Leonard Day

[Trot]

How many folks here have Leonard Day Smoothbores? I know I have seen one posted. I have been eyeing them for some time and finally bit the bullet and ordered a Dutch Trade gun! I can't do much, if any, shooting until the fall, so I hope to have it by then.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I have a few guns that Leonard has built for me. They are all excellent firelocks and are favorites of mine. He is a gentleman and a scholar-literally. He has done much research into the early firearms and continues to do so. My 20 bore fowler is a superb piece, light and well balanced.
I keep thinking about the next gun I'd like him to make for me--maybe a matchlock. Guess I should take a drive over and have a chat about it....

 

[Okwaho]

Amen to that post and if you should see Leonard tell him I said hello and NO he still can't have my Ti horn.
Tom Patton :wink: :bow: :v

 

[Teleoceras]

Trot:

I also have a few smoothies from Leonard Day and I can't say enough praise for his work. Leonard also helped fix up my the lock mechanism on my Wheellock. He is a really nice guy to talk to as well.

You will LOVE the Dutch gun!

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[Trot]

Thanks! I went for the straight stocked Dutch Gun. I have built a couple of smoothbores, I thought it was time for one from somebody who knew what they were doing!

 

[Leonredbeard]

Teleoceras,
Ahh! Love that fishtail butt! :thumbsup: :bow:
Now let's see, that is a wheellock converted to doglock and a matchlock converted to doglock. Am I right? :surrender: :hmm:
Those are two fine looking firelocks. :v :grin:
volatpluvia

 

[wulf]

I am planning on building a matcher like your
Dutch gun and am wondering how wide to make the
stock with one inch barrel,at the breach and
butt. Hope you can help...

 

[Teleoceras]

Volatpluvia:

Not quite. The fishtail musket on the bottom is a Snaphaunce.

Normally Leonard would only go up to a maximum .62 because of the tooling he owns. But he built Olga with a .72 barrel. I wanted a dutch style Snaphaunce Musket that could have been used by the earliest Dutch explorers of the New Netherlands colony.

The lock originally was built by Albion Small Arms. Since the Fishtail style was common during that time and I love the fishtail butt, he built her for me.

The top Dutch Doglock is the one gun that Leonard builds on a semi-regular basis.

Both are very accurate shooters.

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[Teleoceras]

Wulf:

I am planning on building a matcher like your
Dutch gun and am wondering how wide to make the
stock with one inch barrel,at the breach and
butt. Hope you can help...

The stock of my Dutch gun measured 1.76" at the breech and 1.75" at the butt.

Hope that helps!

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[buckwilk]

How is Leonard Day contacted?

 

[Le Grand]

His magazine ad shows phone #413-527-0184. No website. Le Grand

 

[Teleoceras]

In addition to his Phone#, his mail address is

Leonard Day
3 Kings Highway
Westhampton, MA 01088

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[wulf]

Thankyou for responding so quickly.Yes.This info
help very much...Wulf

 

[jstranah]

Does the gent have a catalog? and if so, how much is it? I feel a bit ill at ease just cold-calling him without having any clear idea of what his offerings are... I'd feel like I was wasting his time...

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I once asked Leonard if the Dutch gun was a converted wheel lock and he told me it wasn't; that they just built them in that style. The nice thing about these guns, besides the low price, is how light they are. The barrels are made to the same specifications as the real guns and don't have the massively over thick barrels that a lot of smoothbores have these days.

 

[Trot]

Yes I was amazed at the lightness, I thought my fusil was light and graceful, now it seems like a club compared to my Leonard Day gun! He has an add running in Muzzleloader mag which shows several models he offers. No real catalog, but give him a call or write and he will send you a one page flyer, pretty much the same as the Muzzleloader add. I was a little leary of just calling, but I am glad I did!

 

[smoothbore69]

Teleoceras,
Both of those smoothies look great!
Does the L. Day Dutch doglock only use the dog-catch as a safety or does it have it along with an internal half-cock?

Chris

 

[Teleoceras]

C. Quattlebaum:

Teleoceras,
Both of those smoothies look great!
Does the L. Day Dutch doglock only use the dog-catch as a safety or does it have it along with an internal half-cock?

This one has an internal half-cock as well. But I actually prefer to use the dog-catch. Leonard makes that design at a semi-regular basis as a .62 smoothbore. One of the best balanced arms I have ever fired. :applause:

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[Teleoceras]

Trot:

Yes I was amazed at the lightness, I thought my fusil was light and graceful, now it seems like a club compared to my Leonard Day gun! He has an add running in Muzzleloader mag which shows several models he offers. No real catalog, but give him a call or write and he will send you a one page flyer, pretty much the same as the Muzzleloader add. I was a little leary of just calling, but I am glad I did!

Hey, how about a few pictures of your new baby!

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[Trot]

I am afraid I am behind the times, no way to post pictures. Every time I think about getting a digital camera, I end up spending the money on something more fun, like a new gun!