What is a good length for an American longrifle ?

[MarylandML]

I have been eyeing up getting an American Longrifle for some time now but I cant decide on a barrel length. Truth is I dont know what length is best and what length just makes your rifle a bird's roost. I am looking in the 40"- 46" barrel range probably in .50~.58 cal. Secondly, are the older Dixie Gun Works brand longrifles any good ? A shop local to me has two them in decent shape just no prices listed yet. Thanks given to all opinions on the matter. Muzzle weight isnt a problem either as I have carried a friends smoothbore with a 51" barrel which was heavy, cumbersome and put the muzzle damn near my chin when loading.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

So I found that my eyeballs notice a 36" barrel on a "longrifle", and find it too short.

However, my personal longrifle (Trudy) has a 38" barrel in .54, and I think it's fine as a longrifle length. My other longrifle (Patience) is a .40 with a .42" barrel. My target rifle is a .50 and also is 42". So my personal opinion is that 38" is the absolute shortest for a longrifle. I bought Trudy used, and really didn't measure the barrel length until after I had bought her and been using her for a while and somebody asked. She is a Pennsylvania Mountain Rifle from Cabin Creek Muzzleloading, and not only 38" but swamped. The other two longrifles that I own are straight sided barrels, and I like swamped the best. A lot of the longrifles out there are 42". I'd suggest that once you find a barrel long enough to suit yourself, you concentrate on where the barrel is accurate and does the lock reliably spark.

LD

 

[Flintlock]

A 42" is right for most but I think a 44" barrel would be great. My early transitional .54 has a 47" I really like but still think for a all around 44" would be best.

 

[oldwood]

I'm 74+ yrs. old. I started building longrifles in about 1972. My skill set developed rapidly , due to the folks around me. Guess I was blessed with a partial photographic memory, "monkey see , monkey do" level. Any way , I can't tell any one what gun is right for them , but only , what I used over the years. About 1974, my first long rifle , for me , I scratch built that one from a Fred Miller longrifle pattern taken from an original Daub longrifle , mixed with influence from an original Beck rifle . The rifle was for hunting, and competition at the many local shoots of the day. It employed a 44 " Getz "D- WT. T and Flaired .50 cal. barrel. I was young and strong then , and the rifle weighed about 9 lbs. , perfect for a guy able to heft it. I learned most of what needed about a true long rifle from that gun. Long barrel , sights far apart , flint lock .490 r/b , 80 gr. FFFG, amazing accuracy. Got too old for competition,and Eventually, Fred cut several Jager patterns which I experimented with , while getting older , again using Getz .58 , and .62 barrels. My all time favorite caliber turned out to be the .62.. I shot a number of spot and stock flintlock deer with a .62 Jager rifle, and one day Fred had just been to an auction sale. He bought a box lot of m/l stocks and parts. In the mess was a muddy coated short barrel long rifle stock. Being filthy enough that the figure in the maple wood was invisible , and he not wanting to bother with it, he handed it to me saying , put this into the wood stove. I spit on the muddy wood , rubbed the mud away , and asked if it could go home with me? Got it home, washed off the mud, and was thunderstruck. The wood was a combination of tortoise shell , and birdseye maple. One of the most wonderful stocks I had ever held in my hands. The barrel channel was 1 " and 37 " long . Adding another inch to it made it 38" , Perfect for a .62 cal. by 1" longrifle for deer. It too was a tack driver that killed any deer you shot at. The shear beauty of the wood in the rifle made me love it. It weighed in at a hair under 8 lb. . Now , due to old age , I am back to a 6.5 Lb early Lancaster copy of a Valentine Fondersmite longrifle , Colerain .50 , 7/8" straight oct. barrel . The wood is light in wt. , White maple chosen to keep the over all rifle weight to minimum. I'm thankful to be able to have a fine rifle like this one , to finish out my hunting years. ........oldwood.

 

[Jim]

Iffin’ ya’ get ‘em too long, you’d need to stand on a stool to load ‘em!

Also, a “swamped” barrel would be near-manditory.

 

[Tom Compton]

Yessir my 7/8” .40 with a straight 42” barrel gained weight over the next 35 years. Bobby Hoyt took her out to .48.

I had one of those DGW long guns. Mine was a .50 made by Mirouku (sp?). Good shooting rifle.

 

[bldtrailer]

44 inch .50

33

36

 

[Phil Coffins]

How tall is your safe? Seen a few people that got a rifle and couldn’t get a safe that it would go in.

 

[rchas]

A long sight radius is real nice on the target range or woods walk, but a short barrel jaeger is handy in the brush... That said, I think a minimum of a 38 inch barrel is needed to be called a "long rifle".

 

[Notchy Bob]

Of the various originals I have handled… certainly not as many as some folks here have examined, but a few… Somewhere around forty-four inches in barrel length was very common. We have one old Tennessee rifle in the family that I recall has about a 36” to 37” tube, but the barrel was hand forged, and is tapered. All of the other hand forged barrels I have personally examined were swamped. Considering this rifle also has two dovetails on the bottom flat, one hammered down and the other fitted with a makeshift ramrod pipe, I believe this rifle was probably cut down and half-stocked. A swamped barrel cut at the waist will be a straight taper.

