Handgonne Makers?

Anyone still milling handgonne barrels? Think I'd like one to experiment with, see what kind of groups I can make (if at all).

I know Freek Forge did this at one time but not sure if he's still at it.

Any others?

Might send FF a PM. I know he is busy with his new job in law enforcement.

I see.

I did business with him before (or attempted to) but due to extraneous circumstances he was dealing with the work was heavily delayed and I lost interest and cancelled by order.

Someone... anyone? Is Freek Forge the ONLY source for handgonne barrels? Seems he is a busy man and has done great service to his nation in the Army and now in Law Enforcement. I fully understand him not being available to commission medieval weaponry.

Smokey Plainsman said:

Someone... anyone? Is Freek Forge the ONLY source for handgonne barrels?

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Sure, what would you like?
Do a search for “Hand Gonnes”

I have a friend that makes them for me.
He makes them; I take them to gun shows for him.
I still have two or three on hand.

The last ones I got from him are straight octagon .50 calibers with a number 3 Morse taper


#3 Morse taper


.50 caliber


He made them out of round 12L14 bar stock, bored, reamed and then milled octagon.
If you want something different than the ones on hand, just ask.

I am kind of his go between; he doesn’t do computers, e mail, smart phones.
If you want to talk to him personally I could get his snail mail for you.



William Alexander

All you need is a good machinist a bag of beef jerkey and a case of good beer....

Do the have machinists in Kansas?....I assume they have beef jerky....But I'm not sure about the beer.... :hmm:

I would like this style:



Also might try my hand at serpentine powder, the original propellant.

colorado clyde said:

....I assume they have beef jerky....But I'm not sure about the beer.... :hmm:

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ff Depends on where you're located. Big state. Some of the best beer is brewed in the Sunflower State east of Topeka. :wink:

I prefer Tallgrass. They're from my hood, yo.

Smokey Plainsman said:

I would like this style:

Also might try my hand at serpentine powder, the original propellant.

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This is stylization of handgonne from Tabor. Unfortunately, this stylization has an wrong shape and size. In the original, handgonne from Tabor has cylindrical but not conical barrel. I have made many photos of this barrel when I was in Tabor. I also have measurements made by the russian historian Makovskaya. Based on these data, I've made the drawing of this barrel. Caliber is 20 mm. Diameter of touch hole is about 3-4 mm. Best Regards, Alexander.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13148&highlight=Tabor

Hand Gonne, Hand Gonne...where's Teleoceras when you need him? :wink: :haha:

Nice schematic.. :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

Very cool, thank you!

Now I need to find someone to turn such a gonne from steel for me...

Wes:

Hand Gonne, Hand Gonne...where's Teleoceras when you need him? :wink: :haha:

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I'm still around although real life has been keeping me busy. My Handgonnes were made by Fred "Graywolf" Miller from Handgonnes.com a long time ago. I know he hasn't made them in a long time and outside of The Rifle Shoppe and Freekforge, I honestly don't know who is still making them.

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

Is there a threaded plug between the morse taper socket and the bore? Or does he actually work from both ends?

Very cool that the socket is mt3 that allow real easy and repeatable set up for forming the profile.

It seems that anyone interested in these arms would be well served by owning an mt 3 reamer, extended reach tap and a tap drill/reamer ground to create a sharp shoulder. (or not).

Pretty good excuse to buy some old barrels and an unloved mini lathe. You could tool up to make alot of these fun toys for well under 500. Maybe 200 hundred if patient.

was thinking on this and if a two piece handgonne was palatable then all you are looking for is an MT socket with a 5/8 or 3/4 threaded stub on the end. i.e a breechplug with a morse taper socket instead of a tang. Going this route means the world of pre made barrels opens up to you. Or it means that you can turn the exact profile you desire on a barrel that fits between centers on a small/short lathe. Further to my above commnet a two piece Handgonne can be made either from bar stock or from a pre bored/rifled barrel on a 7x lathe. Cheaper to buy the lathe then the finished barrel- well maybe not the first one but the second- third -fourth for certain. FYI mt3 reamers from china are about 10 bucks and in my limited experience are suit for purpose. Making a batch of mt#3 breech plugs just went on my list of things to do some decade or another.

I sure as hell hope the barrels you show in your post aren't relying on a Morse Taper to seal the breech.




If the barrel uses only a Morse Taper fit to retain the breech plug, it is an accident waiting to happen to the unfortunate person who shoots it.

Although the Morse Taper seems to lock in place because the male part slightly enlarges the female part which locks it in place, when the powder fires the entire barrel enlarges including the female taper so the pressure can easily blow the plug out, right at the person standing behind it.

Zonie,

Agreed, there is no max depth to stupidity but I think in this case there no cause for alarm.

It is my impression that the morse taper socket is simply a way to secure the tiller (handle/pole/stock) to the barrel. In between the morse taper socket and the bore of the barrel is either a solid hunk of unmachined bar stock or a threaded plug.

Zonie said:

I sure as hell hope the barrels you show in your post aren't relying on a Morse Taper to seal the breech.

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Jim
I did chuckle when I read your post but I do understand.
I apparently don’t always make myself clear and I guess I know that, one of my many faults.
I know that you don’t know me or know what I might do so your post is appreciated in the safety aspect.

The man that makes them for me is a retired gunsmith that worked at Badger Shooters Supply
In Wisconsin I believe. He is totally retired (with a nice shop) but will make things for me.
He is very good at what he does, my opinion based on me.

If I have left something out or nonsensical just ask.



The Handgonnes I pictured.
He made them out of solid round 12L14 bar stock, bored, reamed and then milled octagon.

11 ½+ inches long overall, bore is .50 caliber. Drilled from bar stock and then reamed to size.
Bore is 7 inches deep/long.

The MT is a type of taper that is used on lathes and some older mills
Number 3 MT bored from the back end 2 ¾ inches deep then reamed to #3MT
That leaves approximately 1 ¾ inches of solid steel between bore and socket.
Then the bar stock is milled octagon. All one piece.
Costs me approximately $200


The #3 MT makes fitting a pole to it easier.
I went to a hardware store and got a replacement shovel handle.
Easier to fit doesn’t need to be pinned, easier to take off to change if needed.
One pole fits multiple gonnes or one gonne fits more than one pole
That way if you want some sort of serpentine type of thing you can interchange them.



William Alexander

Jim

Ok I understand a little more now after I reread the whole post.
My first picture I posted is of two handgonnes on the seat.
I can now see what I think you were thinking.



William Alexander