Pacific Rifle Zephyr + African Zephyr

[Dinohunter]

There is a single barrel underhammer "rifle" with smooth barrel and only a kind of paradox choke near the muzzle.

It made in Gauge 20, 12 and 8.

Does anyone own such a gun or used it ?

By the way, they use 12 Gauge round balls and received a muzzle velocity of 1900 fps with 250 Grains (!!!!!) of black powder.

Quite a lot ... :shake:

 

[whitetrash078]

I have never shot a Pacific Rifle Co. gun but I have been slobbering over the 8 bore version for years. I guess I read to many books by Baker, Selous, and the ilk when I was a kid.

 

[Dinohunter]

The 8 gauge african zephyr will cost nearly 3000 USD, really a lot of money.

and even the 12 gauge isn´t cheap. However, in 12 they use 250 Grains (nearly 10 drams!!) blackpowder to propel a patched round ball to 1900 fps ...

that really a lot !!!

I don´t think that a single gun ever made it´s way to europe ... so I am interested in getting information from other shooters / hunters ...

 

I built a 20 ga underhammer for my grandson using an 870 Rem barrel with choke tubes. Came out pretty nice and shoots like a house afire. I also have an old, but unfired, 8 bore flint made in Belgum for the African trade. It isn't an underhammer but is flint. Got a mold a short time back and will be shooting it soon. Balls weigh an even 2 oz.
Mark

 

[whitetrash078]

Is your flint 8 bore an old dixie gun works job? Pics? Let us know how the old cannon shoots

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The original Paradox guns were smooth bored for most of the barrel length with shallow rifling in the last few inches of the bore. They handled shot well, but were quite effective with ball or slugs too. Wonder if this would work in a front loader...

 

[paulvallandigham]

The same idea is available today with screw on choke tubes, that now provide for barrel extenders, and shallow rifling. They work extremely well in spinning slugs, and balls, and even sabots out the muzzle. There really are no new ideas in Guns, except, maybe the Browning BOSS system that was invented about 10 years ago. It allows the barrel to be tuned to a given load, rather than tuning a load through handloading, to a given barrel. Neat idea. Its the first serious threat to the reloading end of the business in the history of guns.

 

[faw3]

Dont know about the other 2 but Ive got a org barrel 20/62 I got from John Taylor (he lives up around where they build them, seems the out side wasn't perfect so he turned it round for me its like 1 1/8th at breech end down to 7/8th at the other end 36" later. Takes a .610 ball and thick patch, Ive busted 2 stocks shooting it :rotf: so I put a black rubber washer in between the stock and frame of the H+A frame I have it in. Hows it shoot with 175 grs of 2f Swiss and Lyman disk up front and a flip down U'd back sight really well! :thumbsup: I know it cant be true but it seems I can hear that ball running up that? 1X120? twist sometimes :haha Ya they are a kick to shoot, you want more UMPH try 5 .600 ball's out of a smooth bore for stake busting contest (we are talking serious stuff here they play for a case of beer-to be drank MUCH later, or just 2 out of MVT twin 62 hand-gun that will :shocked2: wake ya right up too. It's to bad they had to want so much forr those rifles but the work went into them looking at just a barrel. Fred :hatsoff:

 

You got it right. It's an old Dixie, marked "Kirkland Arms" and made in Belgum with the appropriate proof marks. The darn thing is unfired. I will be taking it out in 2 weeks when I get back from Bean Town. Will post some pics of the gun, and maybe the bruises, then.
Mark