Any "chunk gun / over the log" shooters here?

[bedbugbilly]

I just thought I'd post this to see if there were any "chunk gun" shooters here. I used to enjoy watching the shoot down at Friendship years ago - seemed like they were of all sizes. I remember watching a guy pull out one of his new builds from the back of his station wagon one tie - must have had a barrel close to 7 or 8 feet long. I had a conversation with a fellow the other day who used to shoot chunk guns many many years ago. So "the guy has bit" and it's tine to start accumulating "parts an pieces" to do a build on one.

My thoughts are a more traditional Tennessee style build. I'm thinking flintlock, double set triggers, iron furniture. I have a nice walnut full stock blank back in MI that would work well.

I' thinking a heavy octagon barrel in .50 cal. with a RB twist of around 1:60 to 1:66. I would like to use a heavier barrel - minimum of 1" across the flats but preferably 1 11/8" to 1 1/4" and at least 42" in length.

I was hoping to find a GM 1 1/8" X 42" X 50 cal. barrel but looking around, I can't find a one. Does anyone have a suggestion on who/where I could get a barrel or have one made that wouldn't break the bank? Any of the suppliers I've check with are very limited on supply of GM barrels and when there is a 1 1/8" barrel, it seems to be the 36".

Since most matches appear to be shot at 60 yards, I thought a .50 cal would be a good choice? Another preferences and why?

This will be a "heavy" build - i.e. proportioon of stock to be with the dimensions of the heavy barrel and I'm guessing the entire rifle would be in the 20 pound range or so.

I'm trying to find the barrel first so I know what dimensions I have to work with, then draw up full size plans so that I know all the components - lock, trigger, etc. will work.

If there are any chunk gun shooters on here, I'd sure appreciate any comments, thoughts, suggestions, etc. that you may have as to what you like and dislike in a chunk gun.

I've read a number of things on the chunk gun shoots and from what I'm seeing, they go back to the 1830's at least - one I read about was in Tennessee and related to Crockett - so I figure a flintlock would be appropriate but I would also consider percussion. I picked up one of the L & R 'mule ear side slappers" earlier this year for another build - a nice lock but I haven't laid it out to see how or if it would work with a larger size barrel. If I go with a flintlock, I'm guessing that if I can find a larger size barrel, it's going to have to be a larger size lock - perhaps one of the the several "trade gun locks" such as used on the Fusil-de-chasse.

Thanks for any input - greatly appreciated!

Jim

[Wayne R. Scott]

I have a Douglas barrel .50 cal 48" in length and 1.5" across the flats. It uses an under hammer. I think John Taylor put it together if I remember correctly. I don't know if Douglas still makes ML barrels.

[sharps4590]

Near the little Missouri town of Chamois, right on the Missouri River, there is a match that's been going on steadily since before WWII. They don't call them "chunk guns" but they are. At least they didn't back when I attended the match. It too is shot at 60 yards. Most of what they shot, especially the consistent winners, were as you described in size & weight. It's been a long, long time since I attended but I want to remember 50 cal. was the most popular and percussion locks were all I saw. I'm sorry I can't tell you a thing about where the guys with new rifles acquired their components.

[bob208]

I have underhammer with 1 1/8 part round part octagon.32inchs long in .45 with 1-56 twist. it will stack them up.

[Nobade]

Might check with Oregon barrel company, and see if they can make what you are looking for.

[Eddie Southgate]

Douglas no longer makes muzzle loader barrels , haven't for quite a while .

[oldracer]

I have a chunk gun made with a Douglas 50 caliber XX stainless barrel with 1 in 48 twist. The rifling is not very deeply cut, sort of like Pope did his. It was made 20 years ago for a fellow in WI and he used a Ron Long trigger and lock on it. I restocked it with some fancy walnut and it shoots 5 balls in in one hole at 100 yards. It is probably the best shooting 100 yard gun I have! This week I plan to give it a try at 200 yards to see how it shoots and I imagine it will be about the same.

[oldracer]

Jim, I see you spend some time in AZ in the winter? If so let me know and if you want to some over to the San Diego area I'll let you shoot "Big Ollie" the chunk gun a bit and also a few of my others but the longest we can go is 300 yards.

