We're taking another poll...

Well, it's time, once again, for another survey.

As you seasoned readers may recall, we conducted a simple survey a while back which provided some interesting information about you, our readers.

For instance, we learned that most of you are target shooters. However, we also have a strong following of hunters and a few collectors as revealed in the chart below.

Target shooters..........................................27  (67%)
Hunters.......................................................21  (52%)
Collectors.....................................................6  (15%)

All the above…………....……………..........10  (25%)

You can see that the actual number of participants was rather low considering how many of you actually come by to read this stuff. It's apparent from the hit counter at the bottom of the page that we do get a lot of visitors here. In fact, we hold the Number 1 spot on all the major search engines when it comes to underhammers. That’s because you readers have put us there and we thank you for your on-going dedicated interest.

So, we’re asking for a bit more participation this time around. Sorry that we had to resort to threats from Voldemort this time to encourage your participation. From the low turnout as indicated by the chart above, it seems that our use of blatant sex last time around did not arouse as much participation as we thought it would. Go figure…

This time we would like to know a bit about your firearms choices. Specifically, how many of you are died-in-the-wool underhammer aficionados compared to cross-overs, that is, those of you who also shoot other cap guns, flint guns or cartridge guns.

We would also like to know what kind of muzzleloading arms you are most interested in purchasing – off the shelf production stuff, or custom-made arms.

Please scroll on down to the bottom of this page and take the survey. Just tick the box(s) that apply to you. What could be more simple?

THE POLLS ARE NOW CLOSED.  THE RESULTS ARE POSTED BELOW,

We would really appreciate your participation!

Questions of comments may be directed to: underhammers@safe-mail.net.

Cheers!


THE SURVEY RESULTS ARE IN!


First of all, I would like to thank every one of our readers who took the time to participate in the survey. There was a total of 76 respondents and the results are quite interesting to consider. Not surprisingly, there are really only a very few of you folks who are dyed in the wool underhammer shooters. I did suspect that there was a considerable crossover element, but I had no idea just how many of our readers are also of the cartridge crowd. Well over half of you shoot all manner of firearms. Great to have your interest.

Also quite surprising is the number of you readers who are also builders of your own firearms. That was most pleasing to see - a whopping 60%! With that in mind, in the future we will consider more information geared toward your interests in crafting your own arms.


The question of the survey was:

My shooting interests involve:

Underhammers only	3 (3%)
Underhammers and other muzzleloading percussion cap arms	13 (17%)
Underhammers and other percussion and flint ignition arms	17 (22%)
Underhammers, cap, flint, and cartrdge arms	52 (68%)
I prefer to buy completed off-the-shelf firearms	22 (28%)
I prefer to buy custom firearms made to my order	8 (10%)
I build my own firearms from kits or from scratch	46 (60%)
None of the above - I'm just visiting	4 (5%)

Again, thanks for your participation.

Cheers!



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Underhammer chunkin'

One of the oldest games around is chunk gun shooting. It is also one of the simplest, although not easy to win. Here is a report from one of our long-time readers, Jeff Bibb, about his recently finished chunk gun and a nifty "chunk" shooting bench that he now offers.

Just a reminder that clicking on any of the photos will enlarge them for more detailed viewing. Clicking the "Back" button at the top left of your browser will return you to the text.

Hello Roger:

Hope all is well with you these days. I keep reading the blog and enjoying the content. Folks seem to be building some really great pieces.

I thought you might be interested in my underhammer rifle. We talked about it briefly last year, but I have been very slow getting something together on it. This is a .54 caliber chunk gun made by Ed Rayl and Charles Bowers. To Ed's knowledge, it is the only all-stainless one in existence. 

For those not familiar with chunk gun shooting, this is a form of muzzle loading target shooting that has been going on in the Southern mountains for a long, long time. Basically, one shoots from a prone position over a log (or chunk) at an "X" target 60 yards away. The person who gets closest to the center of the X over a string of shots wins. These days, folks shoot flintlocks, percussion guns, and yes... underhammers. The competition is fierce, and a match may be won by a few thousandths difference.

This gun is a bit of a horse. It measures 71" long overall, and weighs just over 30 lbs. The barrel is 54" long, and 1.5" wide across the flats. It is entirely stainless steel, as is the action. 

The lock is a Charles Bowers and made from stainless. The trigger is light and has a crisp release. There is a half-cock notch. The action is fitted to a nice walnut, monte carlo stock with a steel buttplate. Length of pull is a bit over 14". 

Loads for the gun are very tight to produce the best accuracy. In this .54 rifle, a good starting place is a .530 or .535 ball with at least a .015 patch, and 100 to 110 grains of 2F. A custom made stainless range rod with a bore guide makes loading a bit easier. A step stool is also suggested. 

This rifle is quite accurate in capable hands (not necessarily mine), and has competed several times at the Alvin York Memorial Shoot in eastern Tennessee. Since that event is approaching this month I thought it might be appropriate to share the gun with you and your readers. Hope you all enjoy it.

As a full time artisan in the muzzle loading world, a surprising number of my customers are also chunk gun shooters. It is an addicting past time. As a result, last year I started making and selling a fully adjustable chunk or bench rest. 

All the best,

Jeff Bibb

All photos copyrighted by Jeff Bibb

Thanks, Jeff, for sharing your new rifle with us. As you shoot some winning targets maybe we can add them to the story.

If you would like more info on Jeff's shooting bench and other fine products, take a look at his site: 

http://www.jeffbibbpouchesandhorns.com/


Cheers!


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