Single Shot Rifles and Actions

354 Pages·1969·211.703 MB·English

by  Frank de Haas

THE PHOENIX BREECH-LOADER
Schotzen Pattern
These arms possess all the elements of the best Brcecli-loading Rifles. They are
very simple of construction, and perfectly strong, safe and durable, while the ease of
manipulation in opening and closing the breech, and extracting the shell or cartridge,
cannot be surpassed. They have less pans than any other Breech-loading Rifle in use,
and the parts are of such form as to render the arm strong and safe as a Rifle can be
made. They have short top action, and are symmetrical in form. The prices are lower
than for any other really lirst-class Rifle in the market. We make on this system, Mili­
tary Arms, Sporting and Target Rifles of both Rim and Central Fire of the differ­
ent calibres, and Single Barrel Shot Guns, which are considered the best and cheapest
Breech-loading Single Barrel Shot Guns in market. Every part of the Gun is made from
the best of Steel or Wrought Iron, by the most approved machinery and skillful
workmen.
These Guns have been fired 1400 successive shots, with no signs of failure of any
pan.
PHCENIX SPORTING AND TARGET RIFLES.
Round Barrel, Plain Open Sights........................................................................................$16.00
Octagon '• “ •' “ ............................................................. ..................... 20.00
with Beach Combination Muz/le Sight................................................... 22.00
" with Peep and Beach Sights,...................................................................27.00
" with Peep and Wind Gauge Sighii, .... ............................................. 33.00
■' " with Peep and Wind Gauge Sights wiih Spirit Level,.......................35-00
“ with Vernier and Beach Sights...................................... ...................... 32.00
" with Vernier and Wind Gauge Si^lns, ................................................. 38.00
'* with Vernier and Wind Gauge Sights with Spirit Level,................... 40.00
Pistol Grip, extra,........................... .................................................................................................... 8.00
Re-loading Tools, per set....................................................................................................................5 .00
Engraving and Checking extra, according to amount of work.
.3S, .40, .44, .45 and .50 Calibre Central Fire. .32, ,38 and .44 Calibre Rim Fire.
Barrels 26 to 32 inches long. Weight, 7 to 10 lbs.
.40 CaliLre Centril Fire Chambered for 50 or 70 Cram Cartridges. .44 Calibre
Central Fire Chambered for Oo, 77, 90, too or 105 Grain Cartridges.
Barrels longer than 30 inches, 75 cents per inch extra.
PIKENIX MILITARY RIFLES.
.433 and .45 Calibre, Center Fire, without B.iyonet. Barrel 35 inrlies,. S18.00
.50 Calibre, Center Fire, without Majonel, Barrel 35 inchcs...................... 17.00
Carbines, .433, -45 and .50 Calibre, Center Fire, Barrel 20^^ ii\ctics,. 16.00
Angular Bayonet?, extra,..................................... . ......................................... 2.00
Sabre Bayonet?, extra, ......................................................................................... 4.00
Weight of Muskets, about 9 lbs.; Carbines, about 7 lbs
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SINGLE SHOT RIFLES AND ACTIONS
FRANK DE HAAS
Frank de Haas was bom in the Dutch community of
Orange City, Iowa, in 1916.
While still a youth his family moved to a farm in the
Ozarks near Harrison, Arkansas. Here he developed a
deep love for the out of doors. For the next eight years,
when not attending school or working, he spent every
possible moment hiking, camping, studying nature, trap­
ping, fishing and hunting. He also developed a keen and
lasting interest in all types of sporting firearms. After
being graduated from the Harrison high school in 1933,
he moved back to Orange City, where he still resides.
For several years following he worked at various jobs
and sampled all the hunting that northwest Iowa had to
offer. During a serious illness and lengthy recovery he
made good use of his enforced leisure by practically
memorizing Clyde Baker’s Modern Gunsmithing and
taking an extensive correspondence course in photog­
raphy. On completion of this course he opened a pho­
tography studio which he operated for six years. How­
ever, his interest in guns won out and, giving up the
studio, he obtained a job in a tinshop where he could
also engage in gunsmithing.
