Those Da#^'ed Underhammers!

[KCSO]

In 1982 a secret hate was fostered deep in my soul. I was brought to the point of tears by and underhammer Hopkin's and Allen and have never gotten over the shame and the hurt. It all started with a simple request...

A good friend came over one night as I was putting the finishing touches on my ne Hawken rifle, curly maple stock, 34" browned barrel and everything just like the Baird book. For a Deputy with kids this was the ne plus ultra and the most expensive thing I would ever own. My buddy drug in a rifle he bought for his son, a Numerich H and A underhammer with a trashed barrel. He bought it for $25 and wanted to see if we could make it shoot for his kid. I looked in the scrap heap and found an off center Numerich 44 caliber barrel that I had set aside as I didn't like the off center bore. I cut it to 25" and breeched it up on theis mousetrap looking gun with the bore running up hill and put on a lower front sight. Total time say 2 hours and I think I charged him $25 for the barrel.

The next week at the club shoot the kid shows up with his new rifle, all cold blued and ready to go. This thing looks like someone beat it to death with and ugly stick and it rose from the dead palstic buttplate and all.

I pull my Hawken out of the case to the oooh's and Ahhh's of the club and we commence to shoot. That DDDDDD Underhammer! If I shot an 8 the kid shoots a 9 if I hit the 100 yard gong once the kid hit it twice! I went home from the Spring shoot with 3 trophies and the KID went home with 3 all one step better than mine! He beat everyone in the club at least once with a rifle that cost less than most of us spent for moccassins! In one shoot his mainspring broke and he finished out the match using a rubber band around the hammer! I don't think he ever had a misfire or a hang fire and the gun always hit just where it looked.

Jump to 2009 and another friend comes over with a chunk of iron bar had had bent into an underhammer frame and a hammer and trigger. He tosses them on the bench and said," I will never do anything with this see what you can do'. Last week I took out the action and rummaged in the piile and came up with a barrel. I found a broken stock for an old rifle and a fore end for a Mowery shotgun. I am now the proud??? owner of a underhammer buggy rifle. It sports a 26" barrel with quick takedown and the trigger breaks at just 2 1/2 pounds. The gun doesn't look half bad except it's and underhammer and dog gone it shoots too. Next week I head out to fall rendevous and I am taking this thing along, either I will come home a big winner or with luck someone will offer me a dead frog and a marble for it.

Did I say I HATE underhammers!

[Boz330]

How about a dead frog, a catseye marble, and big ball of string.:kidding: There is just something about underhammers that I like. They are the ultimate in simplicity, and utility.

Bob

[fishhawk]

I had one in .36, thing did have a quirk which was you had to swab the bore after no more that 2 shots or you couldn't hit a barn with it, for some reason it would shred the patches after 2 shots but the first to shots were right there. steve k

[Mk42gunner]

So are you taking a rubber band, just in case?:kidding:

I have never fired one, but I kind of like the looks of an underhammer. Of course I tend to like oddball guns.

Robert

[Reg]

OK, we are on pins and needles. How did it do ??????????


:bigsmyl2:

[pietro]

I really like my .36 H&A Heritage underhammer - so much that I've just sold off the T/C .32 I was using before I got into the underbunny. :drinks:

.

[Shooter]

I have a .36 and .50 buggy rifle, a .45 rifle, and a .58 chunk gun.
A .36 and .45 pistol.

They are addictive, and will teach you to keep your support hand well forward.

[KCSO]

The "support hand well forward", throws me a little. When I built this one I did a Nock style breech and recessed the nipple and the hammer has a full shield. There is no way any cap fragments could hit me. I thought that was the way the H and A's were done?

My buddy who collects hand made rifles want's me to make a couple more barrels for this one so he can have a shotgun and a target rifle all on the same frame and I am considering it.

To answer the question, better than I do, darn it!

[Shooter]

I have a habit of shooting with my left elbow against my side supporting the rifle on my palm close to the nipple.

This allows a blast from the shield around the hammer and nipple to hit the tender part of my wrist. Annoying no damage really.

[Love Life]

My dad has an underhammer he made in highschool in shopclass. I will have to give it a try now.

[Ajax]

my 45 underhammer is a tack driver out to 100 yards. I love it.


Andy

[Boz330]

I have a habit of shooting with my left elbow against my side supporting the rifle on my palm close to the nipple.

This allows a blast from the shield around the hammer and nipple to hit the tender part of my wrist. Annoying no damage really.

I found out pretty quick to wear a long sleeve shirt when shooting hunting loads (100gr 3F) but that is where the accuracy is. As you decrease the load the worse the accuracy gets. I never went higher since it was so good there.

