BP heavy machine rest rifles

[Vintage BPCS]

This is a general inquiry which covers multiple forums subjects. Have spent several hours searching the various forums and threads for info concerning machined rest bench rifles. Since I am finding little specific info I have decided to start a thread requesting individuals with knowledge or similar interest to respond. I have acquired a 38 lb, .61 cal muzzle loading underhammer, no maker marks I can find. With out going into detail here I believe it may be a Lester Cox rifle from the early 40's. Have shot a few dozen rnd ball out of it and beyond that have not much experience with this particular type of rifle or this aspect of shooting. Talk back appreciated.

[Firebird]

I would try asking at benchrest.com. I would expect that some here are into the benchrest game, but cast bullets really aren't competitive in modern benchrest shooting.

[Vintage BPCS]

Benchrest is of modern/centerfire focus and as such I have not seen them resourcing the old methods. I post on CB because your membership is more diverse. This rifle is BP, false muzzled, 8x scoped and w/globe and tang sight, 10 land/groove, gain twist at 1:40 approx. I believe it was to shoot a patched picket bullet or paper patch conical ? This is by no means modern bench shooting.

[Wayne Smith]

Find a copy of Ned Roberts The Cap Lock Muzzleloading Rifle. I have a copy from the NRA Book club and he does a good job of talking of these rifles.

[deltaenterprizes]

I read a story about a black powder benchrest rifle with a 6 foot heavy octagon barrel that was mounted in the attic of a barn and the fellow had a door he would open and shoot at a target at a long distance like 600 yards. It may have been fiction but I think bench guns have been around a ling time. Blackpowder guns can be very accurate, you just have to know how to feed them and take care of them.

[waksupi]

Probably a paper patch rifle. Does it have a false muzzle?

[Whip]

This is a heavy over the log gun 47" barrel and 1 7/8 across the flats,38 lbs. 54 cal. rould ball rifle. I built it several years ago. I use to shoot muzzle loader competition at the National muzzloading rifle shoots at Friendship ind., mainly off hand and I thought I wanted a heavy rilfle to shoot off the bench or laying down. The gun was too heavy and hurt my back. It is fun to shoot. Go to this site and ask these boys. They might can help you find out something about your rifle.
http://members.boardhost.com/PPPP/

[stubshaft]

They are called "Chunk Guns". Check the NMLRA site for any articles relating to them.

[Bent Ramrod]

Try the term "slug guns" in your browser and try to cull out the plethora of stuff on rifled slug shotguns. The rifle you describe is a very esoteric instrument which is understood and shot by a very small, albeit fanatical bunch of enthusiasts. I think the online "Muzzle Blasts" site has a few general articles on managing a slug gun and if you make inquiries to the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, they should be able to put you in touch with somebody who knows how to run one. Steve Garbe posts occasionally on the ASSRA web site, and I believe he has done some experimenting with such rifles.

The ASSRA offers a CD called "The Warner-Lowe Letters" which has scans and transcripts of the letters between two nineteenth-century slug-gun experts detailing their experiments with the rifles.

Generally the rifle came with a false muzzle, a bullet starter, a loading rod, a long funnel for powder, a paper patch cutter, and moulds and perhaps even swages for the bullets. They were cylindro-conical, rather than round balls. Everything had to be just so: patch thickness, bullet temper, powder charge and granulation, barrel condition, etc. When it all came together, the "string measures" some of these rifles made were kind of amazing.

[Willbird]

I read a story about a black powder benchrest rifle with a 6 foot heavy octagon barrel that was mounted in the attic of a barn and the fellow had a door he would open and shoot at a target at a long distance like 600 yards. It may have been fiction but I think bench guns have been around a ling time. Blackpowder guns can be very accurate, you just have to know how to feed them and take care of them.

That story was about a fictional caractar that more or less resembled Harry Pope...as I recall the author called him Harry Pyne or something like that ?

[stubshaft]

AWWww now you went and done it Willbird. I remember reading stories about Harry Pyne and now I can't for the life of me remember the author. That's gonna keep me up tonight trying to remember.

[Frank46]

Think the origional story was written by lucian carey and called "the madman of gaylord's creek" or something along those lines. Used a heavy bbld slug gun with a bullet in a wooden sabot so the rifling marks would not show. J.M.Pyne I think was the monicker referring to Harry Pope. Course I have CRS and could be wrong. Frank

[calaloo]

Vintage BPCS

Check on the Wyoming Schuetzen Union site. Some of the guys there practice the art of the slug gun.

[Green Frog]

Try the site,

http://www.assra.com

go to the forum section and ask on the general or collectors' sections for input. You will be overwhelmed with the volume of response, or I will be amazed. BTW, the ASSRA archives are second to none for information on all manner of gun related topics. Information is on the ASSRA home page.

Froggie
Life Member NRA & ASSRA
Active Member N-SSA

[Newtire]

Think the origional story was written by lucian carey and called "the madman of gaylord's creek" or something along those lines. Used a heavy bbld slug gun with a bullet in a wooden sabot so the rifling marks would not show. J.M.Pyne I think was the monicker referring to Harry Pope. Course I have CRS and could be wrong. Frank

Yeah, it was a murder mystery where the bad guy loads up a spent bullet from the good guy's shooting range, loads it up in a wooden sabot, stuffs it in his muzzleloader, kills the guy and tries to make it look like the good guy did it.

[leadlobber2]

I had the pleasure of shooting at my local club with Lester Cox . May have even seen the gun you have being shot by him . I was more an off hand shooter , so can not be of much help with your questions . Lester was a find gentleman , always willing to help a new shooter . I was loading at the bench beside him at one shoot . He watched me load a few rounds and then ask if he could make a suggestion . He gave me a few pointers on getting a more uniform loading pressure on the patched ball . One day a fellow I worked with came to work and told me about a range test with his brand new 30-06 . He told me there was and old fellow there shooting a muzzle loader at 200 yards . After a few shoots he said the old fellow offered to bet him a nickle a shot ,closest to center at the 200 yard target . He had that scoped 30-06 and said he didn't want to take any of the old guys money . You guest it , he lost a dollar before crying uncle . That old fellow was of course Lester Cox . If you have one of Lester's rifles there is a lot of history behind it , and a lot of matches won . Best of luck with the rifle . Someone at the NMLRA can probable give you information about your rifle .