T/C .54 New Englander Muzzleloading SBR

[daleraby]

This is my "Muzzleloading SBR". Perfectly legal to own in my locale. Started out with a T/C New Englander .54 caplock with a pretty rough bore. Cut down to 9 1/2", had the gunsmith re-crown the muzzle, lapped the bore, removed rear sight, installed plug screw in one of the sight holes and a white shotgun bead in the one closest to the muzzle. Cut the stock down a bit shorter than the barrel. Cut a hickory ramrod to length. Used jeweler's files to make a slight bevel on the ramrod hole, then wrapped vinyl tape around the end of the ramrod and trimmed it off until i had a snug fit. Stripped the varnish off the stock and refinished with boiled linseed oil. Shooting patched round ball with 18 grains of fff black powder (volumetric measure). It is LOUD! Recoil is negligible with this charge weight. Bringing the charge weight up to 30 grains increases muzzle blast and recoil significantly. Accuracy is sufficient to 'recycle" the La Choy can, but not quite up to target work... at least not yet. Group is about three inches at 21 feet and centered about four inches left of aiming point. Planning to trim my beard a bit and then get the draw-knife and the horseshoe rasp out of the smithy so I can correct my windage by shaving the stock a bit. Elevation seems about right. Stay tuned.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7ayN9bRNkx4/Vx5DTMpkY-I/AAAAAAAAK68/5ECVDqrzTrkpzDwLNDI62pTkicz0nUNSg/w707-h531-p/16%2B-%2B1

[nagantguy]

Very neat project, do keep us posted!

[bubba.50]

interestin' but, I believe I woulda just looked around & found a good New Englander barrel.

[daleraby]

Well, I already had a couple New Englanders. What I didn't have was a muzzleloading SBR. Now I do.

[dondiego]

SBR..........or LSP...Long Stocked Pistol???

[daleraby]

SBR..........or LSP...Long Stocked Pistol???

Same thing?

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

interesting , do you have a goal for use or just for fun

[pietro]

.


BATF/SBR regs don't apply to frontstuffers.............


.

[rodwha]

I'm curious about the use as well.

I've looked over and measured my Lyman Deerstalker and thought a 16-18" .54 cal barrel would be a nice hog gun. At that length I'd keep the first barrel and a bit more for the rod tension keeping spring at the end.

[BlackPowderBen]

Very interesting let us know how it works out

[daleraby]

Have discovered a tapped hole on the top of the breech plug. Looked around the store at the other T/C guns and found that some of 'em have it and some of 'em don't. NO idea what the hole was for originally. It had a plug screw in it which was easily removed. After a little experimenting, discovered that the center bead from a Mossberg Model 500 VR barrel will thread into this mysterious hole. Further discovered that when held up in the shooting position and aligned with the front bead, it will ghost out, so it almost acts like an aperture sight... a "reverse" aperture sight maybe?

Now if this actually provides an accurate sight picture on a target, it could be useful as is, otherwise, it is a convenient place to attach some other kind of primitive rear sight.

Stay tuned.

[daleraby]

Well, technically, its research for my second novel, but I plan to have as much fun as possible.

[wgr]

that tapped hole is for a scope mount

[725]

In your research, try blanket guns and/or canoe guns. Some interesting stuff.

[daleraby]

that tapped hole is for a scope mount
Think I remember that now. Some kind of mount that allowed removal of the scope for cleaning without loss of zero. I was always skeptical of those kind of claims. Side-hammer guns should never have scopes on 'em, but then I am an old curmudgeon who is resistant to change.

[daleraby]

In your research, try blanket guns and/or canoe guns. Some interesting stuff.
Where I got the idea...

[SSGOldfart]

Sir if you don't mind,what is your first novel?
Some muzzle loaders have a small hole under the nipple housing for a clean out just incase,the cap leaves carp under the nipple

[45workhorse]

Where's the single point sling mount?!:bigsmyl2:

[daleraby]

Sir if you don't mind,what is your first novel?
Some muzzle loaders have a small hole under the nipple housing for a clean out just incase,the cap leaves carp under the nipple

Hmmm... I've gotten in trouble for "self-promotion" before, but since you ask, my real name is Dale A. Raby. If you can Google my name you can find any of my books, among other things. My stuff is not for everyone though.

This hole doesn't go into the breech at all... I checked. The bolster screw is the one you are referencing I think. That one DOES go into the breech. Probably not a good idea to remove that screw and then actually fire it.

[daleraby]

Where's the single point sling mount?!:bigsmyl2:

That's something I might be working on this weekend if its warm enough to get into the smithy. Actually thinking about a swivel an inch off the toe and another an inch off the heel with an adjustable sling. In theory, you could hang it over your right shoulder and just swing it up for quick deployment. I had my M16 rigged with a similar arrangement in Kuwait and Iraq some years back. Never needed it quickly, but the improvised "top sling" seemed to work OK.

[daleraby]

Got home and tested the new sighting arangement. Shot the La Choy can off the table with one shot. Seemed to hit dead on where I was holding at a 7-yard range. The rear sight bead ghosted out against the white front bead which was held on the center of the can. Had no trouble picking up the sights, even in the relatively dim light of 7:30 PM on an overcast day.

Now as this was only one shot on a La Choy chop suey can that had been ventilated forcefully several times previously, it is hardly conclusive evidence of anything. That said, the fact that the can flew off the table and hit the gravel IS encouraging.

Will give it another try... possibly tomorrow on something that can show groups a bit better than a can that could have looked like Spongebob Squarepants with only a coat of yellow paint. This weekend I'll try to shoot some actual groups on a paper target and POSSIBLY post a YouTube video of the gun being fired.

[daleraby]

Three inch group including the fowling shot fired through a clean bore. The first shot was a bit high... about 2 1/2" above the center point between the other two. Windage was spot on and the shots 2 & 3 were about 1 1/2" apart, one above the other. So if I dis-include the fowling shot, I can call it an unofficial 1 1/2" group. Not too bad all things considered. This is the sighting arrangement I will be using.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

drilling and tapping the tang might make more sense , then make a screw in peep type of sight sort of like the skinner sight http://www.skinnersights.com/lo-pro_sight_7.html

i have have heard of guys making one of the tang screw into this type of sight with a little creative machine work or a spot weld or two putting a washer in the slot and welding it then adjusting the front sight height to the peep

[daleraby]

Well, I still have a barrel remnant and somewhere around here I have a Marbles apperture sight desgned to fit the dovetail of a Winchester model 94. Once I have the new breech plug installed, I can duct tape the sight to the barrel and see how I like it. I didn't like it on the '94 trapper and went back to an open sight, but it IS, after all, a research project primarily. As my character has vertical pupils like a cat, who's to say how this would affect her ability to use an apperture sight? To do this properly, I will have to construct some special glasses with vertical slits close to my eye just to get an idea how my character might perceive the sight picture. Not sure if I will go that extra mile though. A chimera's perceptual system will certainly be different from that of any human being's in any number of other ways as well.