[Good Cheer]

The closest things I have to chunk guns are a nifty fifty Dixie with 43" barrel and a 38" barreled .52.
I'm tinkering with the idea of a small bore on a GPR but that just aint a'gonna be a chunk gun!

[bedbugbilly]

Thanks for the responses - greatly appreciated! I have spent hours trying to find a barrel from the different suppliers that would work and that was in stock. I sent inquiries to a number of barrel makers but still have not heard back from them. I made a "want to buy" post in the WTS/WTS section and one of the fine members here offered me a 1" X 42" - 50 cal barrel so I went with that for my chunk gun build. I wanted a heavier barrel but they seem to be as scarce as hen's teeth and since chunk guns come in all shapes, sizes and makes - the barrel I bought will work just fine. I have run across photos of several Tennessee stule chunk guns and one with a 1" (slightly smaller) barrel in 50 caliber. Considering my age and health, it will be better in the long run if the rifle has a somewhat lighter barrel given that you have to get up and down to load and shoot! LOL

Now that I have my barrel size figured out, I can go ahead and draw up my full size plans for the rifle and pick my lock, triggers and furniture for the build. Still thinking and leaning towards flintlock but we'll see.

Thanks for the responses - greatly appreciated! I doubt that I'll be competing with anyone but myself with it but the whole chunk gun/over the log concept of shooting and the history of it I find very fascinating!

Jim

[oldracer]

One of our shooters has some heavy barreled rifles from an estate and I was very interested as they are heavy, very heavy but were weird calibers such as 36 or 44 or such. So I passed but I'll check to see if he still has them.

[bob208]

you should get walter clines book the muzzle-loading rifle then and now.

[bedbugbilly]

bob208 - I'll try and get a copy of that and read it. Right now, I'm reading "The Muzzleloading Cap Lock Rifle" by Ned Roberts. I read that probably close to 50 years ago. I had a copy of it and loaned it out - like "loaned" items, I never got it back and forgot who I loaned it to. I found a copy of it on evil bay and ordered it - I forgot what a wealth of information there is in it.

While not a real "heavy" barrel, the one I found will make a good lighter chunk gun and I figure I will use it for the build to get my feet wet. I heard back from Rice Barrels and will at some point, order one of their barrels as he can make a .45 in 1 1/8" or can make 1 1/4" or 1 3/8" as well in lengths up to 48". The barrel I found is 42" and I wished it was longer but it will work just fine. I'm thinking a chunk gun with a 1 3/8" X 48" would be pretty awesome - and give a person a lot of exercise in the process! LOL

I've been shooting BP for 55 years and kind of wished I'd have gotten interested in these guns earlier - but there is not time like the present!

[bob208]

in walters book there was one where the builder welded two barrels together. although I don't think there is an advantage over 36. by then all the powder will burnet. the only advantage can see will be sight radius. but then that is my thoughts

[Good Cheer]

bedbugbilly, a three and a half foot long fifty caliber barrel an inch across the flats can do you proud. Mine can dang sure put round ball on target to make center fire shooters clench their teeth during the annual rite of sighting in their scopes.

[OverMax]

Shooting patch ball thru a longer barrel I would think a lazyier twist would be appropriate. 1-70_ 1-72.

[bedbugbilly]

OverMax - I agree on the lazier twist. The 1" - 50 cal barrel that I got has a 1:72 twist so it should work very well with patched ball - if'in I do my part!

Good Cheer - is your's flint or percussion? I a side lock, do you know what lock was used on it?

[Good Cheer]

It's percussion. Alls I knows about the lock it's what Dixie sent in the kit. My brother built it for me. Early 80's.

[bedbugbilly]

Good Cher - now that brought back some memories! The first rifle I built was in 1964 or thereabouts. The barrel was an original one off a broken and discarded muzzleloader - not the best bore but it worked! The furniture was off of old rifles but the percussion lock I bought from Dixie - cost a whopping $10.00! The stock blank also came from Dixie - straight maple. Normally they were $6.00 each but they ran a sale on them - 3 or $6.00. They banded two of them together and shipped those along with the extra single - just stapled an address card to them and mailed them through the post office. I remember the look on the face of the local postmaster when they came in to our little post office. LOL I still have one of those blanks left and am debating about possibly using it for my build. God bless Turner Kirkland (Dixie) and the others who helped pioneer the resurgence in muzzleloading.