Double Smooth Bore Rifle

[ssilver]

Hey to all & thanx for the opportunity to research my latest find. Yesterday I bought what I believe to be a Kentucky style american made SxS SB double rifle. It's much different from common SxS with 1 bbl. about 20 ga. the other about a 410 ga. It's definitely a Kentucky style half stock with several SILVER (not nickel or brass) inlays including a silver oval in the cheek rest engraved with what I call a federal eagle. Could this possibly be what is called a buck & ball rifle I will try to post photos as soon as I figure out how. Are there any clubs, organizations or shows in the St. Louis area??

 

[Drago]

Try posting to photo bucket and posting a link, a buck and ball is a mixture of sizes in one barrel.

 

[ssilver]

Thanx for the suggestion but I'm barely able to send email. I did get a few pics. in my computer but when I try to attach them to my post a pop-up wants a url?????????????? Perhaps some day I'll learn more! Sorry

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the Forum.

Are you sure the smaller bore isn't rifled?

It may be smooth but a rifled bore would be more logical to me.

You cannot make a direct link to the pictures that are stored on your computer on this forum. Although some forums have that option, this isn't one of them.

To post a picture you have to join one of the free web sites that will download your picture and store it. Once that is done, that site will have a way of getting the pictures new address.
You would copy the sites "Image" or "IMG" address on that site and then come here and paste that address into your posts here.

 

[ssilver]

Thanx much for the info., I'll see what I can get done. Until then anyone willing to look I have photos I could email. Yes I'm sure both bbl. are smooth. After a couple hours of brushing & patching, using a bore light about 3' long I can see no sign that any rifling had ever been in either bbl. This gun is perplexing, in some ways it's tooooo plain to have this amount of silver work. If you look at it straight on it looks like any other American made half stock, a very trim gun with beautiful lines. There is no engraving on either lock, no names on locks or bbl.'s. The but & toe plate are brass, the trigger guard is brass and silver. Between the toe & trigger guard there are 3 inlays. On top of the wrist it has silver from the breach to the comb. The cheek piece has a really cool 2 1/4" x 1 1/2"silver oval with engraved eagle. On the forend it has 2 wedges both have silver. The forend cap is silver and scroll silver inlay down the the under side of forend and 2 silver ram rod thimbles. It has a fixed rear sight & thin silver front sight. Both bbl.'s start out as octagon 3/8" across the flat & turn round about 12" from breach. Barrels are 40 1/2" long 58 5/8" muzzle to heel. I almost forgot, it has a set trigger.

 

[bpd303]

The picture hosting site I use is really easy & free. Just sign in and upload the picture then click in the img code for forums then right click on your post & select paste. As long as you leave the pictures on tiny pic they will stay on the forum, delete them and they disappear from the forum.

By now you know how much we love pictures.
http://tinypic.com/

 

[Zonie]

Curious that it has a set trigger.

Triggers of that type are almost exclusively used on rifles where their light release won't upset precision aiming.

All of the smoothbores I've seen have simple triggers with most double barrel guns having a separate trigger for each lock/barrel.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Are there any clubs, organizations or shows in the St. Louis area??

Yes, there are several muzzle loading gun clubs in the St. Louis area. There are also several antique gun shows. I'll have to get more details.

 

[ssilver]

I would really appreciate any info. you could share. I would much like someone more informed than I to take a look. I live in Alton, just outside St. Louis so it won't be a big deal to make a show anywhere in this area. Like Zonie says smooth doubles usually have 2 triggers :hmm: , this one does have 2 triggers but the front trigger is the set & the rear is to fire

 

[gearheart]

How do you select which barrel to fire?

 

[ssilver]

I have not taken the locks out of the stock to see just how one set of triggers works both locks but to select a bbl. one would set the trigger & cock the hammer of choice.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Go to photobucket and enroll in the automatic backup program that they have. This automatically downloads any picture that you put on your computer to their sight and then all you need to do is follow the directions. Simple enough that I can do it and that is simple.

 

[Ed Wingenroth]

Hi Len !!!

I know your area as I would visit it when I would come up to my parent company (Olin) in E. Alton !!!

Much of what you say is confusing when you describe your lock and trigger system so I'll wait for you to figure out how to post your picture's ...

Good Luck !!!

Ed

 

[54ball]

Could this possibly be what is called a buck & ball rifle

A buck and ball gun would normally be a trade gun with a rear sight or a smooth rifle. A smooth rifle is a smooth bored gun built with rifle architecture and like the rifle it has a rear sight. since it's bored smooth it has the capability of shooting shot well for smaller game. Some smooth rifles may have originally been rifles and were later bored smooth.

I agree with Zonie and think the smaller bore is or was rifled. If so what you have is a Cape Gun.

A cape gun is a combination gun, one barrel rifled the other smooth.

Most likely it does not have set triggers. Usually the front trigger shoots the right barrel, the rear, the left.