My 4 Bore (M Layman)

[Alasgun]

Over the last year or so I've been applying the free time to this 4 bore project. When I say I "made this gun" I mean just that. The small screws, the nipple and butt pad and some of the lock components were purchased, the remainder I made from scratch. This included a 3 inch by 8 inch by 3ft maple board for the stock, a 2ft piece of 3-O.D 4140 for the barrel and a smaller piece of 4340 for the breech and tang. The trigger group was a combination of machined and forged components. To give you an idea of the time involved, the hammer took 4 days!

While I was at it I made a round ball mould throwing 1194 gr. balls and a nose pour conical mould throwing 1212 gr bullets. At the first range session I got up to 200gr of 2F behind one of those round balls before calling it quits. Bear in mind, I'm still standing in knee deep snow to shoot the thing! Once the weather moderates, we'll get after it in earnst. And by the way, it's not the monster I had it made out to be (in my mind).

At 15lb she's 2lb lighter than W.W Greener says it should be using the 96:1 theory but my intention is not to slay pacaderms so it will be fine. As most were, in the day, she's smooth bore but with a .0005 bore tolerance lapped to 4 micron, the thing will be quite accurate to 60 yards or so.
My motive was simple, because I can. I would imagine the grandkids will be impressed when we knock a chunk off a glacier off the back of the boat this summer. Beyond that, one hapless Black Bear or Moose will feel the sting before being relegated to impressing folks at the range!

Theres way too much to recant in a quick post, look er over and let me know what you think.

[williamwaco]

All I can say is WOW.

If that is a part time effort, You need to be making them to sell.

[Mike Brooks]

That's actually an attractive gun, the large bores are hard to make look right. Rifled or smooth....I'm assuming rifled since you bade a bullet mold. How much does it weigh?
What will you use it for? I can't shoot the big bores anymore, not enough cartilage left in my neck bones.

[smoked turkey]

Good piece of work. It shows off your talent in a very respectful way. It is beyond amazing what talent lurks here on the CB forum. Thanks for sharing. I am sure you and your heirs will enjoy the 4 bore for a mighty long time.

[Bullshop]

I like it ever so much!!! I want one please! I would like mine in 12 bore rifled with slow twist about 1/100".
When can I pick it up?

[kenyerian]

Very nice.

[Nobade]

I do like how you dealt with the lines and that big barrel. That is a very unusually shaped hammer and it works in this application. Very nice work! You may find you want some sort of cap fence though, flying cap fragments are going to be hard on your face.

-Nobade

[bstarling]

I am impressed! That is first rate work for certain.

Bill

[docone31]

Eye Candy!!!
Well done.

[oldred]

The only thing I see wrong here is we need more pictures! :mrgreen:

[gunfan]

I love it! That 4 Bore is quite impressive! The only thing I'd like more is information on Pyrodex loads used to turn this into a true elephant/rhinoceros/Alaskan brown piece.

Scott

[imashooter2]

Beautiful work.

[Oreo]

Wow! Very cool.

[crawfobj]

Beautiful work. Wish I had that kind of talent!

[starmac]

Impressive and shows a lot of talent, and skill. I can not imagine pulling the trigger with 200 grains of powder and a 1194 grain round ball, that just sounds scary, but it should make a dandy squirrel gun. Just shoot the tree and catch them on the way to the ground, no mess with a gun like that.

[JeffinNZ]

That's about 10 times as much powder in one shot as I like to shoot. :-) Nice work.

[newton]

I think its beautiful. Very nice. I would love to shoot one, one of these days. I can only imagine the discussions that would ensue at a range.

We need more pictures, including the projectiles.

[TheGrimReaper]

I think it is just too neat of a project. AWSOME work you did there. You should be very proud!!!

[45nut]

Good piece of work. It shows off your talent in a very respectful way. It is beyond amazing what talent lurks here on the CB forum. Thanks for sharing. I am sure you and your heirs will enjoy the 4 bore for a mighty long time.

well said. amazing talent is only a thread away around here.

[flint45]

Man that is a great job I like it very much. Try to make a vidio of you firing it I woujd love to see that!

[Omnivore]

Bear in mind, I'm still standing in knee deep snow ...

So, you have bear in mind, do you? Shouldn't be too hard to find one around those parts.

That looks really nice. I too would like to see more photos. Is that a hooked breech? I think I can make out a barrel key escutcheon on the right hand side there.

[725]

What a beautiful work of art!! Very well done. I like the back action style. More pictures, PLEASE!!

[rexherring]

Very NICE! I'm a sucker for big smoke poles.

I've only seen one for sale lately, a little rich for my blood.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/487/1/AAL-509

[Bomberman]

WOW! More pictures please. That is a work of art. Saying "Nicely done" doesn't do it or you justice. Well played sir!

[Alasgun]

I hear the cry for more pictures, and I have plenty. however, I'm at work currently and cannot access them from the ipad, which means you'll have to wait until I go home on the 20th of March.

I also have a few rudimentary video clips of the first firing, once I can edit them a bit and learn how to load it on here.

Mike

[Alasgun]

298745298746298747

And almost 10 years later; here’s those pictures!

[Alasgun]

298748298749298750

And a few more.

[pworley1]

Outstanding!!

[Alasgun]

298751298752

This could go on for ever so i better quit now

[Landy88]

Splendid rifle. Amazing skills.

How does it shoot? Has it taken that moose?

Being the boolits forum, maybe, it's not too greedy to ask for mold pictures, too.

Wow.

[Ecramer]

That's just amazing.

[No_1]

True craftsmanship.

[missionary5155]

That smooth bore rifle is handsome to behold! I would like to shoot that.

[toot]

now that sure has a WOW, factor!!

[725]

Wow, indeed. I was eager for pictures 9 years ago and I wouldn't mind more. What a treasure.

[Alasgun]

298778298779

Thanks for the kind words guy’s. Here’s the pro-jo’s it fired, unfortunately i never saluted any rude beast with it. On a whim; I took her to a local gun show where she immediately fell in love with one of the patron’s and promptly jumped up in his arms and was swept away into oblivion! Happens all the time; for me it’s all about the time i spend building them, the nice ones. Many gun projects have come and gone over the years and when someone asks; man “why’d you sell that thing” my reply is “I’m a machinist, if i really want one, i’ll build another one.”

[dondiego]

Did you checker that wood yourself? If so, you are more than a machinist!

[Alasgun]

Yes i checkered the stock but i cheated quite a bit, im no checker’er. First of all i decided to use the flat top style as it is easier to fool you visually because the lines aren’t pointed up so little errors dont show. Secondly, i bought a double line cutter which is safe on one edge and used that for the whole pattern, again giving a good illusion without much skill being required. I was happy with it but there were a few areas where my lack did show thru.
I’ll use the same tools and procedure when i complete the trapdoor project.
Thanks for the kind words non the less!

[dondiego]

Yes i checkered the stock but i cheated quite a bit, im no checker’er. First of all i decided to use the flat top style as it is easier to fool you visually because the lines aren’t pointed up so little errors dont show. Secondly, i bought a double line cutter which is safe on one edge and used that for the whole pattern, again giving a good illusion without much skill being required. I was happy with it but there were a few areas where my lack did show thru.
I’ll use the same tools and procedure when i complete the trapdoor project.
Thanks for the kind words non the less!

I have dabbled in checkering and you didn't cheat. I have the tool with the safe side and I still have trouble. Talk about tedious work!