Bob

[John Taylor]

Under hammers is fun and easy to build. Take an old brass pump shaft and bend it, add a barrel, wood and a few other small parts......http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/johnptaylor/brassUHafterblue.jpg

[Hanshi]

About 1966 or so, I ordered an H&A .45 - they only built .45 & .36 back then - "Heritage" model. If it's not the most accurate round ball gun I've ever fired then it's right up there with it. The rifle took small game, varmints and deer. It was fired so much over the decades that the hammer notches are worn and it is no longer safe on half cock and a light breeze trips the trigger on full cock. The bore is still pristine, though. I'd like to buy a new hammer, trigger and mainspring/tg but just don't have the $50 plus(??) to do it right now.

A while back I did some careful filing with a diamond needle file which helped but it will need more than that little bit. Plus the spring is old and tired. Though I may never fire it again, that good rifle and I share a lot of good memories.

This fellow is destined to carry the old H&A from now on.
http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt74/hanshi_photo/PICT0505.jpg

[Boz330]

You might call Deer Creek Products and see what they get for the spring and hammer parts. They are pretty reasonable on their stuff.

Bob

[KCSO]

That's the problem! Simple, easy to buiild accurate as all get out. Compare that to the hours of sweat and labor to build a complicated flinter, then tune the lock and then cave the stock and then... And in the final showdown somebody with a $25 rifle with 2 moving parts beats your socks off...it ain't fair!

When I was a kid I worked stocking shelves as Skagway Stores and we sold the H and A kits for $49.95 brand new. I can't uderstand why they never caught on either now or way back when. The only folks who seemed to take to them were the eastern target shooters and I would have thought they woould have been ideal for wilderness use as with just a spare mainspring you would be set for life.

[KCSO]

Here are a couple pictures. The ramrod stop is also a flash guard so you don't get cap fragments on your arm. All from parts laying loose around the shop total investment $21 for spring and sundries.

[FL-Flinter]

Since this turned into a picture post ...

Here's a slimline .50 I built on a standard action.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/markkw/Slimline/P1040369.jpg


This is one a customer built using a Maultier action.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/markkw/Testimonials/Maultier_Jim_WV_BrettsRifle2.jpg

[KCSO]

Darn now I have to put on a cap box and build a box! Nice looking rifles... for underhammers.

[twotoescharlie]

got three, an old H&A 36, a 50 cal buggy rifle I built about 4 years ago and a 62 cal. with a long hammock rifled barrel that I built about 2 years ago , in love with'em all, just getting where I cannot see very well to shoot them.

TTC

[greywuuf]

OK, now that is cool, pretty sure I have to have one of these now TOO.
you guys are a BAD influence on me

[stuffy25thia]

Here are a couple pictures of my two underhammers, the one with the brass frame was made by John Taylor, he does very nice work. The other one is a heavyweight, 28 lbs.

[jhrosier]

Is there anyone still making a good quality underhammer rifle?
I would be interested in a .58 cal or maybe a .54.

Jack

[John Taylor]

I believe deer creek is still selling actions, 765-525-6181. I can build one but I'm backed up about 6 months. If money is no problem, contact Roger Renner 775-453-9355 http://underhammers.blogspot.com/

[greywuuf]

Actions are available from Muzzle Loader Builder Supply :http://muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/cgi-bin/mbscart/agora.cgi?cart_id=7105970.1136*gp7Ra8&product=Underhammer

not exactly a kit but depending on your skill or desire something to think about.
Careful though as that action does not have a Half Cock notch.

[tacklebury]

Mark at Fire&Iron has been pretty good to converse with also. Has a couple stock actions. 8)

http://www.fire-iron.biz/

[John Taylor]

Actions are available from Muzzle Loader Builder Supply :http://muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/cgi-bin/mbscart/agora.cgi?cart_id=7105970.1136*gp7Ra8&product=Underhammer

not exactly a kit but depending on your skill or desire something to think about.
Careful though as that action does not have a Half Cock notch.

I have built a few of these actions and found out later that there is some controversy about the ownership of the molds. Seems the man who made the molds contends they were stolen from him. Seems he was having the castings made up by a company that went out of business and when he went to retrieve his molds he found out they had been sold. Got the information here http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/fusionbb.php?

The action is more for a bench gun with a large diameter barrel. I cut the upper tang and lowered it for a smaller barrel on one. I found that it would be just as easy to build this type of action from scratch if you have the proper tools. With the tang lower and the top of the action octagon it got down to a manageable sizehttp://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/johnptaylor/action4.jpg