As an underhammer designer and builder, I am disappointed at how little creativity is being expressed among the present builders of underhammer rifles. While it is generally true that there is nothing new under the sun - that all has been tried before - there exists nonetheless, vast areas of artistic expression that have not yet been explored within the realm of the humble underhammer rifle.I believe that this stems from a certain disdain and prejudice that some shooters have toward underhammer rifles in general. Some view the inherent simplicity of the action as somehow lacking in the sophistication that more complex mechanisms display. There seems to be some idea of nobleness in the evolution of those complex lock mechanisms designed to do nothing more than ignite gunpowder. Many marvel at the intricacies of traditional sidelock designs and look to them as representing the highest form of the gunmaking art.
Because the underhammer was relatively simple and cheap to make, it was reasoned that it somehow didn’t deserve the attention to embellishment that more refined firearms displayed. After all, you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, so why would you waste your time trying? Right?
As a firearms designer I have to disagree. I don't believe that there is "nobleness" in any mechanism based upon its complexity. Anyone can complicate the hell out of any design. In my opinion the greatest challenge is to refine something to its simplest form – to its fewest number of parts while still accomplishing the task at hand. Fewer moving parts is far more impressive to the reasoning mind than a complex design. That’s where the underhammer designs - most of them anyway - really shine. Simple, rugged, and generally quite conducive to accuracy when coupled with a good barrel. To my way of thinking , it is the underhammer that may have a claim of nobleness due to the value of its utter simplicity.
So, with such desirable features in its favor, I have to wonder why many underhammer makers insist on competing in the “Who Can Make The Ugliest Underhammer Rifle?” contest. Doesn’t the underhammer deserve greater consideration? I’ve seen the work of some otherwise talented riflesmiths who will lavish hour upon hour on a Golden Age rifle or a Hawken or Vincent copy, but will really drop the ball by making a less than beautiful underhammer rifle. I say it is time to take a fresh look at the underhammer concept and create beautiful rifles.
I once had a discussion with a muzzleloading gentleman who marveled that I would dare charge over $1500 for an underhammer rifle. He insisted that there just isn’t anything there for which to charge that much money. He said that he built and sold underhammers for no more than $350 - $400 (at that time). I told him that the difference is that he built Volkswagens while I built Bentleys. He just didn’t see the lowly underhammer as being worth the effort and expenditure for quality materials. To this day he is still trying to build a cheaper underhammer!
This is not intended as a put down of anyone’s work -that's not the purpose of this discussion. I am simply throwing down the glove in challenging other makers to give the underhammer thoughtful consideration and elevate it to its rightful place among other great firearm designs.
To borrow a line from the movie, Field of Dreams, "If you build it (a truly beautiful high quality underhammer rifle) they will come (to buy it!)." That’s been my experience. I’ve included some photos of one of my higher end pieces with the hope that it will inspire others to reach a little further than the ordinary. Click on the images for a closer look.
This rifle incorporates hammer, trigger, and triggerguard from my earlier Zephyr design, but fitted to a bronze receiver (tough stuff!). The deep-relief Germanic style engraving was perfectly executed by Dale Woody (www.gunfancy.com) according to the customer's order. The stock and forearm are perfectly matched for grain and color and were crafted from 100+year old exhibition-grade Turkish walnut. The rough, un-carved wood blank alone had a retail price of $3000. So you can see that some people are willing to spend serious money to create one-of-a-kind underhammer rifles.
By the way, one of the reasons that this particular piece of wood was so pricey is because the other side of the buttstock is virtually a mirror image of this side. Rare when that happens. I like to think that whoever cut the blank knew exactly what he was doing.
Come on in – the water’s fine!
Since first posting, there have been several inquiries regarding the beautiful brass scope that I fitted to that rifle. The scope is one of six made to special order by Randy Oates of RKO Instruments. Randy normally makes his ultra-high quality scopes from tempered steel tubes and claims that he will not make any more brass-tubed scopes.
Contact me if you're in the market for such a scope and I'll track down his latest phone number for you.
