• 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

Alamo2004 Crockett rifles ..

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

davy

69 Cal.
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
3,414
Reaction score
7
This is an article I read ... :hatsoff: Here its the link ..
[url] http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_50/ai_110470560[/url]

Mystery surrounds the most famous rifle of Texas -

- the one Colonel David Crockett used in combat at the battle of the Alamo. The guns Crockett fired during the siege of the Alamo, or which rifle finally fell from his hand when the Mexican infantry surprised the outnumbered Texans in a pre-dawn assault against the north-east fortress wall may never be known with certainty.

Known Crockett Rifles

His first rifle, a .48-caliber flintlock, hasn't been outside Tennessee since 1806, and now resides in the pioneer collection at the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum in Knoxville. For much appreciated service in the Tennessee State Assembly, Crockett's Lawrence County constituents presented him with a .40-caliber flintlock crafted by James Graham around 1822.

Calling this rifle "Old Betsy", Crockett used it to kill 125 bears between 1825 and 1834. When he departed for Texas in 1835, Davy left "Old Betsy" with his son, John Wesley. Today, it resides in the Alamo Museum collection in San Antonio.

"Pretty Betsy," a rifle presented to Crockett in 1834 by the Whigs of Philadelphia, is located at Nashville, Tenn. None of these rifles took part in the Alamo fighting in the closing weeks of Crockett's life.

Historical documents record Davy Crockett sold two dries to Colonel Neal of the Texas Army in January 1836, and that he had not been paid for the rifles when the Alamo fell in March 1836. After subsequent entreaties by his daughter, the Texas government finally paid Crockett's estate for these two rifles. Unfortunately, no specific details exist about the rifles Crockett sold to the Texas Army.

Echo Of A Craftsman

In San Antonio's Alamo museum, visitors can view an old flintlock rifle with brass patchbox and barrel markings strongly suggesting a specific 19th century gunsmith, Jacob Dickert, as being the maker of the rifle. This display rifle, according to the museum curator, was re-constructed in the 1920s by a local gunsmith using various parts donated by many Texans, and reported to come from rifles once used at the Alamo. This rifle makes a powerful statement that Dickert rifles were used by at least one of the Alamo's defenders.

As historian and master gun maker Mike Branson explains, original siege reports from Mexican officers at the Alamo record the presence of a tall, slender man wearing fringed leather clothing and a hat made from an animal skin, whose long-barreled rifle proved deadly at 100 and 250 yards. All historians agree Davy Crockett died at the battle of the Alamo, but actual facts are hard to pin down.

Some hold the sharp-shooting frontiersman fell in battle, surrounded by piles of slain Mexican soldiers. Others argue Crockett realized the futility of continued resistance early in the crisp, smoke-filled dawn of March 6, 1836 and surrendered, only to be summarily executed at General Santa Anna's order later that same morning.

New Rifles For A New Crockett

When Disney's new movie, The Alamo. debuts, Davy Crockett, played by veteran actor Billy Bob Thornton, will sharp shoot Mexican artillerymen, and tend off assault troops using an authentic period rifle. The rifle used by this actor-marksman is one of a pair of .54-caliber Lancaster County flintlocks, crafted in the early 1800's style by historian and master gun maker Mike Branson.


The movie company's request to potential gun makers was deceptively simple--describe for us the rifles you believe Colonel Crockett and the other Kentucky frontiersmen might have taken to the plains and hills of Texas around 1835. Drawing from his extensive library and studies, and working closely with friends and fellow gunsmiths Jack Brooks and Bob Lienemann, Branson examined many photos of original Kentucky rifles, making careful note of distinguishing characteristics such as caliber, barrel contour, locks, sights, furniture, stock shape and patchboxes.
"Between 1775 and 1836, firearms changed only in style, but not in technology,"

Mike concluded. "Davy Crockett was 50 years old when he arrived in Texas in January, 1836, and would have been comfortable with the type of rifles he'd used all his life on me Tennessee frontier, Percussion caps, in existence for about 10 years, would be too new to be really trusted and available on the frontier. Davy knew how to keep a flintlock firing.

