Underhammer Revisited

[jh45gun]

Well while my plunger type underhammer worked it was not very handy so I figured back to the drawing board for my full stock underhammer rifle and shotgun. Here are pictures of the lock and the gun. Not sure if the red dot will stay or go if it goes I will put a peep sight back on it, as the eyes just do not shoot open sights anymore very well. Rifle is mostly finished except for some clean up work. Shotgun lock is half done need to add the springs to it and mount. There is a plate that swings to the side that half covers the hole for the hammer as a hammer block. That will act as a safety and so the hammer can rest off of the nipple for recapping ect. Trigger guard had to be free floating on the front end as I could not attach it in any way that it would not interfer with the trigger bar. This has a nice trigger on it now it releases with no creep and a nice light pull. There was no way the lock would have fit into the stock completely so it does hang down some, but with the spring set up the way it is I felt if I removed too much wood it would have weakened the stock too much. Bottom plate  in front of the lock needs to be finished it it is still in the rough, but put in on to see how it would work.

[jh45gun]

More I hope Clearer pics.  I bought the hammers at a gun show for 50 cents a piece I got two of them.  :grin: They were  Ruger Single Action Hammers now modified. The Spring set up for the Hammer came out of the Underhammer book by Hershal Logan. The trigger spring is a wire v shape with a loop in the middle for the tension I cut this down to fit on one side and left the long side at the top of the plate and a bolt is going through the loop in the spring to hold it in place.

[captchee]

intersting . can as though  why you went this route insted of  the  original underhammer lock desing ?

 great job in  working out the lock

[308Win]

It is a odd looking critter good luck with it.

[jh45gun]

intersting . can as though  why you went this route insted of  the  original underhammer lock desing ?

 great job in  working out the lock

Well I had the stocks allready and I wanted to keep the price down. I could have bought the stuff to make a traditonal buggy rifle style  underhammer but then besides getting that stuff getting the barrels machined to fit would have cost as much as just going out and buying one and I am dealing with two guns here a shotgun and a rifle so the cost would have been double. One of those deals were you would probably have more money into it than what it is worth. I would have liked to put this all in the stock out of sight except for the trigger and the hammer if I could but I would have had to remove too much wood other wise to make it feasable and I was afraid I would weaken the stock. That is probably why you never seen too many full stock rifles that are underhammers and most were the type that had a steel or iron receiver. I agree they are different looking but as long as they work well I will be happy and I made use out of some barrels that otherwise may have went to waste. The rifle should shoot good since the stock channel is glass bedded and the barrel is a Green Mountain Barrel.  308 you want to see some odd looking underhammers get a hold of Logan's Underhammer book. Some of the European style underhammers were pretty far out looking too.

[jh45gun]

Went out hunting today and shot a couple of grouse was looking for a shot at a deer too with the xbow  but no luck there. Anyway went early so I could shoot the underhammer for fuction and shot it a dozen times it worked flawlessly.