for target shooting as seems to me it would have been WAY TOO HEAVY to use for small game. Some small caliber rifles were known to be made/sold in/from the Hawken Shop, though they were scaled down for that purpose as one would expect and were not the Full Size of the Mountain Rifles.

It was over three decades before I returned to Denver and could not remember where the House was that held the rifle. I have never seen this rifle mentioned in print since that time, though I admit I wasn’t really looking for it. I have often wondered if that Rifle was/is still there in that Small Local Historical Society Display case, though, and if those who are really experts on Hawken Rifles have ever examined or even heard of that rifle.

Gus

Gus,
As I read your description of the small .22 cal Hawken rifle and your description of the VA and where it was located, I was reminded that the VA in Atlanta, GA, is located on Clermont Street. What a coincidence. I used to go there when I was in Georgia.

 

[Artificer]

Gee, a second VA hospital on another Clermont Street? Wonder what the odds are against that?

Gus

 

[dpw21562]

I have an 1850's half stock that mic's at .265 - 27 cal.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I had an original muzzle loading Philadelphia made Parlor rifle in 28 caliber. Made by Wurfflein.

 

[peter5761]

.177 Swiss Gallery Rifles and Pistols no powder as a percussion cap is enough. 10mtr rifle shooting.

 

[Col. Batguano]

There are also BB caliber mortars. Those are toys really.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

(iirc) The late Hacker Martin built a miniaturized version of one of his rifles in .25 for his daughter. The problem that he noted was that although he made it an exact replica of a full sized .50..., right down to the wooden ramrod, he only used the ramrod for show, and used a metal range rod for actually shooting the rifle. He was worried about how easy it would be to snap so small a ramrod.

LD

 

[nkbj]

Got a .30 bore barrel with 48" twist but haven't put it on a gun.
Might be fun but bigger is easier to me to make accurate.

 

[Terry Jack]

This guy made a .22 flintlock, I think he's a forum member. Nicely done, but check out that traditions lock speed. I think I have caplocks that are slower.

Somehow, I just can not get my head around a "flintlock" and a "scope". To each his own I guess.

 

[Carbon 6]

Somehow, I just can not get my head around a "flintlock" and a "scope". To each his own I guess.

Still pretty cool I think.