What style Muzzleloader do I have?

[Rusnapperhead]

Greeting all; I’m going through my fathers muzzleloader he bought at Friendship in late 70’s. He cannot find the hardware purchased at same time. Thinks mom sold it at garage sale for $1.50. Ha

question I have is what style is his muzzleloader so we can purchase correct hardware? He’s not sure he wants to use the barrel since it’s 36 caliber, he wants a 45 cal for deer.

many help will be appreciated; thanks!

 

[rich pierce]

With almost no rise to the comb from the wrist and the curved toe line it seems closest to a Lehigh style.

 

[Mulebrain]

At first glance, I was thinking Golden Age Rifle. The barrel caliber sent me in a different direction. Southern Style Rifle

I am leaning more towards Tennessee Style. That barrel you have will finance a new barrel in .45, and they carry that as well. Sweet piece of maple stock you have there, and will make a pretty rifle.

Build Track's Classic Tennessee longrifle kit, in traditional iron, or brass, with 13/16" straight octagon barrel - Track of the Wolf

 

[Robby]

I think many styles could be made, the Lehigh, Tennessee as well, but to me that says Bucks County! A .45 in those dimensions can be had from Rice Barrel co.
Robby

 

[TFoley]

Your caliper is something of an anomaly - measuring in fractions of an inch! In all my days, and that's quite a few, I've never beheld such a thing!!

 

[oldwood]

This stock would make a Lehigh, Berks , or southern rifle. The barrel is a fine old time Douglas in 13/16 ", with a flared breech plug. Either Colerain or Rice might have a 13/16 " .45 on the shelf ready to ship. Log Cabin Shop might also help with the hardware........oldwood

 

[tenngun]

Oh that’s a death trap!!!!! Get it out of your house now!!!!!!
I’ll pm my address to you and will dispose of it safely
I hope you don’t have kids in the house
Oh the humanity!!!!

I would get some horn, bone or antler from crazy crow to make a comb piece, fashion some plain pipes from copper tubing and make a southren poor boy from it.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Oh that’s a death trap!!!!! Get it out of your house now!!!!!!
I’ll pm my address to you and will dispose of it safely
I hope you don’t have kids in the house
Oh the humanity!!!!

I would get some horn, bone or antler from crazy crow to make a comb piece, fashion some plain pipes from copper tubing and make a southren poor boy from it.

It is to dangerous to ship,give me your address and I will pick it up for safe disposal.

 

[tenngun]

Race ya.

 

[martin9]

You need to post a side profile picture with the stock left to right in the frame. Hard to tell anything with these pics, I think Robby is right though, look up some Tennessee, Lehigh and Bucks County guns and pick whichever you like best. I made a Tennessee rifle out of a stock that was originally profiled for a Melchior Fordney gun....so there's often a few directions you could go with it.

 

[JCKelly]

G.R. Douglas ceased to sell these cold-drawn 12L14 steel barrels about 1985. This was coincidental with them paying out a large sum of $$ to a shooter who lost two fingers, a thumb, and most of the palm from the hand holding the forearm.
I might know the expert witnesses who testified then. I also ceased using any gun with a 12L14 barrel at that time.
See Muzzle Blasts Strength of a Gun Barrel, Oct, Nov, Dec1985
I would urge you to render that barrel unusable, destroy it, and discard the pieces.
Cheaper than doctor bills.
Jim Kelly, metallurgist

 

[hanshi]

I think Robby is correct. But you could certainly make alterations that would put it closer to a TN SMR or Lehigh. Not a blank slate but not totally committed either.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

It could also make a Bedford Co. rifle.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Bedford also was my first guess. It's hard to tell from the pictures if there is a swoop or curve to the toe line. Cameras can distort things. I would suggest going to a few of the web sites that sell pre-carves; Knob Mountain, Pecatonica, Track, Log Cabin, Sitting Fox and see which one most closely matches.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

G.R. Douglas ceased to sell these cold-drawn 12L14 steel barrels about 1985. This was coincidental with them paying out a large sum of $$ to a shooter who lost two fingers, a thumb, and most of the palm from the hand holding the forearm.
I might know the expert witnesses who testified then. I also ceased using any gun with a 12L14 barrel at that time.
See Muzzle Blasts Strength of a Gun Barrel, Oct, Nov, Dec1985
I would urge you to render that barrel unusable, destroy it, and discard the pieces.
Cheaper than doctor bills.
Jim Kelly, metallurgist

By all means share it....

 

[Col. Batguano]

Yes please!

I would suggest that rather than posting it here in this thread, that you start a new one concerning the dangers posed by 12L14 barrels.

The concern I have is that though GR Douglas stopped making them with 12L14, most of the other bigger ML'ing barrel makers still do. Aren't Doiuglas' risks the same as Rice and Colerain?

 

[2 shots]

hi jckelly , on the subject of douglas barrels .i have one laying around that says g.r. douglas for the log cabin shop. .45 13/16 ths. good or bad??

 

[Zonie]

Bedford's have almost no rise on the comb from the wrist at the wrist.

The bottom or toe side of the stock is also quite straight.

The curvature of the bottom of the stock in the OP's post seems to rule a Bedford out in my opinion.
Here are some Dixie Gun Works sketches of general stock profiles. I think the Chambersburg at the bottom might be close to the OP's stock shape

 

[ohio ramrod]

hi jckelly , on the subject of douglas barrels .i have one laying around that says g.r. douglas for the log cabin shop. .45 13/16 ths. good or bad??

It s definitely dangerous I will properly dispose of it for you. In the name of safety I will even pay for the shipping and packaging up to $100. Drop me a PM if interested in discussing.

 

[oldwood]

The only two custom m/l barrel failures I've heard of went like this: One was a too deeply cut dovetailed barrel hanger near area of the entry r/r pipe. The other was at a dovetailed Barrel hanger , about 5" from the muzzle in the area of where the ball starter would short start a ball during loading. That's what actually caused the second burst barrel. Then there was this other failure of a T/C Hawkin barrel. Two young teen age genius' took dad's flint deer rifle to make some noise down along the river. The "black " looking powder was clearly labeled as a pistol ctg. powder. The gun actually lasted two firings before barrel rupture. The two youngsters sustained minor damage , cuts and bruses , but survived w/ a trip to the local E-room. Not a good way to learn .....