hotoSmile: But I am unable to post photos to this forum. :idunno:
I built an underhammer rifle quite similar to yours but with a Long Hammock .45 cal barrel. I got the parts from Deer Creek in Waldron, IN. He used to build the H & A buggy rifles and still had several of the parts sitting on shelves. I went there and asked about them and he went out in his very cluttered shop and then to his warehouse and came back with most of what I needed. I had to send the action off to Long Hammock to get a barrel fitted to it. I then took the stack of parts and built a very servicable rifle. I sure wish I had the beautiful wood that you used. Mine is pretty plain but it works. In building it, I ran into a slight problem. In order for the ramrod to fit under the barrel, the underbarrel lugs have to be quite short. When drilling the holes through the stock and the underlugs for the stock pins, one must be
very careful. I built a carrage to hold my stocked rifle in place on the drillpress while I drilled the holes. Somehow I managed to let the drill bit wander and ended up drilling a hole through the side of the barrel and into the bore. When I found out what I had done, I danced about and uttered some rather strong epithets. :cursing: Then I ordered another barrel. $200 right down the drain.
The hole is close to the middle of the barrel and if I cut it off and rebreached it, that makes it too short for any practical use. The twist rate is 1:66 and that is too slow for a pistol barrel. Guess I'll just have to drill more holes and make a piccolo out of it. :haha: The finished rifle is a tackdriver. The only complaint that I have about an underhammer rifle is the occasional sting on my arm from flying cap fragments. I have taken to wearing a long sleeve denim shirt when shooting my underhammer. When it is just too hot for a long sleeve denim shirt, I wear an armguard that I made of canvas. Still, I love my little lightweight rifle. I kind of wish I had put a .32 cal barrel on it because a .45 is, in my estimation, too big for squirrel hunting but the rifle is the perfect weight for carrying all day in the woods. Hmmmm... :hmm: ...maybe I'll just have another barrel put on it. They are very easy to change out, loosen four set screws and pull it out of the action. Yeah, a second barrel, that's the ticket. :thumbsup:
