• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Anyone seen one this big?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
WOW!! Never seen one this long. From the photo it does appear commercially made. But starting at 100 grains, makes me think it was made for use with a specific type of gun. You would think a shorter, larger diameter would make more sense if this many grains are required. Don't know.

Here is an Ottoman measure. It's about twice the diameter of the ones we use today. But what's interesting is there is no thumb screw. The plunger adjusts with simple friction. It does stay in place where you move it. One of these days I'll have to figure out how many grains each mark represents.

Rick
002 (Medium).JPG
003 (Medium).JPG
 
Powder measures of this size are not uncommon on the bench rest line at Friendship. Some of those behemoths use a lot of powder for each shot. Lessee' 250 gr powder for each shot . . . 7000 gr powder per pound . . . $18 per pound of powder . . . that is about 64 cents per shot. Kind of expensive!!!
 
2 oz of shot, while a lot, is what is loaded in modern 3" 12 ga. magnum shells. Not the "square load" the 4 ga. is certainly capable of digesting. I bet it patterned pretty well with that load. certainly going to have a short shot string.
 
2 oz of shot, while a lot, is what is loaded in modern 3" 12 ga. magnum shells. Not the "square load" the 4 ga. is certainly capable of digesting. I bet it patterned pretty well with that load. certainly going to have a short shot string.

He won a sack full of trophies and actually did much better at the 27 yard line than the 16.
 
Friend Branch Meanley (founder, former owner of Green Mtn Barrels) and his wife shoot 180gr out of their bench rifles at Friendship.
Wouldn’t doubt if it came from a shooter there at one time..
 
Made for a big Bench gun.

Nephew's Ken Bresien flint lock 2 1/2" across the flats false muzzled, likes 230 grains for 100 yards. More for the longer ranges. He has a conventional new made and has to remember how much he put in all ready.

That would work nice I have to make one for him!
 
Forsyth did advocate large charges in 16 & 12 bore rifles & 3 to 5 drams for a 14 bore rifle preferring the round ball and very slow pitched rifleing all to shoot flat and deliver a massive blow . He was based in India,s forests assessing timber potential but given to Tiger hunting . I doubt 200 grains but certainly hefty charges 8 drams of powder in his 8 bore rifle for example . Baker went for large bore two grouves and large 'Shells" up to 4 ounce propelled by as much as an ounze of powder . Selous started off with 4 bore duck guns shortened smooth bores, with powder by the fist full pushing a hardened ball up close & personal but suffered such a battering from the recoiling that he in later life regretted he has anything to do with these guns .The Fist fulls where often loaded by his' Boy' or gun bearer and one unplanned double load caused him savage results in the recoiling department.( What the Elephant thought is not recorded ). I can only speak of West African natives using home made or lorry park made 'Dane' guns Of the quality of powder I knew not but they loaded by ' fingers' , The stouter the loads the more the fingers to reach to rod end of the load 3 finger 4 or 5 finger indicating the bulk of its load . Mind you they held the wrist by the left and and held the stock with the right as if they where using the gun to poke out a nest or some such . The bursting rate was commensurate with the quality of barrel chosen steering column needing less Ju Ju (Mooty) amulet charms than the cheaper water pipe barrels . Which last may seem an awfull choice but Ive made just such a' Dane gun' of galved seamed water pipe & it stood proof fine . I can only write of 1960s Equatorial West Africa .Today Ime informed they have gone more for AK,s (Whatever they are ) Non of these guns are for other than dangerous game If your looking up the nose of an Elephant you don't notice the recoiling they say. Bakers rifle ran 21 pounds weight . Rather him than me but your' staff ' carried the guns till you needed them .(Others carried the Grandfather clock & the tea sets for tiffin.) I once had a double 12 bore rifle by Saml & Chas Smith with the same wide grouve narrow lands he (Forsyth ) championed but it was worn and was so so with ball, but the 2 onz Shells mostly went random but it had been used in India up till 1974 so it had a lot of miles on it s 25" Barrels . Anyway Ime rambling on , Regards Rudyard
 
Back
Top