Southern Mountain Rifle calibers?

[alemonkey]

I'm trying to talk SWMBO into letting me buy one of the Southern Mountain Rifle kits from Track of the Wolf. Hopefully it will happen some time this year....in the meantime, I'm wondering what caliber is most authentic for one of these rifles. I know the typical long rifle was produced in a smaller caliber like .36 or .45, but Track offers the Southern rifle in up to a .54 caliber. I know this type of rifle was being made fairly late in the muzzleloader era, so were the larger calibers very common? I'd like a .54 since I already own a .50 front stuffer, but I want to keep it authentic.

 

[mykeal]

Depends on the time and location.

Larger bores were very common in the plains and western mountains. They weren't shooting squirrels and deer.

What era and region are you trying to authenticate?

 

[[email protected]]

its my understanding that the "average" caliber for long rifles was .42 and for the plains rifle it was .52. but as stated above, there was a very wide range and about any cal you want would be authentic.

 

[alemonkey]

I'm looking for something pretty much exactly like this:

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(au...7&styleId=285&partNum=KIT-EARLY-TENN-15-FLINT

I like the look of the iron furniture instead of brass, and I really like the shape of the stock. So I take it that it wasn't unheard of to have something similar to this in .54?

 

[kentucky bucky]

What I've seen in my observations and study is the only steadfast rule is that there were no steadfast rules. Alot of the southern guns were in the .36 to .45 range give or take a few, but I've seen specimens up to .60 caliber. They weren't in what we know as "standard" caibers either and often the gunsmith made a roundball mould to fit tha particular gun. You have to remember that the iron used in the old time guns was very soft by modern steel standards, so after years of hard use (or sooner) most of the rifles were "freshened out" or re-rifled. Some ended up as so called "smooth rifles" or in other words a rifle with everthing but the rifling. After several re-riflings or freshenings the size of the bore could grow several calibers. Don't worry about not getting the correct cailber, just get the one that suits your needs the best.

 

[[email protected]]

also, many eastern rifles were rebored to smooth bore to use as a shotgun for birds/small game as the larger game was overhunted to near extinction. the original barrels were hammer welded strips of steel around a mandrel. the mandrel was removed, then they bored the barrel until it was smooth and shiney all the way. then they rifled it and made a mold to fit that rifle. i have access to a gunsmiths ledger from pa in the early 1800's and he mentions refreshing barrels fairly often, as kentucky mentioned above.

 

[Iggy]

Consider getting on in .40 or more.. Many states require a minimum of .40 to be legal to hunt big game.

I wouldn't want to try any thing larger than white tails with a .40 but that's just me.

Here's a scratch built .40 SMR

View attachment 364511

Another in .54

View attachment 364512


The wife's .40 half stock percussion.

View attachment 364513

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The TENN style is different from the wider spread Southern Mountain rifle. The TENN traditionally has a very small wrist with an elongated barrel tang to reenforce the wrist. Some had a round portion at the tip of the tang, called a "lollipop tang". Many folks think the TENN style was the youngest of the Southern styles, and so probably would be in the .32 to .45 caliber round ball size (It's rise to prominence came after Buffalo and Elk were only found west of the Mississippi), while more robust Southern rifles often could go larger. My personal opinion is Track is "fudgin" a bit with the so called "Early TN Mountain Rifle" A straight walled 15/16" barrel in .45 would weigh a lot! I think you'd be happier with a Southern Mountain Rifle with a 13/16" barrel in 45. OR get a kit with the lightest possible swamped barrel, and just use iron hardware to make it a southern style gun.

LD

 

[Seafarer12]

I would go with a 45. I have a 45 flinter and its a good shooter.

 

[alemonkey]

Thanks guys. Since it sounds like the .54 wasn't unheard of I'll probably go with that. The main thing for me with these rifles is I love the look of the stock and the fact that there's no showy brass furniture.

 

[Grey Wolf]

Southern Mountain rifle calibers

I agree with alemonkey. The only hardware was usually the trigger guard and ramrod pipes, no entry pipe. Maple was seldom used for stocks as it is not a native tree. Some had "grease holes" in the stock. No beaver tail cheekpieces. People that could afford them had swamped barrels. A genius gunsmith who was my mentor stopped me from calling them 'poor boys". They were a simple, straightforward design without extra decoration, much like Shaker furniture. I think few were bigger than .54 caliber, but why not be the exception. I had one of his flintlock Tennessee Mountain rifles and a matching pistol in .40 caliber. I sold them because the wind affected the ball too much and they didn't hit steel animal silhouettes hard enough at rendezvous and matches.

 

[44-henry]

Generally speaking, as was stated above, these were relatively small bore rifles, 36-40 caliber was probably about average. I don't know about the idea that they weren't stocked in maple, I've got an original that was that I will post some pictures of and I've seen several more that were maple also. I've also seen some walnut and cherry stocked ones, hickory was done on some also. The one I have has a very slightly swamped barrel that is about 43" long and is 36 caliber. It is percussion. If you do build a flint popular opinion says to stay away from the Siler Germanic style locks, keep with an English style import lock. Here's a few photos.

 

[alemonkey]

So the trigger guard was screwed on? I was under the impression that most long rifles used pins.

 

[Tom Krein]

Some beautiful rifles guys! I want a flinter bad! I would personally get it in .45 cal. That looks to be the smallest cal available in the gun you want. .45 cal balls, cleaning jags, patches, etc are also readily available pretty much everywhere. .45 cal is big enough for deer and still pretty cheap to shoot.

I too am a BIG fan of steel fittings. Good looking rifle you are thinking about!

Tom

 

[44-henry]

This one is pinned in the front and screwed in at the rear. Some used two screws and no pins and were essentially surface mounted with little or know inletting, just depends on the maker and to a deree the region it was built in I suppose.

 

[alemonkey]

That's a neat rifle, good to know about pins vs. screws. I think Track's kit comes with pins, since I don't see any screws on their picture of the finished product. How exactly do the pins work - do they just function kind of like a nail, through a hole in the trigger guard and into the wood?

Also, it comes with a Durs Egg lock, which should be appropriate.

 

[44-henry]

The front pin should enter in the lock mortise and come out on the opposite lock panel. On some rifles the exit hole is underneath the sideplate, but many rifles like this don't have side plates so it just comes out in plain view. To attach them you need to make sure your guard is inlet in the right position in the stock, clamp it, than drill (preferably with a drill press) through the stock and lug. Than you can push (or tap) the pin in and cut it to the right length and it should hold your triggerguard tight in the mortise. There were lots of rifles that pinned the rear or the triggerguard also, but also a lot that used a screw. Pick up a copy of Foxfire ( I forget what number) and you can see a good article in there documenting a young Herschel House building a plain southern mountain rifle. He builds pretty much everything except the lock and barrel and it is a very interesting look at a person who was to become one of the more known muzzleloading gunsmiths of the day.

I have seen the kit you talked about in person, I live not far from Track of the Wolf. I personally feel the 54 caliber is awfully large for a rifle like this, I like the caliber, but I don't know how well it fits this style of rifle. I would personally drop it to 45 or 50, both of which work fine on deer if the range and shot is reasonable. On the other hand it is your rifle and it would make a light weight powerful hunting gun. Plus, who's to say that an original didn't get freshed out to the larger caliber. Have fun in any event.