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My perfect squirrel rifle

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George

Cannon
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In 1976 I bought a little .30 caliber rifle made by Louis Smith of Johnson City, Tn. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had bought what was for me the perfect squirrel rifle.

The gun is representative of the late flint period, stocked with premium curly maple, slender, with a slightly Roman nose butt stock. The butt plate, trigger guard, patch box and inlays under the belly of the forearm, on top and bottom of the butt stock and the nose cap are all brass. The side plate, escutcheons around the barrel wedges, the star on the cheek piece and the touchhole pick holder under it, the inlays on the butt stock where the rococo carvings usually go and on the wrist are all of German silver. There are no carvings, but it is highly engraved.

The rifle weighs 7 pounds, overall length is 55”, the barrel is 11/16” x 38.5”, straight octagonal, made by William Large. The rifling is standard pattern, 1:56” twist, .010” deep with 7 lands and grooves. Length of pull is 14” and there is a double set, single phase trigger.

It is sighted at 25 yards with 25 grains 3F Goex and a .295” ball weighing 39.4 grains, patched with .007” cotton, beeswax and lard lube.. Muzzle velocity is 2120 fps (these little calibers really zip), which gives a trajectory dead on at 25 yards, .4” low at 50, 2” low at 75 and 5 1/2” low at 100 yards.

Too many pictures:
LouisSmithH1.jpg

LouisSmithD.jpg

LouisSmithL copy.jpg

LouisSmithN.jpg

LouisSmithO.jpg

LouisSmithR.jpg

LouisSmithZM.JPG

LouisSmithU.jpg

LouisSmithZa.jpg

LouisSmithZc.jpg


The gun is delicate, and on first appraisal looks like a small size rifle made for a woman or boy, but is actually full size. It is quick and handy in the woods and shoots far better than I can. Just for curiosity’s sake I once shot a 3-shot group at 100 yards from a casual rest, got a 2 3/8” group exactly on the predicted drop of 5 1/2”.

I use shot for most of my squirrel hunting these days because I’m no longer a spring chicken, but I have a lot of memories of squirrels collected with the rifle “in the old days”.

I’ve always been sorry my state doesn’t allow rifles for turkey, because the little gun would be absolutely perfect for them, too.

Spence
 
Amazing gun I am a small bore fan and hope to own a more historically correct gun some day ( 3 TC Cherokees and 3 TC Senecas ) and seeing this gun makes me want a flintlock even more. I am not handy in the shop so will most likely buy a Chambers kit and have someone build for me. PS the more pictures of a gun like this the better.
 
From one squirrel hunter to another, Sweet Rifle. Would like very much to share a campfire some day. Your gun is what makes good memories in the squirrel bottoms of East Texas. Ifn you ever have the urge to pass your rifle along to another squirrel hunter just give me a call!
Your friend in Deep East Texas 🇨🇱
 
Spence have you ever tried any of Ballistic products 2 1/2 buckshot through your gun, it measures .290. I shoot some of there 1 1/2 in my 32s and it shoots really well.
 
I am glad to see you have taken great care of the rifle. That particular rifle is a prize for a number of reasons. Mr Smith was a talented engraver who had a unusual style using border engraving for outlining most of his figures and some of the figures were entirely border style. The architecture of the rifle is perfect. The execution is master quality. Bill Large would cut you any type of barrel that you desired and this one being 11/16 inch is really skinny. I had him cut quite a few barrels for me years ago, always excellent quality. This rifle is an example of what I consider a contemporary masters art which shows the builders talent. I far prefer to see this type of work rather than "bench copy" of some long past masters work. BTW, did you notice how the toeplate was mortised into the buttplate?
 
Being that it's such a small diameter RB, I assume you cast your own. Where did you get a hold for it?
Yes, I do/did mold my own. I bought the rifle from a local Mom & Pop muzzleloading store, and the owner, Bill Goldsmith, loaned me a .295" Lee mold a short while later. I cast up 1000 balls, and I still have well over half of them. I don't shoot her a lot.

Spence
 
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