I hypothesized he preferred curly maple-stocked, swamped barrel, brass fitted rifles--just the sort he'd used all his life. For the movie company's desire for authenticity, I proposed full stocked Kentucky flintlock rifles, as crafted between 1795 and 1817."

Jacob Dickert

From the 1760s until his death in 1822, Jacob Dickert was known both as a military contractor and respected Lancaster County, Pennsylvania gun maker. As an arms contractor tot the Continental Army and for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he made and sold rifles to the government, and repaired muskets and other firearms. Dickert also owned a gun barrel boring mill in the 1790s, located a few miles from his gun factory.

On surviving rifles, original Dickert-bored barrels average between 42-and 44-inches long. The hunting and trade rifles crafted by Dickert and his employees evolved a particular style on their "Jacob Dickert" marked barrels. On the slender, straight-gripped curly maple stock, typical Dickert rifles show American rococo style carving with "S" and "C" scrollwork, double "C" scrolls and two spiral volutes. Surviving Dickert flintlocks typically employ an engraved daisy-head patchbox, and brass furniture.

Dickert generally preferred to construct his own locks, but like many gunsmiths of the period he also imported British or German manufactured locks. As the United States expanded westward, be found new markets in the frontier trade for slender, elegant rifles.

Saint Louis emporiums and New Orleans supply houses stocked Dickert rifles to outfit frontier-bound settlers and adventurers. The Crockett party traveled to Texas in 1835, and soon realized small-caliber Tennessee squirrel rifles were not suitable for buffalo, antelope and other critters. Mike believes they equipped themselves enroute with large caliber rifles better suited to the bigger game of the Texas frontier.
"By the time Davy Crockett joined the Alamo's defenders, his dries would have seen hard service in the hot, humid Texas climate, so the brass would be tarnished, the wood dented and the finish worn," Branson concluded.

After winning the contract to provide authentic firearms, Branson handcrafted two absolutely identical Dickert rifles in his Colorado workshop. Movie rifles, aka props, are constructed in pairs so that filming can continue even if one rifle is damaged or needed elsewhere for a publicity event. Mike enlisted the assistance of gun makers Jack Brooks and Bob Lienemann to create another seven flintlock rifles and four pistols for movie actors cast as Colonel Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, William Barret Travis and Captain Juan Sequin.

In the film, Green B. Jamison, another Kentucky frontiersman, will use an iron-mounted Tennessee rifle crafted in Branson's workshop. The story of these other firearms of Texas liberty awaits another day, though.

Dickert Would Approve

"If you want to build an authentic, early 19th century rifle," Jack Brooks observed, "you have to build it with 19th century hand tools." With the exception of electric lights, belt sander and drill, all tools used to craft these Crockett's rifles might have come from the workbenches in Jacob Dickert's gun shop, 180 years earlier.

For the Dickert rifle pair, Branson chose two 42-inch long, .54-caliber swamped barrels with a l:56-inch twist, manufactured by Colerain Barrels. Manufacturing a swamped barrel involves tapering it inward towards the center point and flaring the muzzle and breech ends outward for balance.

In their six grooves, Colerain barrels feature round bottom rifling that holds less fowling; square bottomed grooves reportedly retain more fowling. The 42-inch long barrel allows for more complete combustion of the black powder, and allows for a longer sight plane, which contributes to better accuracy. The relatively slow 1:56-inch twist effectively stabilizes .54-caliber round balls--a conical projectile would require a faster twist rifling for best stability.

