English half stocks

[Allan Gray]

I've seen a few photos in this forum of half-stocked German rifles. I really like the look of the half stock and I'm considering one for my next build.
My question; were early English or American fowlers/muskets ever done in a single barrel half stock?
Any one have any resourses, or better yet, photos they'd be willing to share?

Many thanks!

 

[Stophel]

It is SOP to find German smoothbore guns as half stocks. VERY rare for a rifle to have been half stocked. I don't know if I remember ever seeing one, but I suppose that surely it was done at some time. The Italians and the Spanish were "always" building half stock guns, and the Germans quickly followed suit.

The English started doing half stocks about 1740???? Mike knows about them and can tell you.

There are only two American (stocked) half stock fowling guns that I have seen photos of from the 18th century. Both are likely restocks of German guns, or were stocked here using imported parts sets from Germany. Both are illustrated in "Early American Flintlocks", and I haven't seen either of them anywhere else.

 

[Mike Brooks]

The english were doing 1/2 stocks around 1760. You'll see earlier english guns that are 1/2 stocked, but they were cut down in a later period to "modernize" them.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Fellows: The one thing I have noticed about the early German/Austrian half stocks is that they used wooden underribs, and often a wooden trigger guard. Am I wrong about that, and did the English every use wooden underribs? How about American gunmakers? Again, I don't think I have every seen an American half stock made with a wooden triggerguard, nor with a wooden underrib?

 

[Mike Brooks]

I don't think I've ever seen a Germanic 1/2 stock with a wood under rib. Many have no under rib at all, usually having a "pad" that the one and only forward pipe is soldered to.
I've never seen and English gun with a wooden rib either. The only English fowling gun I've ever seen with a wooden trigger guard was by Durrs Egg. The guard looked like a refined military bess styled guard, very unusual. I owned the gun for probably 20 years then sold it. Unfortunately I never took a picture of it.
There are some New England made guns that were made post 1790 that were 1/2 stocked and had wood under ribs.

 

[rabjr]

I don't think I have every seen an American half stock made with a wooden triggerguard, nor with a wooden underrib?

Dunno about trigger guards but wooden under ribs were common on New England rifle half stocks.

 

[Allan Gray]

This was one of the rifles that caught my eye; with the Spanish barrel. The thing just looks really well balanced.

Thanks for the input

[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/212279[/url]/

 

[Stophel]

I haven't seen a German gun with a rib of any kind until sometime in the 19th century.