Colorado guy
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2013
- Messages
- 5
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I am finally in a position to save money to fund the construction of a custom made flintlock Squirrel /Poor Boy/Shimmel rifle in .36 caliber, plain as can be, to shoot as often as possible for the rest of my natural life.
I think I have narrowed down the final design and chosen riflemaker to craft for me what will be a once in a lifetime purchase of a .36 caliber, flintlock Poor Boy/Shimmel/Southern/Tennessee Mountain Rifle, as plain as can be, maybe without even a buttplate to save money. I am partial to the above types, have less than $2000.00 to spend on such a rifle, but could put together about ~$1500-$1600 to fund the construction of said flinter squirrel rifle, perhaps modified from the basic offerings from Dillon’s, Martin Leigh, and Roy Stroh.
Mike Dillon and his company, Dillon’s Flintlocks, put together two of the top rifles on my list of five rifles that constitute my ideal of the Poor-Boy/Lehigh Shimmel Flintlock Squirrel Rifle. The Lehigh Shimmel and the Southern Mountain Rifle by Dillon’s Flintlocks are almost perfect as they come from this maker. I like the Lehigh Shimmel’s lack of a buttstock, as this is an added frill and accessory I wouldn’t need or want on my own personal squirrel rifle flinter. The Southern Mountain Rifle has a more ”˜Pointy” buttstock to me, but I like the way the bottom of the stock is at best, a mild curve, and the Lehigh Shimmel is even more straight at the bottom of the buttstock, reminiscent of the shape of the buttstock on the 1893/95/96 Mauser military rifles, of which I owned three of. The top has a more pronounced edge than the Lehigh Shimmel , but I like the shotgun shape of the buttstock better, it also feels better on my shoulder when I mount the rifle and when I’m shooting it too. I always preferred shotgun style buttstock on all my shoulder arms, and always will. They just work better for me.
The third rifle would be a simplification of the Bean Style rifle Dillon’s offers, but here again; it doesn’t need a buttstock, nose cap, toe plate, entry thimble, or a fancy stock or finish. Plain-Jane, Plain as can be, but still functional and accurate.
The other two possibilities are the Martin Leigh Shimmel rifle, and a Poor Boy style from Roy Stroh. I like the Leigh Shimmel rifle, but the extreme French style drop off of the comb, and the inward-downward curve of the butt itself I don’t care for one bit, that would have to change to a more conventional style of shotgun buttstock like the Dillon rifles. Roy Stroh also has made Southern Mountain Rifles and Poor Boy’s I am interested in, but a rifle from him would have to have no buttstock, a shotgun shaped buttstock wood on the butt, double set triggers like the two Dillon Flintlocks rifles, and all furniture browned iron or steel, shape to be determined by what is possible on the Stroh Rifles, or what I ask can be done, or a combination of both.
I guess I could deal with a 38” to 44” barrel, but it still feels too long for me, and I would prefer a 36”-38” barrel if it could be swamped and fitted to the existing stocks and furniture available. Apparently swamping changes the feel of a long rifle, and if it can be made to work for me in and old school style, then so be it-a long barrel it is.
I don’t need fancy wood, or a fancy rubbed finish on the wood or metal of any rifle I would have made, or make myself. My Flintlock Squirrel Rifle will be a tool, used as such, and used more than once daily to be sure. It will get dings and dents and scratches-I guarantee it. Dixie Browning Solution, Birchwood Casey Plum Brown barrel finish, or any similar plain simple to use barrel finish material would be my choice(s) for browning the barrel. Same for the stock-Dixie Stain for Antique Guns, Birchwood Casey Rusty Walnut or Laurel Mountain Forge Cherry stain would also be my choices for staining the stock of my squirrel rifle.
As for caliber, I’ve settled on .36 for reasons of economy of powder and lead. 200 shots at 35 grains per shot, and 107 balls to the pound of lead. .36 can use 000 buckshot, and it is useful on squirrels, rabbits, small game generally, and I have known several young women who can take the head off a robin or a crow or marmot at 50 yards all the live long day, and they say with practice I can do that too. This is a small game/varmint rifle as well as for fun shooting it just because it’s a flintlock squirrel rifle and is cheap to shoot, so there.
I am writing to Mike Dillon, Roy Stroh, Martin Leigh, and asking how much they each would charge to make me a flintlock plain rifle without any frills, plain as can be, that will still work daily, day after day, for years into the future as a working tool.