Many people now like shorter barrels and lighter rifles, but don’t want to give up the “longrifle” mystique. For someone who wants a really authentic rifle, it’s good to study the surviving antiques and try to duplicate them.

I don’t know if there is a generally accepted criterion or standard for “longrifle” barrel length, but in my own mind forty inches or so would be a convenient minimum.

With that said, if you want the rifle as a shooter, you’ll want it made to fit your needs. It should be fun to shoot!

Notchy Bob

 

[MarylandML]

Of the various originals I have handled… certainly not as many as some folks here have examined, but a few… Somewhere around forty-four inches in barrel length was very common. We have one old Tennessee rifle in the family that I recall has about a 36” to 37” tube, but the barrel was hand forged, and is tapered. All of the other hand forged barrels I have personally examined were swamped. Considering this rifle also has two dovetails on the bottom flat, one hammered down and the other fitted with a makeshift ramrod pipe, I believe this rifle was probably cut down and half-stocked. A swamped barrel cut at the waist will be a straight taper.

Many people now like shorter barrels and lighter rifles, but don’t want to give up the “longrifle” mystique. For someone who wants a really authentic rifle, it’s good to study the surviving antiques and try to duplicate them.

I don’t know if there is a generally accepted criterion or standard for “longrifle” barrel length, but in my own mind forty inches or so would be a convenient minimum.

With that said, if you want the rifle as a shooter, you’ll want it made to fit your needs. It should be fun to shoot!

Notchy Bob

The shop near me has a Dixie Gun Works Mountain Rifle in .50 caliber with a 41" barrel, they also have an original Schimmel rifle in .54 with a 45 inch barrel but it doesnt function properly. I would probably want something more towards the 44" mark than the 40" mark. The DGW Mountain Rifle is for sale for $600 which I think is kind of high for its age I have an old 1992 DGW catalog that doesnt even list that rifle so it has to be a 1970s or 1980s rifle at the least.

 

[david w]

My Kibler SMR has a 46" barrel. You really need a full size pick up to transport it. To carry my SMR in my Ford Ranger, I had to make a harness to loop over the back rest so that the butt is on the floor, and the muzzle is almost touching the roof. On top of that, if the gun is standing straight up, it comes to eyeball level to me. It makes cutting patches at the muzzle a little more challenging.

 

[Pete G]

I like a 44 inch B weight 50 caliber.

 

[springfield art]

I have been eyeing up getting an American Longrifle for some time now but I cant decide on a barrel length. Truth is I dont know what length is best and what length just makes your rifle a bird's roost. I am looking in the 40"- 46" barrel range probably in .50~.58 cal. Secondly, are the older Dixie Gun Works brand longrifles any good ? A shop local to me has two them in decent shape just no prices listed yet. Thanks given to all opinions on the matter. Muzzle weight isnt a problem either as I have carried a friends smoothbore with a 51" barrel which was heavy, cumbersome and put the muzzle damn near my chin when loading.

I'd go for Forty. The old timers seemed to like the 42-44, but it's a personal preference.

 

[jackpine54]

Lots of great advice already. I think a lot of it is dictated by the school of rifle. To me 38" still seems short. I prefer 42"-48". Good luck and get what you like!

 

[longcruise]

with a 51" barrel which was heavy, cumbersome and put the muzzle damn near my chin when loading.

Probably not of any further value here, but I have seen it written that a good measure is chin high. But there is some good thoughts above regarding transportation and safe size. You must be a pretty long guy to have a 51" barrel stop at your chin!

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Got a 42 because they didnt make a 44 or longer

and dont forget to get a swamped barrel

 

[hanshi]

All my longrifles are 38" except one which is 36". A 38" barrel comes up to my chin. I had a .50 42" longrifle that was a great offhand shooter. It was kinda heavy at something like 9.5 lbs. I liked it but eventually had to sell it.

 

[david w]

All my longrifles are 38" except one which is 36". A 38" barrel comes up to my chin. I had a .50 42" longrifle that was a great offhand shooter. It was kinda heavy at something like 9.5 lbs. I liked it but eventually had to sell it.

I had a ornate Bedford County with a 40" barrel. I had to sell it years back because of a few years of hard times. 40" is about as long as I prefer. I still own a 62 caliber full stock Hawken with a 36" barrel I use for deer hunting. I wanted to get back into squirrel hunting, so I bought a used Kibler 36 caliber with a 46" barrel. I chose Kibler because of the rave reviews I heard on this forum. I can't reload it with the rifle standing straight up, I have to lean it over at an angle. Luckily, with the swamped barrel, it balances nicely. It barely fits into my 2019 Ford Ranger. I had to make a harness that drapes over my head rest so the butt is on the floor, and the muzzle is almost touching the roof.
It leaves me to wonder how could someone transport a rifle with a 51" barrel? Roll the window down and let it stick out? Let it ride in the bed? Buy a trailer?

 

[Homesteader]

My rifle, .45 caliber with a 44" swamped & tapered barrel. It handles very well, loads easily enough, and shoots better than I can. It's the second longest smoke pole I own. Balance point is about at the rear sight and I can tote it all day through the woods without it bothering me in the least.

Just like the riflemen of the day, I prefer to shoot off a rest of some sort, though I've snapped more than a few off-hand that hit the mark.