Ed Rayl

Does anyone have contact info for Ed Rayl. I'm considering purchasing a barrel from him. Moderators please feel free to move the post if it's in the wrong place.

W. E.Rayl
Box 91
Gassaway WV 26624
304-364-8269

Whats your project?
I just bought a barrel from him. It's just been finished and on it's way to the builder right now. It's a .50 cal swamped barrel with round-bottom rifling, 1:66 twist. And oh yeah, it's 50" long. :grin:
He gave me a GREAT deal on it. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the info. Jimmy I want to do a rifle in the style in the profile of a Bucks County gun I have a stock that will accept a 42" barrel. I want a .45 barrel and was going to use a "B" wieght but I'd like a barrel a bit lighter. I know the "b" wieght barrel is made in up to .50 cal so I'm thinking a little more steel could be taking off. If not I'll go with a B .45. I'd like to see if he could do a barrel possibly between an A and a B wieght in profile. I figure if anyone could do that Ed could.

I think if anyone can pull off miracles with barrels, it's Ed Rayl. Very friendly fellow. I'd looked all over for a long time for a custom barrel till I was pointed in his direction. I'm sure he can get you what you want.So your making a Buck's county gun huh? Nice choice. Mine's gonna be similiar. It's the "Killdeer" rifle from LOTM. It's gonna be leaning a lot towards the Lehigh style. So you can see why if Ed can make a barrel for something like that, what you want should be a piece of cake. Hope it all works out for you! :thumbsup:

Do you have any photos of the Killdeer rifle. I've never seen a good photo and the rifle was never on screen long enough to get a really good look at it.

Oldarmy will have photos when he's done with it. That rifle is one of those things that seem to be "shrouded in mystery".
I contacted Bill Rooks who used to make replicas of it and he gave me detailed plans of how to make it.They are accurate copies of the rifle that Wayne Watson made. Which was a real treasure to get ahold of because there is some beautiful carving on it and other details on it that you just cant see in the movie. I asked him if he had any photos and he said he did but he doesnt have a scanner, and he doesnt want to part with what he's got.. And anyone who bought the replicas Bill made, seem to have vanished along with any photos of it as well. It's weird that no one who has one ever posts photos anywhere. The barrel is on it's way to oldarmy, and when he's done, I know he'll post some pics. And as soon as I get it and a digital camera, I'll post some more close-ups of it and the Lancaster he made me. :wink:

How is Mr Rooks doing ?

I always admired his work.

Last time I talked to him, he said he was going to cut back to 1-2 rifles a year and he wasn't taking anymore orders.

I've searched all over the web for photos with no luck. One reference said it was built with a long barrel because Daniel Day Lewis is quite tall but even that reference is gone. Then there was a hit that said it didn't exactly copy any one rifle, but telling what it isn't doesn't tell anything about what it is. And most original rifles didn't exactly copy another one either. Then that reference went away too. No great loss. But no photos anywhere. Like it's a secret. So pictures will be much appreciated when they become available. :thumbsup:

From his e-mails he's hanging in there. I dont know if he's still building though. He was mighty helpful to me. :hatsoff:

Yeah, supposedly his LOP was pretty long so the butt was actually extended to compensate as well as the barrel. Which is why the butt doesnt seem to fit any particular school. From my research and asking Mr. Rooks directly, the "Killdeer" was essentially a Northampton style rifle. Basically, a Lehigh with a 48" swamped barrel, and steel furniture. Now this is where the HC/PC guys might wanna cover their eyes.
The sideplate is a custom job of NO school whatsoever. It was just made for the rifle. It has some engraving of the sun, the moon, and a couple of stars. It was supposed to symbolize the "monument" to his family and the "Cameron family". Also,the furniture was Bivins. :shake: I know, I know. But I really wanted one. I ordered a longer barrel of 50" just to be different. :blah: But it'll still be the Killdeer. I'm hoping we can all see some pics soon! I've been dying to see one up close myself. It should be great! Oldarmy's gonna use a Chamber's Deluxe lock, and the best curly maple he can get. Plus, ya'll get to see the carving on the butt,and the patchbox, that you really can't see in the movie. Sorry to sidetrack the original reason for this post. After years of waiting, I'm pretty excited about the project finally coming together, and without Ed Rayle making this barrel, this project would still be at a dead stall. Hope he can make that barrel for ya Tommy !

You'd think after all the time Michael Mann spent designing the rifle he would have used it more often and more clearly in the film. It's the least he could have done for all of us muzzleloaders!

I found this information here and it makes sense.
I never was too fond of this rifle myself, it just didn`t look right for the time period.
But here is the link, just scroll down: http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo10015.html

Considering, that Micheal Mann hired a very skilled gunbuilder, this rifle could have been worse..... But on his website you can clearly see his preferred style of rifle and that shines through at the movie product.
:2

If you want the real story on that rifle talk to Jim Chambers. He and John Bivins were contracted to build a historically correct gun for the movie and they built a shorter germanic gun. M. Mann rejected it as unworthy and had Watson build what M. Mann thought was carried in the F&I war. He even requested the tiger stripes run longwise down the forestock instead of up and down.
The resulting movie gun would date about 1790 instead of the F&I war.

Yeah, actually, I had read the account of the selection process for the Killdeer. The germanic rifle that was rejected in favor of the one now infamous. I also read how Mann wanted the stripes horizontal, like "racing stripes". The Killdeer has to be one of the most hated rifles around in the ML world. I guess thats why the lid has been so tightly shut about it. But I did like the design a lot, so this'll be my "Personal Toy" rifle. I have the Lancaster for re-enacting and anything HC. I dont intend to be dressing up like DDL and running after elk in the wood's anyway. While not the most popular rifle build, I have seen a few members here inquire about it, so at least there will be an opportunity for those who have never seen one up close to get a gander. :wink:

Mike Brooks said:

If you want the real story on that rifle talk to Jim Chambers. He and John Bivins were contracted to build a historically correct gun for the movie and they built a shorter germanic gun. M. Mann rejected it as unworthy and had Watson build what M. Mann thought was carried in the F&I war. He even requested the tiger stripes run longwise down the forestock instead of up and down.
The resulting movie gun would date about 1790 instead of the F&I war.

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Know what ever happened to the rejected rifle? I would think that would be worth some money being a part of this story. :hmm:

Yep, I'd like to see that rifle. I'll bet it was a dandy. :thumbsup:

Mike,pretty much like an american jaeger? Or already like a transitional rifle? Just curious!

tecum-tha said:

Mike,pretty much like an american jaeger? Or already like a transitional rifle? Just curious!

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Never personally saw it. Jim and I were just jawing out of incredible boredom at Friendship a couple years ago.