Advice and comments as always.
I think I have narrowed down the final design and chosen riflemaker to craft for me what will be a once in a lifetime purchase of a .36 caliber, flintlock Poor Boy/Shimmel/Southern/Tennessee Mountain Rifle, as plain as can be, maybe without even a buttplate to save money. I am partial to the above types, have less than $2000.00 to spend on such a rifle, but could put together about ~$1500-$1600 to fund the construction of said flinter squirrel rifle, perhaps modified from the basic offerings from Dillon’s, Martin Leigh, and Roy Stroh.
Mike Dillon and his company, Dillon’s Flintlocks, put together two of the top rifles on my list of five rifles that constitute my ideal of the Poor-Boy/Lehigh Shimmel Flintlock Squirrel Rifle. The Lehigh Shimmel and the Southern Mountain Rifle by Dillon’s Flintlocks are almost perfect as they come from this maker. I like the Lehigh Shimmel’s lack of a buttstock, as this is an added frill and accessory I wouldn’t need or want on my own personal squirrel rifle flinter. The Southern Mountain Rifle has a more ”˜Pointy” buttstock to me, but I like the way the bottom of the stock is at best, a mild curve, and the Lehigh Shimmel is even more straight at the bottom of the buttstock, reminiscent of the shape of the buttstock on the 1893/95/96 Mauser military rifles, of which I owned three of. The top has a more pronounced edge than the Lehigh Shimmel , but I like the shotgun shape of the buttstock better, it also feels better on my shoulder when I mount the rifle and when I’m shooting it too. I always preferred shotgun style buttstock on all my shoulder arms, and always will. They just work better for me.
The third rifle would be a simplification of the Bean Style rifle Dillon’s offers, but here again; it doesn’t need a buttstock, nose cap, toe plate, entry thimble, or a fancy stock or finish. Plain-Jane, Plain as can be, but still functional and accurate.
The other two possibilities are the Martin Leigh Shimmel rifle, and a Poor Boy style from Roy Stroh. I like the Leigh Shimmel rifle, but the extreme French style drop off of the comb, and the inward-downward curve of the butt itself I don’t care for one bit, that would have to change to a more conventional style of shotgun buttstock like the Dillon rifles. Roy Stroh also has made Southern Mountain Rifles and Poor Boy’s I am interested in, but a rifle from him would have to have no buttstock, a shotgun shaped buttstock wood on the butt, double set triggers like the two Dillon Flintlocks rifles, and all furniture browned iron or steel, shape to be determined by what is possible on the Stroh Rifles, or what I ask can be done, or a combination of both.
I guess I could deal with a 38” to 44” barrel, but it still feels too long for me, and I would prefer a 36”-38” barrel if it could be swamped and fitted to the existing stocks and furniture available. Apparently swamping changes the feel of a long rifle, and if it can be made to work for me in and old school style, then so be it-a long barrel it is.
I don’t need fancy wood, or a fancy rubbed finish on the wood or metal of any rifle I would have made, or make myself. My Flintlock Squirrel Rifle will be a tool, used as such, and used more than once daily to be sure. It will get dings and dents and scratches-I guarantee it. Dixie Browning Solution, Birchwood Casey Plum Brown barrel finish, or any similar plain simple to use barrel finish material would be my choice(s) for browning the barrel. Same for the stock-Dixie Stain for Antique Guns, Birchwood Casey Rusty Walnut or Laurel Mountain Forge Cherry stain would also be my choices for staining the stock of my squirrel rifle.
As for caliber, I’ve settled on .36 for reasons of economy of powder and lead. 200 shots at 35 grains per shot, and 107 balls to the pound of lead. .36 can use 000 buckshot, and it is useful on squirrels, rabbits, small game generally, and I have known several young women who can take the head off a robin or a crow or marmot at 50 yards all the live long day, and they say with practice I can do that too. This is a small game/varmint rifle as well as for fun shooting it just because it’s a flintlock squirrel rifle and is cheap to shoot, so there.
I am writing to Mike Dillon, Roy Stroh, Martin Leigh, and asking how much they each would charge to make me a flintlock plain rifle without any frills, plain as can be, that will still work daily, day after day, for years into the future as a working tool.
Advice and comments as always.
