This halfstock English sporting rifle is stocked in walnut and trimmed in iron furniture with a horn forend cap. The slender shaping on the stock combined with the 30" long tapered octagon barrel give this rifle a modest weight and handy length, making it ideal to carry afield for a big game hunt. This rifle is offered as used with a bright well maintained .62 caliber bore. Trigger reach is 13-3/4" to fit today's average size shooter. Weight is 8.8 pounds, and it balances just behind the entry pipe.
The tapered octagon .62 caliber 30" barrel is 1-1/8" at the breech and 1" at the muzzle. The bore is cut rifled with six lands and radius bottom grooves with a slow twist for a patched round ball. We recommend our .610" pure lead round ball, patched with .015" Ox-Yoke patching, lubricated with a tallow patch grease, if you require best accuracy. The barrel is rust blued to a smooth even finish. A tall peep sight is dovetailed just ahead of the breech plug. The front sight is a brass blade dovetailed directly behind the muzzle.
The walnut stock has dark streaks of figure running throughout its entire length, and is finished dark brown with a satin sheen. The stock has a few minor handling marks from normal field use, and a small chip at the tail of the lock. The buttstock is fitted with a wide steel English style buttplate with long comb to help spread the recoil over a larger surface area. The wrist has a checkered panel to provide the shooter with a secure grip. The forearm is checkered and is fitted with fire blued iron escutcheon plates for the barrel key. Remove the key and ramrod, and the hooked breech allows the barrel to lift away for easy cleaning. The long tang of the hooked breech is secured with a bolt at the rear that engages the trigger plate below. An inverted front bolt passes up from the trigger plate to engage the underside of the breech plug.
The bottom view shows the rounded toe as it fades into the lock panels. The English style triggerguard is threaded to the trigger plate, and the rear finial is secured with a screw that has the slot neatly aligned with the barrel. The ramrod passes through an entry pipe with short pointed skirt and two pipes soldered to the barrel's rib. The tapered wooden ramrod is fitted with a brass loading tip. The tip is not threaded to accept cleaning or loading accessories, and we recommend our #RAMROD-C-36-10 to service this rifle. We note the rear end of the ramrod has a yellow band painted around it, possibly to mark the load the previous owner used. A black horn forend cap protects the end grain of the stock. The single lock bolt passes through a simple washer style sideplate. The buttstock is shaped with a beaver tail cheek with accent line to provide a comfortable rest when aiming this big bore rifle.
The R.E. Davis Alexander Henry style English bar lock, with Express rifle style hammer, is finished to match the rest of the steel furniture and the barrel. This English style percussion lock has a strong mainspring, smooth crisp feel, and fast lock time, due to good internal lock geometry. The hammer spur is neatly checkered for a secure grip. A drip bar is fitted to replace the thin wood ahead of the breech which was often susceptible to damage over time. The breech is fitted with a hardened steel nipple for a No. 11 percussion cap. The single trigger provides a smooth release of the lock.
Consider this rifle if you seek a contemporary English Sporting Rifle with quality percussion lock and big bore octagon barrel. It will be powerful enough to hunt any game in North America. Order it for a ten day visual inspection. If it does not suit you, return it in unfired condition for same-day refund. Postage is your only risk, when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