Other components were chosen with equal care. Branson selected a lock dating from about 1810. L&R Locks supplied these "rifle pattern No. 4" locks; Dunlap Woodcraft delivered the tiger striped, curly maple full-length stocks. Using hand chisels and sharp scrapers, Branson carefully smoked the metal and removed tiny slivers of wood to mold the octagonal barrel, lock and sideplate, and trigger guard into each stock.
Mike shaped, filed and polished the buttplate and triggerguard from rough brass castings before fitting them to the stock. He sawed and filed the furniture, including the uniquely Dickert style daisy head patchbox, from brass sheet stock, and engraved it in the traditional pattern.

The patchbox lock, release button and spring were filed from steel or brass as required. The patchbox lid closes with a soft click, securing a cleaning jag, two patches, two spare flints and a pool of melted grease in the front corner (used to lubricate patches). The spare flints in the patchbox, and the one in the cock show the dark colors typical of the best flints available, those mined for hundreds of years at Brandon, England.

Davy would have hunted his rifles with the rear trigger set and the hammer pulled to half cock, which was the typical frontier carry. "Going off half cocked," a condition where the rifle fires unexpectedly when the hammer is half cocked, could result if the notch in the tumbler was not filed deep enough. To fire his rifle, Davy would pull the hammer to full cock and then squeeze the front trigger.

Branson shaped his set triggers from rough castings, filing each piece to a precise fit. He set the triggers to trip after a crisp six-ounce pull.

Old world finish

The barrels' subtle blue-grey colors result from charcoal bluing. Mike filled the bores full of charcoal so no oxidation would scar the rifling, before evenly heating the barrels for 35 minutes over a bed of burned-down coals. To increase carbon penetration on the hot barrel surfaces, Mike rubbed each flat with a maple hardwood stick with a Vee cut to match the barrel's shape. As the barrels cooled, he coated them with Minwax, melting the wax into the pores of the metal, and followed up with a light application of gun oil.

After shaping and contouring the classic Lancaster County pattern stocks with a fine cut mill file, Branson carved the stocks in the same raised pattern Jacob Dickert perfected almost 200 years earlier. He sanded the tiger striped wood with 220, 320 and 400 grades of wet/dry silicon carbide paper. Changing frequently to fresh paper, Mike moved to a finer grade abrasive only when the visible file and sanding marks disappeared under his sanding pads. De-whiskering involved a carefully wielded hot air gun over wood moistened with a wet sponge. The final surface reflects a careful application of four ought steel wool, and no steel fibers embedded themselves in the hard, dense maple.

Old time gun makers stained their stocks with aqua fortis, a combination of nitric acid diluted with distilled water and iron filings. "Today's gun makers have better choices," Branson reported, "So I stained the Dickert rifles with Feiblings leather dye, an aniline die in a non-grain-raising alcohol base."

Since boiled linseed oil is probably the worst possible finish for a well-used hunting rifle, Branson carefully sanded, carved and then finished the stocks with a 50/50 mix of tung oil and urethane. After each of seven coats dried, Mike robbed the Finish into the wood, before applying a final coat of carnuba wax to the stock and to the hickory ramrod.
All the brass furniture including the buttplate, sideplate, ramrod thimbles, trigger guard, and patchbox were hand polished bright.

Forging The Effects of Time

Aging two new rifles called for advanced application of the alchemist's art to the flawlessly inletted and finished pieces, as well as ordinary dents, wear and scrapes. Although many original flintlock rifles show extensive pitting, probably from inadequate cleaning, Mike couldn't bring himself to inflict this abuse on the rifles he'd just finished.

Responding to steel wool in his hands, deeply blued barrel and lock surfaces abraded to a mottled thin grey in obvious wear spots, just as Crockett's rifle might have rubbed against saddle leather, straps and roughly woven garments. Wood surfaces dimpled and dented under hard impact with metal, wood and Yucca thorns. Black powder fowling and egg yokes made the engraved and bright patchbox, buttplate and other furniture take a swirled, tarnished, and blackened appearance.

When they went into shipping boxes marked for the filming location on a ranch outside Dripping Springs, Texas, both Dickert rifles sported a well-tested and hard-used surface finish. Inside, of course, both rifles were brand new, and showed only the effects of test firing and sight regulation in Mike's test range.

