Does anyone know about the Wilderness Rifle Works, Indiana and the rifles they make? I have a line on an unseen .40 flint, steel furniture, no patch box, no nose cap, no entry pipe, plain maple, L and R lock, double triggers, Poor Boy made by Wilderness. I've never heard of them and unsure of the quality. What's a fair price? Thanks
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Wilderness Rifle Works
- Thread starter Darryl
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
This is all I found on it...
Wilderness Rifle Works
P.O.Box 97,
Waldron, IN 46182
(317) 525-6181
(765) 525-6181
They make Deer Creek, Hopkins & Allen, Mowrey Gun Works, and Wilderness Rifle Works.
Not much for you to go on....
Wilderness Rifle Works
P.O.Box 97,
Waldron, IN 46182
(317) 525-6181
(765) 525-6181
They make Deer Creek, Hopkins & Allen, Mowrey Gun Works, and Wilderness Rifle Works.
Not much for you to go on....
WRW made a couple of plain long guns with deep flutes along the ramrod channel, the Cumberland was a Hatfield clone the other was more of a Tennessee style 39" barrels 1/66 in the .45 and .50 Douglas barrels don't know about the .40 twist should be 1/48, triggers by Northstarr they quit making them around 1999 they sold for $400-$475 when new with plain wood and more with fancy wood, they had brass or iron options, mine was a good shooter mine had a Ketland type lock, big and sparky, I sold mine for $375 can't say what others have sold for used, they are a cut above the Cabelas Blue ridge in my opinion, like these guns the barrel/ramrod pipes are held on by screws from below. Don't know if this helped or just clouded the waters more.
I know nothing about them but if you want a guess:
If I use RETAIL prices and buy all the BEST U.S.A. made parts it looks to me like it would cost about $370 for hardware (lock, stock, barrel, trigger, etc).
To me, building 'um is a hobby but if I had the proper jigs/fixtures and machinery it would still take me at least 10 hours to put all of the parts together and finish the wood. At $15/hour (which is cheap these days for a craftsman) that totals up to around $520.
Even if I was buying the materials wholesale I wouldn't sell for less than that price.
If I use RETAIL prices and buy all the BEST U.S.A. made parts it looks to me like it would cost about $370 for hardware (lock, stock, barrel, trigger, etc).
To me, building 'um is a hobby but if I had the proper jigs/fixtures and machinery it would still take me at least 10 hours to put all of the parts together and finish the wood. At $15/hour (which is cheap these days for a craftsman) that totals up to around $520.
Even if I was buying the materials wholesale I wouldn't sell for less than that price.
squirejohn
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Messages
- 398
- Reaction score
- 0
Darryl- I had two WRW guns in .50c - one in percussion and the other flint. I purchased these in 1994 for $460 each. The were both called Mountaineers, had 7/8" by 39" barrel, 1 in 66 rifling .010-.012 " deep; length of pull 14" and drop at heel 2 1/2". Both had the large early Ketland type locks. I sold both these guns last year $225 perc. and $300 flint. Two years ago the price of a Mountaineer rifle kit sold for $599. They no longer made the finished rifle. In 1994 listed calibers were; .36, .40, .45, &.50 - all with 1 in 66 twist - not a good choice for the 40 your thinking about buying!!
Unlike tg I didn't have a good results with the flintlock. The frizzen wouldn't open all the way and to get reliable ignition I had to be very fussy about the size, shape and placement of the flint- more often than not having to place an extra piece of leather under the flint to increase the angle. Even then flint life was pretty short - about 20 shots.
I also had some significant barrel problems with both guns. The barrels were so ill bored that the windage could not be corrected by moving the sights; i.e even with the front sight "hanging" off the left side of the barrel and the rear off the right it still wouldn't hit the target. I wound up having to send the guns back to WRW, and eventually had 5 barrels before I could hit the target- even then the sights weren't near centered.
Once that problem was fixed both shot very well even though the stock was too straight for me and I had to scrunch my head way back on the stock. For best accuracy I had to use a .500 ball and 0.20 patch - needless to say she loaded kinda hard.
Although tg said his rifle had a Douglas barrel, I believe mine were made at WRW in IN. In 1994 WRW ( WRW bought out Cheny Rifle Works and were also marketed through Mt. St. Muzzleloading as Mfg. by Cheny ) didn't offer L&R locks so my experience may not be entirely applicable to the rifle you intend to buy. Howver I strongly recommend that before you do purchase the gun you take to the range for a thourough evaluation. Hope this helps.
Unlike tg I didn't have a good results with the flintlock. The frizzen wouldn't open all the way and to get reliable ignition I had to be very fussy about the size, shape and placement of the flint- more often than not having to place an extra piece of leather under the flint to increase the angle. Even then flint life was pretty short - about 20 shots.
I also had some significant barrel problems with both guns. The barrels were so ill bored that the windage could not be corrected by moving the sights; i.e even with the front sight "hanging" off the left side of the barrel and the rear off the right it still wouldn't hit the target. I wound up having to send the guns back to WRW, and eventually had 5 barrels before I could hit the target- even then the sights weren't near centered.
Once that problem was fixed both shot very well even though the stock was too straight for me and I had to scrunch my head way back on the stock. For best accuracy I had to use a .500 ball and 0.20 patch - needless to say she loaded kinda hard.
Although tg said his rifle had a Douglas barrel, I believe mine were made at WRW in IN. In 1994 WRW ( WRW bought out Cheny Rifle Works and were also marketed through Mt. St. Muzzleloading as Mfg. by Cheny ) didn't offer L&R locks so my experience may not be entirely applicable to the rifle you intend to buy. Howver I strongly recommend that before you do purchase the gun you take to the range for a thourough evaluation. Hope this helps.
I think these guns varied over their short history, WRW had purchased the Douglas rifle Equipment by the time I got mine, and I was told by their rep that they were making their own locks, and if the .40 barrel is 1/66 I would not bother with it myself, it is possible that these guns were much like other makers that have been around in that one might get either a good or bad one, my lock used most any piece of 7/8 flint I put in it and kept on tickin for 60 or more shots before knapping, I think the best advise with most any used gun is a trial agreement to put it through the paces before the deal is final.
Similar threads
- Locked
