Ferguson Breech Loader

[Idaholewis]

The Barrel Builder I Visited yesterday had this Replica of a Ferguson Breech Loading Flintlock Rifle, The breech of the gun is closed by 11 starting threads on a tapered screw, the trigger guard serves as the crank to rotate it. One complete turn drops the screw low enough to drop a round ball into the exposed breech followed by a slight overcharge of powder, which is then sheared to the proper charge by the screw as it closes the breech. Since the Rifle was loaded from the breech, rather than from the muzzle, it had an amazingly high rate of fire for its day, and in capable hands, it fired six to ten rounds per minute.

 

[edmehlig]

That's pretty neat! Wonder why it never caught on unless it was too expensive to make?

 

[52Bore]

I seen some at Friendship.
John Braxton has showed me a few and one he just finished recently.
I think they foul (breech) like a sob.

 

[Idaholewis]

I seen some at Friendship.
John Braxton has showed me a few and one he just finished recently.
I think they foul (breech) like a sob.

From what I understand/read they were not that bad about fouling if properly prepared? The Threaded Breechlock on the Original Ferguson rifles was Cone shaped/Tapered.

I copied and pasted this from Wikipedia

Experience with early modern replicas, made before the proper screw and thread pitch of the breechblock were rediscovered, seemed to indicate that while reloading was rapid, it seemed to be necessary to first lubricate the breech screw (originally with a mixture of beeswax and tallow) or else the (replica) rifle would foul so much that it needed cleaning after three or four shots. However, through the research efforts of DeWitt Bailey and others, the properly made reproduction Ferguson rifle, made according to Patrick Ferguson's specifications of the 1770s, can fire beyond sixty shots.

 

[badgerfarm]

Man I would love to have a Ferguson. Of course I'd like to have a Giradonni air rifle like the Lewis and Clarke expedition carried too.

 

[PRBRobin]

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2022/758/narragansett-arms-ferguson-rifle-62

Better hurry if you want this one.

Major Patrick Ferguson developed this rifle for military use in the British army but very few were ever made. His unit, I believe, did use some in one of the battles in the American Revolution. Old Pat was killed at the Battle of King's Mountain and there's no real evidence that he had them there.

For you Tennesseans out there in spite of its looks(flintlock ignition) the rifle would not be legal during the state's muzzle loading deer season....Tennessee's description of a legal gun to use during ML says it must be incapable of loading from the breech.

 

[Idaholewis]

They are a neat looking Rifle!