While in high school de Haas had become interested
in writing. Combining this interest with photography
and his knowledge of firearms, he sold his first gun article
in 1943. This minor success eventually led to a full-time
career in writing about shooting, firearms and gunsmith­
ing. To date he has authored more than 70 feature ar­
ticles which have appeared in such leading arms publica­
tions as The American Rifleman, Gun Digest, Guns &
Ammo, Shooting Times, Guns and others. This is his first
full-length book.
FRANK DE HAAS
SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
AND ACTIONS
John T. Amber, Editor
Drawing by A. N. Albertsen and Don D. Kraai, Jr.
Follett Publishing Company
1010 W. Washington Street
Chicago, Illinois 60607
8008
DEDICATION
To my son, Sgt. Douglas Mark de Haas, U.S.M.C. who has inherited my
love of firearms, and to my daughter Judi, and my wife Kate, for without
their encouragement and help this book would not have been finished.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
For his valued assistance and advice, and for the loan of many of his rifles
and actions, special thanks goes to Mr. Otto Wolhowe of Verendrye, North
Dakota.
Greatly appreciated is the help I received from the following men and to
them goes my sincere thanks: Ronald Van’t Hof, Eugene Beving, George
Meyer, George Lorenz, Gilbert Blum, Arlo Neumann, Ted Hengeveld, Robert
Klockow, Gilbert de Jong, L. Schroeder, Harlan Hill, Burdette Beers and
Bob Ironsides.
I am also grateful to Shooting Times magazine for allowing me to reprint
in this book certain articles of mine previously published in that magazine.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 68-54579
Copyright 1969 by Frank de Haas and The Gun Digest Company,
4540 W. Madison Street, Chicago, llhnois, 60624
All Rights Reserved
Printed in United States of America
First Edition
CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................vii
MAJOR U.S. RIFLES
1 Sharps Side-Hammers ............................................................................................1
2 Early Bollards............................................................................................................9
3 Marlin Bollards .....................................................................................................13
4 Gunsmithing the Marlin Bollards....................................................................19
5 Peobodys.................................................................................................................29
6 Peobody-Mortinis..................................................................................................37
7 Remington-Beals ..................................................................................................43
8 Remington No. 1 & No. I’A Rolling Blocks..................................................47
(including Remington single-set triggers)
9 Remington No. 2 Navy Cadet.........................................................................57
10 Remington No. 2 Rolling Block ......................................................................61
(late version)
11 Remington No. 4 Rolling Block ......................................................................67
12 Remington Model 6 .............................................................................................73
Remington Model 6 Improved........................................................................76
13 Remington-Hepburns ..........................................................................................79
(including Hepburn double-set triggers)
14 Sharps-Borchordts ................................................................................................85
15 1873 Springfields...................................................................................................89
16 First Stevens—The Tip-Up...................................................................................95
17 Stevens Side-Plate................................................................................................99
18 Stevens Favorites................................................................................................105
19 Stevens No. 4 4 .....................................................................................................113
20 Stevens Sure Shot................................................................................................119
21 Stevens Side-Lever Crock Shots ...................................................................123
22 Stevens Maynard Jr............................................................................................127
23 Stevens No. 44V2...................................................................................................131
(including double-set triggers)
24 Stevens No. 14 Little Scout..............................................................................139
Stevens No. 14V2 Little Scout.......................................................................142
Stevens No. 11 Junior....................................................................................145
25 Stevens No. 12 Marksman..............................................................................149
26 Stevens No. 26 Crack Shots............................................................................153
27 Original Whitney Rolling Block ...................................................................157
New Whitney Rolling Block..........................................................................162
Whitney Phoenix System...............................................................................167
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28 Winchester Falling Blocks...............................................................................171
(including single-set, close-coupled double­
set and Schuetzen double-set triggers
MINOR U.S. RIFLES
29 Ethan Allen Falling Block...............................................................................189
30 Crescent Rolling Block....................................................................................193
31 Davenport Falling Block.................................................................................197
32 H&A No. 722 .....................................................................................................201
H&A No. 822 .....................................................................................................204
H&A Falling Blocks.........................................................................................207
33 Killdeer Swing Block........................................................................................215
34 Lee Side-Swing..................................................................................................219
35 Page-Lewis Swinging Block.........................................................................223
36 Smith Rolling Block..............................................................................................227
EUROPEAN RIFLES
37 Aydt Swinging Blocks......................................................................................233
(including 4-lever set triggers)
38 Belgian and Brazilian Comblains.................................................................239
39 Deeley & Edge Falling Block............................................................................243
40 Farquharson Falling Block..............................................................................247
41 Floberts ..................................................................................................................251
42 Fraser Falling Block...........................................................................................255
43 German Striker Type Falling Block...............................................................261
44 Another German Falling Block.......................................................................265
45 Portuguese Guedes Falling Block .................................................................269
46 Nagel & Menz Heerens......................................................................................273
47 Kettner (German) Falling Block ...................................................................279
48 Schuetzen Type Martini...................................................................................283
49 Side-Lever Martini.............................................................................................287
50 Martini .310 Cadet..............................................................................................291
51 H. Pieper (Belgian) Marksman.......................................................................295
52 Random Thoughts on the Single Shot.........................................................299
MODERN RIFLES
53 Ithaca Model 49 ..................................................................................................307
54 Mossberg Model L ..............................................................................................311
55 Ruger Number 1 Falling Block.......................................................................315
APPENDIX
Barrel Shank Specifications...........................................................................323
Bibliography Single Shot Rifles ..................................................................335
Index ......................................................................................................................
