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Hanging rifle over the fireplace
- Thread starter chix2111
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Considering the amount of heat and soot a fireplace can put out, I would prefer not to hang a rifle there, unless it was a purely decorative piece. But if I did. I would use brass "U" hooks, and wire tie the top of the hooks to prevent anyone from removing it by curiosity or accident.
chix2111
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Advice heeded. We haven't used the fireplace in years so no worries there. The front face of the fireplace is vary uneven stone, so it's probably going to have to have something like a live edge plank as a base. Pictures of what you built would be great.
appalichian hunter
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One of mine hangs over the fire place, the fire place does not get used much but the rifle does, the facing for the fire place is stone, what I done was bore two holes in the stone drove wood plugs in the holes and had a black smith make two U shaped hangers with hear finials on them, placed thin leather strips on the U where the rifle sits in them, The rifle as I said sees some usage so between regular cleanings about once a month take the rifle down and oil the stock good, this along with the cleanings after use keeps the stock from drying out, It has been done this way for years and no problems.
Sidney Smith
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Deer hoofs!
hanshi
Cannon
Deer hooves do work as in this photo.
Our fireplace is in the living room and is used all winter, so my wife picked out the open entrance in the living room to the dining room. Looks perefct. Just like appalichian hunter, it too gets a lot of use
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I do not think it would be a good idea the heat and dust and soot would do damaged to the wood with shrinkage and shakes. Has to the law it maybe OK in the States but here in the UK if it was a gun you used and entered on your F,C it would not be allowed and against the law
Feltwad
Feltwad
I did the same with mine. Same outcome as yours, no harm to the rifle, sturdy, safe and easy access. Bought cheap antique painted, medium size hooks and cut them down a bit at the ends and sanding the cut ends smooth. Did what you did with felt and touch up. Then used 20lb toggles to attach them to the wall.
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Why? Drill holes in the mortar joints or even the stone. Just need a hammer drill with masonry bit.
Larry
Mark Herman
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I would drill the masonry and put in 1/2" wood pegs. Stain them to blend with the stone or mortar and highlite the rifle.
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Having a masonry guy out to take a look next week. Would have liked to have the front of the wood mantle available but it has huge chunks of amber agate embedded in the face of it. Possible compromise is a a wood stand or rack on top of the mantle itself. Former owners went nuts on this place. According to receipts that whole fireplace cost $22k in 2003 and trying not to mess it up. Have either the original 1803 HF or an 1861 Wm Mason rifled musket for display.
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Anything that you like is the way to go. I like simple pegs. I purchase 5/16" wood dowels and put them in on an angle. Keeps the rifle from rocking. Clean and simple install.
Larry
@chix2111 ,
There was a great discussion of this topic with lots of pictures several months ago, on this forum. Here is a link to that thread: Hanging over the fireplace
Regarding heat, soot, smoke, and so forth, I would like to state that for the first 35 years of my life, we used a fireplace as the primary source of heat in our home. You expect a little ash to come out onto the floor, and you sweep it up with the hearth broom, but if you are having soot and smoke come out of the fireplace and into the house, something is wrong! As for heat, I think something like 90% of it goes straight up the chimney, and the smoke should go with it. If smoke and soot come into your house, the fireplace and chimney are not "drawing" correctly. If you burn properly cured hardwood, soot is minimal, and what of it there is winds up mainly in the chimney. You sweep it out once a year with a chimney brush. The masonry around the fireplace would get warm to the touch, but not hot. The house we lived in was made of fatwood, and we kept a kerosene lamp on the mantle, where it could be readily found in case of power outages. I suppose the Fire Marshall would have had a conniption over all of that, but house & family survived intact. My only real concern about hanging a rifle over the fireplace would be the drying effect on the wooden stock, and it would only make sense that a powder horn hanging there should be empty.
I found this interesting quote from Frederick Gerstaecker's Wild Sports in the Far West, in which he comments on the furnishings of an 1830's-era Arkansas pioneer's cabin:
Note that the rifle and its accouterments hung over the door, not the fireplace. I suppose this would be so it could be collected easily while heading out. I'm pretty sure I've read about this elsewhere, but I would need to hunt for the quotes. Gerstaecker did provide some interesting comments on the items that were stored near the fireplace.
Anyway, between comments on this thread and the posts and pictures in the one that's linked, you should get some good ideas about how to hang your rifle. Good luck with it!
Notchy Bob
There was a great discussion of this topic with lots of pictures several months ago, on this forum. Here is a link to that thread: Hanging over the fireplace
Regarding heat, soot, smoke, and so forth, I would like to state that for the first 35 years of my life, we used a fireplace as the primary source of heat in our home. You expect a little ash to come out onto the floor, and you sweep it up with the hearth broom, but if you are having soot and smoke come out of the fireplace and into the house, something is wrong! As for heat, I think something like 90% of it goes straight up the chimney, and the smoke should go with it. If smoke and soot come into your house, the fireplace and chimney are not "drawing" correctly. If you burn properly cured hardwood, soot is minimal, and what of it there is winds up mainly in the chimney. You sweep it out once a year with a chimney brush. The masonry around the fireplace would get warm to the touch, but not hot. The house we lived in was made of fatwood, and we kept a kerosene lamp on the mantle, where it could be readily found in case of power outages. I suppose the Fire Marshall would have had a conniption over all of that, but house & family survived intact. My only real concern about hanging a rifle over the fireplace would be the drying effect on the wooden stock, and it would only make sense that a powder horn hanging there should be empty.
I found this interesting quote from Frederick Gerstaecker's Wild Sports in the Far West, in which he comments on the furnishings of an 1830's-era Arkansas pioneer's cabin:
Note that the rifle and its accouterments hung over the door, not the fireplace. I suppose this would be so it could be collected easily while heading out. I'm pretty sure I've read about this elsewhere, but I would need to hunt for the quotes. Gerstaecker did provide some interesting comments on the items that were stored near the fireplace.
Anyway, between comments on this thread and the posts and pictures in the one that's linked, you should get some good ideas about how to hang your rifle. Good luck with it!
Notchy Bob
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Long ago we wound up with about a dozen long guns. Most were 18th century unmentionables but very valuable. Every one had a hole in the buttstock and another other in the forearm. All were covered in thick dust/sludge/soot and stank like cigarettes. Seems all were from an very old bar and had been mounted with screws over the mantle of a fireplace. Looked like the tobacco smoke clung to them way more than the soot. They really stank up the shop.
hanshi
Cannon
I display three over two doorways and a window. Things also get moved around a bit.
If you have a bunch of soot over your fireplace you have bigger problems than getting your ML dirty. Smoke , and more importantly carbon monoxide is supposed to go up and out the chimney!
When I first moved into my house I noticed the ceiling was dark over the fireplace. The firebox and flue were badly designed. I could rebuild the whole thing or faster and easier, I got a glass door for it. Between that and opening the ash slot in back of it I got more heat and zero soot in the room.
When I first moved into my house I noticed the ceiling was dark over the fireplace. The firebox and flue were badly designed. I could rebuild the whole thing or faster and easier, I got a glass door for it. Between that and opening the ash slot in back of it I got more heat and zero soot in the room.
