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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Double Rifles

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duckbuster
.224 member


Reged: 17/10/08
Posts: 8
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
12-bore rifles
      #117206 - 19/10/08 06:10 AM

I've just read a couple of books about two English hunters who went on two "shoots," one in Somaliland and one in Alaska in the 1905-1907 time period.

For the African hunt the author listed their battery as:
Three 12-bore rifles,
Two double barrelled [sic] hammerless ejecting .500 expresses,
One .35 Winchester,
Two small .22 Winchesters,
One single barrel .350,
One .410 collector's gun,
And "a good shikar pistol apiece, 12-bore."

For the Alaska hunt they took "... '375 and a '256 Mannlicher ... our old 12-bores, a '35 Winchester, a '22 Winchester, and a '410-bore collector's gun."

I'm curious about the 12-bore rifles and, in search of information, I ended up at this site -- and it's been great fun lurking the past week or so. Anyway, were the 12-bore rifles like the shotguns of the day, but with rifled barrels? Were the cartridges similar to our slugs? The English hunters I was reading about used their 12-bores for lions, rhinoceros and brown bear. Thanks in advance for any comments or insights.


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rigbymauser
.400 member


Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1972
Loc: Denmark
Re: 12-bore rifles [Re: duckbuster]
      #117207 - 19/10/08 07:09 AM

Quote:

I've just read a couple of books about two English hunters who went on two "shoots," one in Somaliland and one in Alaska in the 1905-1907 time period.

For the African hunt the author listed their battery as:
Three 12-bore rifles,
Two double barrelled [sic] hammerless ejecting .500 expresses,
One .35 Winchester,
Two small .22 Winchesters,
One single barrel .350,
One .410 collector's gun,
And "a good shikar pistol apiece, 12-bore."

For the Alaska hunt they took "... '375 and a '256 Mannlicher ... our old 12-bores, a '35 Winchester, a '22 Winchester, and a '410-bore collector's gun."

I'm curious about the 12-bore rifles and, in search of information, I ended up at this site -- and it's been great fun lurking the past week or so. Anyway, were the 12-bore rifles like the shotguns of the day, but with rifled barrels? Were the cartridges similar to our slugs? The English hunters I was reading about used their 12-bores for lions, rhinoceros and brown bear. Thanks in advance for any comments or insights.




Welcome onboard

OK...you like reading books.

Unless stated otherwise in the "books??"..it could be litteratly any gunmaker from London to Birmingham who has done 12 bore rifles.
We have subsection here on the Nitro Express that has some borerifles on program..perhaps this could solve something for you.
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=paradox

Here is a link too.
http://www.acant.org.au/Articles/HowdahRifle.html

Edited by rigbymauser (19/10/08 07:19 AM)


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tinker
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: 12-bore rifles [Re: duckbuster]
      #117211 - 19/10/08 09:08 AM

Hello and welcome to the site!

Have you discovered the Google Books search engine feature?
I have amassed quite a library of Victorian era books, journals, and other works via searches through that wonderful tool.

On the 12 bore (12b) rifle, there's a handful of light 12b rifles for sale on the Gunsinternational.com site

An A. Henry
A J. Purdey
and
A Greener

It doesn't appear as if any of these three are currently running *supplied with good regulating loads, ammunition, loading supplies, or tools* but with a fair bit of work and resourcefulness you could likely get any of these up and shooting without too much hassle.

At least the images on the linked site will help give you a sense of what a proper 12b SxS double rifle from the Golden Age looks like.

There are examples detailed and discussed here on NitroExpress too.
Here's an very nice example of a J&W Tolley 12b rifle, much heavier than the three shown above, also with some very cool features and engraving.

Use the search engine here on the site, get a sense of the vernacular, and go out on the Google Books search utility and find proper period writing on the subject. You'll definitely have fun reading!



--Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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