vi
INTRODUCTION
For most of my life I have been working parts by the use of clear and
interested in all firearms, but the accurate sectional view drawings, and
single shots especially intrigued me. It with words and photos telling how the
was a simple single shot rifle that first actions work. Some of the actions and
started my quest for knowledge about rifles are so uncommon or rare that
guns. A Stevens No. I41/2 Little Scout they are seldom encountered outside
was the influencing factor in the of a museum, but “laid open” in these
events of my life which resulted in my pages you have the next best thing
becoming a gunsmith and eventually to the actual specimen to study.
a gun writer. Besides covering the details of the
A single shot rifle, like any other actions, I have, when possible and
shoulder arm, is composed of a “lock, practicable, given a short biography of
stock and barrel.” Being mechanically the inventor, a brief history of the
minded, it was the “lock” or “action” development of the action, listed per­
in which I became most interested. As tinent dates, given variations, and
a boy I had little opportunity to see pointed out the the strong and weak
many or different single shot rifles, points in the action design and con­
but I quickly discovered that the main struction. When appropriate, some
difference between the various rifles gunsmithing suggestions are thrown in
of this type was the “lock or action.” for good measure. The scale sectional
It is generally the “action” which is view drawings and the parts photos
the only part of a rifle which can be should prove to be a great aid in iden­
patented and it is this part which tifying, making and repairing missing
gives “identification” and “character” or broken parts.
as well as “life” to a rifle. Except by Since some of the better single shot
taking the action apart and putting it actions are normally fitted with a set
back together again, there was no way trigger mechanism, I have included
in the work by which I could learn detailed studies and scale sectional
how the various actions were made view drawings of 7 distinct types of
or how they worked. these triggers. These include all three
My gunsmithing work not only gave of the Winchester set triggers used
me the chance to work on many single on the Model 85 Single Shot actions,
shot rifles and to build rifles on these the two Remington set triggers, the
actions, but also allowed me to study Stevens double set trigger and a Ger­
the actions in a way I could learn the man 4-lever set trigger. Most of this
most about them. information, as well as much of the
After writing a number of articles other information in this book, has
for a leading gun magazine on what not been published previously.
I had learned from a few of these Except in a few instances where
actions I was somewhat amazed to only one or two rifle variations were
learn that a great many persons of built on the same action, I have omit­
all ages—single shot rifle fans, fire­ ted any detailed discussions and de­
arms students, collectors, inventors, scriptions of the many single shot
gunsm iths—were interested in the rifles built on the actions described,
same information which I had been as much of this information on the
seeking and gathering for years. The rifles can be found in other works.
result is this book, which is a collection Needless to say, this book covers
of articles covering approximately 60 only a very few of the single shot
different single shot actions and rifles. actions ever designed and made. The
In this book attention is primarily reader will quickly notice the very
focused on the many different actions frequent use of words such as ‘about,’
covered. As is actually possible to do ‘generally’ and ‘usually.’ This is nec­
with the rare Stevens Side-Plate and essary since so often positive state­
Dexter Smith actions, I have, in a ments cannot be made for lack of
manner of speaking, lifted a side from factory records or other authentic
each of the actions to show the inner information.
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