doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Lancaster smooth rifle

I thought some of you may enjoy seeing the rifle Dr. Lindley purchased sometime around 1862 at 151 Bond St. It remains in remarkable original condition.

Spectacular.

Please entertain an ignorant question: Does the "smooth" mean smooth bored like a shotgun, or oval bored or something else? Because of the sights, I assume an oval bore, the only way I could think of to have a gun that was simultaneously smooth bored AND a rifle....

And what caliber is it?

.50 cal oval bore.
Steve

Amazing gun, and even more so with it's original case and accessories! I love cased guns!

Thanks, Steve.

Nice gun. Those fixins are the best. They can help us decipher guns today. Julia's sold a cased complete Lancaster earlier this year.

Let's see what the arch punch cuts?

As soon as I get the camera fixed I will be happy to post some photos of the punch and the paper it cuts. It is a three tab punch and I am actually not quite sure how to wrap the Prichet style bullets with those patches. The gent who had it before me wrapped them like paper patched bullets are usually wrapped using a a parallelogram template that was made up long after the gun was built. I will not likely get to working on loads for it this fall as I have an Elk tag and a two groove rifle that need immediate attention.
Steve

If I'm seeing that punch right, I think it is a "Cross Patch" punch. Normally, cross patching requires two strips of paper "crossed" over the false muzzle in grooves that orient them perfectly. As the bullet is inserted into the false muzzle, the patch's wings fold up around the sides of the bullets and the whole thing slides down the barrel to seat on the wad over the powder (wads are important!). The paper can be lubed, or not. Benchrest muzzleloaders would soak the paper (often coated or uncoated freezer paper), in sperm whale or mineral oil.

It is a darn cool rifle but I would not call it a smooth rifle if it has spiraled grooves of any type. But semantics are pretty trivial, the rifle is what's important, and that's a beauty.

Brent

What a great piece! Thanks for showing it.

The maker engraved "smooth bore rifle" on the barrel. That's good enough for me. What a rifle!

I guess that IS "Truth in advertising"!

Well, it is hard to argue with the builder.

The three tab patch cutter

It is an interesting punch but does your rifle have a false muzzle. It would seem odd to do this sort of paper patching in a rifle without one.

no false muzzle, never had one. Cloth patch maybe?

Never seen a cloth patch of that shape, but perhaps. How loose is the bullet in the bore? will it allow for a cloth patch? An interesting and unusual rifle and collection of tools for sure. We may never really know how it was made to be used and for what purpose.

In the fourth picture from the top, What is the tool in between the sling and the leather packet? It looks like a spring clamp. Seems odd that one would be carried with the rifle but perhaps the rifle was made with extra mainsprings. Is the mainspring particularly unusual?

Very cool Steve, now~~what to do with it?

I wonder what is in the leather wallet with the wrap n' tuck strap next to the ebony handled?
I modeled a flint wallet and sold a pattern for it decades ago.

Inside the leather pouch there is a spare nipple, spare lock screw, nipple wrench/turnscrew and tweezers? combo tool, The main spring cramp is very cool. Pics of the 4 tab patches and a patched bullet as well. Should be fun to play with.

Great pictures Steve, thanks for adding them in. I think the rifle is plenty interesting on its own, but composed or original, the case with odds and ends make for a really nice overall package.

Good heavens!!!! Spectacular.

If you look very very closely, is there any sign that the nipples are platinum lined?

What size is the hole in the nipples? I realize they are hard to measure, but perhaps you have some furnace nipple picks?

SKB, have you poured any lead through the mould? I am interested in seeing the bullet and knowing its diameter and weight, as well as the bore size or marked caliber. I am an oval bore aficianado, though more of a cartridge guy than a muzzleloader guy. Brent's comment about the cross patch is correct. You cute two patches and line them up into a cross, into which the bullet is seated. But now I see that this is a tri-fold patch, which is really unusual. Though the case label says it all: Charles Lancaster was an "Inventor," many of his inventions were contrary to conventional wisdom, and his inventions worked incredibly well.

Hollow base bullet...my, how the oval bore evolved over time. The breech loaders took paper patched plain base bullets, and in my experience they do not shoot hollow base worth a darn. Still an oval bore. Go figure. Thanks, Steve

Glad the bullet made it. The warm weather has me wanting to get it to the range.

Thanks again for sending that bullet, Steve. Very cool. And surprising. Just one more bit of evidence that British gunmaking in the 1860s-1900s was constantly in motion, changing, evolving, improving. Go shoot that thing and show us the results. My experience with Lancaster rifles is that they have laser-like accuracy.

I would love to squeeze in some range time. Just buried with work currently. Restorations, customs, CAD/CAM projects etc.

That is a beautiful, well preserved example from one of the Great London makers. Congratulations on such a splendid rifle.

Steve, it is posts like this that keep me coming back here. Your photos are great and really appreciated. Daryl