As prop guns, the Alamo's armorer needed the authentic appearance of firing without compromising the safety of the actors, film crew and stagehands. On the movie set, the FFFFg black-powder priming load will ignite a 50-grain combustible paper cartridge sans bullet--safely providing the photogenic and realistic sparks in the pan, muzzle flash, and clouds of smoke for the cameras.

Both Dickerts are fully functional rifles, though, just as Davy Crockett might have purchased in 1835. Mike Branson fired both rifles with 90-grains of FFg black powder under a patched 220-grain round ball to regulate the sights, and both proved highly accurate. This load produced muzzle velocities approaching 1,685 feet per second and 1,385 foot pounds of muzzle energy.


Sadly Mike Branson a fine craftsman, who I was lucky enuff to talk to a couple times via email passed away a while back .. but his work lives on!



Davy
:hatsoff:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Davy thank you for sharing that story and a bit of history too.

I was not familiar with the man or his story about building the rifles for the film. Very interesting.

Thank you again

rabbit03
 
Rabbit ..

Mike was very much a gentleman when I talked to him about a couple of years ago, & he was willing to share his experiences in building them as well! Sadly he was struck down with a brain tumor if I have it correct, in the full blossom of his life and skill! He is already missed among us!

Davy
 
Great post, though I must question the description of Crockett as being "tall and slender". The gentleman was average height for his time and was somewhat (ahem) "portly". Portraits of Davy show a fellow who bore a striking resemblence to the older Elvis Presley. Lacking Mr. Presley for the part, I think Billy Bob Thornton was a great choice. He brought the tone of good-natured bull-slinging to the role that was evident in Crockett's memoirs. Excellant movie.
 
With all due respect, I do not for a moment believe that there is a rifle in the Alamo collection documentable to David Crockett.There was,I believe, a gun cobbled up by a local gunsmith with various parts allegedly found on the site which may have included a Dickert barrel.I have also unsuccessfully tried to find any documentation for the rifle supposedly given to Crockett by his Lawrence County,Tennessee {my home county} constituents and made by a gunsmith named James Graham whom I have been unable to locate.The provenance on the York County, Pennsylvania rifle {Tennessee State Museum}is not all that strong.I do understand that the rifle given to him in Philadelphia "may" still exist in the hands of a descendant but I haven't tried to substantiate that report. There was,however, a gun which I remember seeing some 45 years ago which was part of Crockett's property sold when he went broke after his mill was washed away prior to his moving to West Tennessee.As I recall, it was some sort of fowler, and I also saw about then a bed from that sale.Some of those items may have been in the little museum at the David Crockett park in Lawrenceburg,lawrence County but if they were there then they were destroyed a fire in the 1960's.Somewhere in my genealogical material I have a photograph of small log house probably built by Crockett and which was later probably the birthplace of either my grandfather or great grandfather.It has long since rotted down.
Tom Patton
 
Was the Dickert rifle on display at the Alamo bought elsewhere and now on display to show what one looks like? I do not remember the history posted with the rifle.

I was there a few months ago and really enjoyed viewing the Dickert rifle that they have.

Thanks,
Doc
 
Well I dunno .. but there IS a rifle in the room off to the left of the Alamo church hall that is purported to be one of Crocketts given to him by someone. Also in that room is a vest of his and locket of hs hair and some other stuff!

Of lesser import ... located in the Long Barracks museum is a rifle supposedly owned by Andy Thomas. It was claimed by him (Thomas) to be traded to him by Crockett after shooting contest, on his trip to Texas via the Alamo, for one owned by Thomas that was lighter & less weightier rifle, which Thomas reluctantly exchanged with the famed frontierman.

As the story goes Thomas had to be talked into the trade by his dad. I do NOT know if this is true.

True or not .. its interesting stuff! :hatsoff:

Davy
 
Back
Top