Building a Jaeger rifle

[F.G. Ford]

I purchased the makings of a .75 cal :shocked2: Jaeger rifle a few years back, but have not started it yet, as I know so little about these guns.
I bought the gun because of the beautiful curly maple stock, but didn't really think it out. .75 cal. 42" barrel. This is going to be one big honking gun, I'm 70+, and am not what I used to be.
And I'm sure this beast will eat 100+ grains of powder. I think it is a little overkill for the squirrels around here.
This is what I have to work with.
The barrel is 42" long and is swamped, the stock is extremely curly maple and is 58" long.
I have inlet the barrel, drilled the ramrod, and inlet the entry thimble.
Where can I find a blueprint or help to finish the stock with appropriate design.
I have built several long rifles, fowlers, and plains rifles, Jaegers.....never.
I have never even held one!
Jaeger lines are entirely different.
I have studied many pictures on the web, they help somewhat, but not enough.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Fred

 

[Rifleman1776]

One of the best references available is titled simply
'JAEGER RIFLES' by George Shumway. Ole' George has passed but his books are still available from the NMLRA. A little costly but you will not regret spending the money.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Fred,
Germanic jaeger rifles usually had barrels about 28-32" long. Very few were stocked in maple, most were European, English, etc walnut. They tend to be sturdy in the butt and wrist but slim forestocks. Most were carved and decorated but military and civilian arms were simple. I think Track of the Wolf offers some jaeger plans for sale. They also sell Shumway's book on jaegers. The Rifle Shoppe also has jaeger plans. I also suggest you contact Ron Scott (just do an internet search for his name and flintlock) and see if he can provide any plans.

dave

 

[jerrywh]

Dave has it right. There were no Jaeger rifles with barrels over 36" and that is a stretch. Probably 32". You will not end up with a jaeger.
Never seen one wit ha maple stock either, Jeager rifle usually were stocked in Walnut or fruit wood of some type like pear. Mostly all walnut.
Ron Scott is probably the most knowledgeable person in this country on Jaeger rifles. Sorry but you just don't have jaeger parts.
Jim chambers has the best book on jaeger rifles. The book is in German and is costly but well worth the money if you want quality.

 

[rich pierce]

Fred, what I would build with that parts set is a colonial American "rampart rifle" designed for long range defense. It's really not, as Dave said above, a jaeger rifle if it's not something you could find in an European collection. Curly maple, .75 caliber, and a 42" barrel all spell rampart gun to me. In keeping with that idea I would keep the rifle plain and utilitarian in appearance. Consult Rifles of Colonial America volume 2 at the end of the book for rifles with military connections.

Also there were so many styles of jaeger rifles over the centuries and across Europe that to say what a jaeger rifle looked like is like trying to say what a Kentucky rifle looked like. Bedford? Lancaster? Christians Spring? Late Southern Mountain rifle? They don't look much alike do they? Same with "jaegers".

 

[F.G. Ford]

Sooooo, what yer tellin me is, that not only that I have to finish a "Rampart gun", now I have to build a "rampart" as well.
Who has plans for a rampart, and how do I fit all this in my mini car :cursing:
Seriously, I do appreciate the information.
I would like to go ahead and finish the rifle, but to build something that I won't enjoy in the future seems fruitless.
Perhaps I may have to consider parting with the project.
Response to Dave P.
I knew from the start, that I would be looking at an American Jaeger with the choice of tiger maple and a round face lock. Perhaps with the thought a making a real " MANS" rifle, .75 cal. & 42" barrel. Anything less than 200 grains of powder and a .75 ball is only a target load. That would hurt!
Thank you all for the information.
Fred

 

[dave_person]

Hi Fred,
Why not simply make a hefty early American longrifle. The gun below has a beefy "D" weight swamped barrel in 62 cal. The gun is based on RCA #52 and is a pleasure to shoot. It even has a hint of a stepped wrist like some jaegers and looks a little like an early, large, prototype of a Lehigh Valley gun.

dave

 

[rich pierce]

PM sent, Fred.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Dave, I am no where near the expert you, and others are. I do agree with your feelings on the rifle you showed. Between an old Europe jaeger and an American longrifle. The term I was told that fits these is 'transitional'. Appropriate for this country transitioning from European to American at that point in time.

 

[jerrywh]

Old ford.
What is the twist rate on that barrel??

 

[Zonie]

Just for chuckles, this is the Pecatonica River "Transitional" rifle I built a number of years ago.

It has a .54 caliber swamped, 38 inch long Colerain barrel on it.

Although a sliding wooden patchbox would have been more appropriate, I chose to use a very simple 2 piece metal cover.

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hi Jerry,
The barrel has a 1:72 twist
Fred

 

[F.G. Ford]

My ego says to finish the rifle as an American Jaeger, a little on the outside as an accurate copy of rifle of yesterday.
But I well recognize that .75 cal. rifle with a 42" barrel is a very big rifle.
It is well suited to those 25 lb. squirrels of Alaska.
:shocked2:
The beauty of the exceptional curl of the wood is just too much to pass by.
Fred

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
But what is an American jaeger? I've never heard of one.

dave

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hi Dave,
From the very little that I know, is that the American version is mostly made of maple or fruit wood, as compared to European walnut, and in most cases the American version is less ornate.
Caliber varied with both and barrel length also varied, but none that I have found were 42" long and less than .65 cal.
You can Google Jaeger rifles and you will get a complete picture of the variations.
Fred

 

[jerrywh]

For a rifle you will have to load that thing to the hilt to get any accuracy at 100ys.
Your not going to want to shoot that gun much with a round ball. It would be a good Alaskan bear gun though. I think I would bore it out and make a 10gauge fowler out of it. That would justify the maple stock and all the rest. Good turkey gun also.
That's just me. My shooting buddy has a 58 with a 72 twist and he is shooting 200 grs. We bent the stock for a better fit and it helped some but it is a mule kicker. That gun hurts and he is 6'4" and weighs 250 lbs.
To each his own.

 

[F.G. Ford]

Ahh! Jerry you're just too old us kids can handle the gentle push. :grin: :shocked2: :shocked2:
Exactly my thoughts!
Also at about 60 cents a shot just for powder,and about 10 balls to the pound, it does have a sobering thought.
Years ago I gave up on shooting a 50-70 Sharps due to the severs bullet drop between 50 yds. and 100 yds.
Cost of powder & lead took the fun out of shooting.
Trying to shoot the 600 yd. target was impossible due to bullet drop, I would imagine the same situation for the .75 cal. Jaeger just to shoot the 100 yd. target.
Have a great day!
Fred

 

[jerrywh]

Yeah I'm old all right and them guns kick a lot harder than they did 45 years ago. I had a 41-110 it had to go also. I have a 58RB gun. It kick pretty hard with 120 grs. But I can stand it for at least one match.

 

[rich pierce]

I'd be tempted to use FG in such a big bore.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Just for chuckles, this is the Pecatonica River "Transitional" rifle I built a number of years ago.

It has a .54 caliber swamped, 38 inch long Colerain barrel on it.

Although a sliding wooden patchbox would have been more appropriate, I chose to use a very simple 2 piece metal cover.

My transitional rifle has more of a Jager-ish/shotgun style butt plate and is less thick in the wrist region. I'll try to post a pic later.