Has anyone built a Ferguson Flintlock Rifle?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Qweevox

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2019
Messages
67
https://wrightsmanflintlocks.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/ferguson-flintlock-rifle/#more-216

A member on another forum had one built. It was a beautiful rifle with an interesting mechanism. I was wondering if anyone here has built one? I don't believe there is a complete kit available, anywhere. As the article stated the parts to build it came from The Rifle Shop. It wasn't a cheap build.

Ever since seeing it I can't stop thinking about it.
 
Man, their website really needs some work. Thanks, I found it. I've read good things about them, but ....$1,795 for parts set and assembled lock, ouch. Has anyone here ever purchased one and built it? Would this be something only a gunsmith should try, or is this something a novice builder might tackle?
 
Thanks for sharing that link. Such a cool rifle. Given that expense was the main reason Fergusson's design was never put into production for the British Army, the cost of the kit seems reasonable to me. I would imagine that having it built by someone like the fellow in the linked article would make the most sense.
 
Don’t have one, but I always like seeing pictures of Josh’s work.
The first time I ever heard of him was when he posted step by step pictures of building a Queen Ann lock from scratch. The metal from the lockplate was wrought iron salvaged from an old bridge.
There are a lot of gunstockers out there. Gun makers are a rarer breed, and I think he is one of the best.
 
but ....$1,795 for parts set and assembled lock, ouch

That's quite reasonable, considering what goes into it. Consider the costs if you have somebody assemble it for you. :D

While it's a very cool flintlock, except for Alabama where (iirc) any single shot rifle is "primitive" for their "primitive season", since the Furguson is a breech loader, you're out of luck during ML deer season. So are the guys shooting Sharp's rifles and such. :( We've had some interesting situations in my state as the ACW is very big here so lots of ACW rifles.., and a few fellows here and there were using caplock Sharps breechloaders during ML deer season (OH and one guy used a Burnside carbine). Black powder but not "muzzle loading" arms, so....:confused:. The guy with the Burnside also was cited since the Burnside only had 45 grains of 2Fg when the state requires a minimum load of 60 grains of 2Fg.


LD
 
That's quite reasonable, considering what goes into it. Consider the costs if you have somebody assemble it for you. :D

While it's a very cool flintlock, except for Alabama where (iirc) any single shot rifle is "primitive" for their "primitive season", since the Furguson is a breech loader, you're out of luck during ML deer season. So are the guys shooting Sharp's rifles and such. :( We've had some interesting situations in my state as the ACW is very big here so lots of ACW rifles.., and a few fellows here and there were using caplock Sharps breechloaders during ML deer season (OH and one guy used a Burnside carbine). Black powder but not "muzzle loading" arms, so....:confused:. The guy with the Burnside also was cited since the Burnside only had 45 grains of 2Fg when the state requires a minimum load of 60 grains of 2Fg.


LD

Wow, I hadn't thought about that! It is called Muzzleloader Deer Season in my state. I just assumed this would still qualify.

Of course, I don't think I would have known it was anything but a muzzleloader before having seen one, or having the mechanism demonstrated. With the breech closed it just looks like any other flintlock.

Buying the kit, paying someone to build it, and then there is the engraving to consider. Coupled with the fact that I can't hunt with it. ....$$$$ I might just be admiring this one for a while longer.
 
Last edited:
Don’t have one, but I always like seeing pictures of Josh’s work.
The first time I ever heard of him was when he posted step by step pictures of building a Queen Ann lock from scratch. The metal from the lockplate was wrought iron salvaged from an old bridge.
There are a lot of gunstockers out there. Gun makers are a rarer breed, and I think he is one of the best.

He really did a great job building that gun. I saw additional pictures of that same rifle and it was beautiful.
 
Thanks for sharing that link. Such a cool rifle. Given that expense was the main reason Fergusson's design was never put into production for the British Army, the cost of the kit seems reasonable to me. I would imagine that having it built by someone like the fellow in the linked article would make the most sense.

It was a complicated rifle for the era, without standardized manufactured parts, I imagine it was also unusually difficult rifle to repair.
 
Qweevox - if you're going to do it, I suggest you use laminated wood and paint it afterward. It's stronger than walnut and less susceptible to breaking. Those Fergusons could bind and the torque to open the action can be tough on walnut.
 
Qweevox - if you're going to do it, I suggest you use laminated wood and paint it afterward. It's stronger than walnut and less susceptible to breaking. Those Fergusons could bind and the torque to open the action can be tough on walnut.

4v50, honestly, I don't think I have the confidence to build the rifle myself. So I'd probably need to budget for someone to do it for me.
 
I believe about twenty years ago, Narragansett(sp) Arms offered 100(?) Ferguson rifles complete with bayonet and horizontal stand for about $3,000. I don't know how many actually were sold, but a local attorney here was fortunate to buy one. They were all American-made parts. When I attended the Old Virginia Primitive Rendezvous, "the OVPR", about the same time, there was a feller at the doings with a couple Ferguson replicas that he made from scratch, thus the $ 8,000 price tag, and that was about twenty years ago.

If you look at YouTube, and type in "Ricky Roberts Ferguson Rifle Timed Fire at King's Mountain National Park", you'll see a clip of Ricky Roberts from here in western NC, demonstrating his Ferguson rifle at, of all places, the Kings Mountain Military Park, near the site where Patrick Ferguson met his death.
 
I believe about twenty years ago, Narragansett(sp) Arms offered 100(?) Ferguson rifles complete with bayonet and horizontal stand for about $3,000. I don't know how many actually were sold, but a local attorney here was fortunate to buy one. They were all American-made parts. When I attended the Old Virginia Primitive Rendezvous, "the OVPR", about the same time, there was a feller at the doings with a couple Ferguson replicas that he made from scratch, thus the $ 8,000 price tag, and that was about twenty years ago.

If you look at YouTube, and type in "Ricky Roberts Ferguson Rifle Timed Fire at King's Mountain National Park", you'll see a clip of Ricky Roberts from here in western NC, demonstrating his Ferguson rifle at, of all places, the Kings Mountain Military Park, near the site where Patrick Ferguson met his death.



Can you explain how he managed that rate of fire. When was he priming the rifle? Did he just brush off the powder from closing the breach? That's an amazing rate of fire for a black powder rifle.
 
Last edited:
To answer the priming question, yes, after placing the ball in the breech, fill the chamber with powder, raise the breech screw, sweep leftover powder into the pan, cock and fire. Could be done as many as 8 times a minute.
 
I hand built a sporting Ferguson several years ago.
36550128030_07cc735f57_z.jpg


36111975684_153c897e04_z.jpg

36774992882_5232eb9060_z.jpg

I made the action,trigger guard, stock, trigger plate,tang-breech plug and several other parts.
I used a 50 cal. barrel and shoot a .535 round ball.

If you have built a rifle from a part set it shouldn't be a big deal to build a Ferguson from parts.
I had the build on another forum but after the Photobucket disaster it was lost.

SC45-70
 
Last edited:
To answer the priming question, yes, after placing the ball in the breech, fill the chamber with powder, raise the breech screw, sweep leftover powder into the pan, cock and fire. Could be done as many as 8 times a minute.

8 shots a minute? That was definately a force multiply for its time. What was the rate of fire for the Brown Bess 3 shots maybe 4?
 
I hand built a sporting Ferguson several years ago.
View attachment 857719


View attachment 857720

View attachment 857721

I made the action,trigger guard, stock, trigger plate,tang-breech plug and several other parts.
I used a 50 cal. barrel and shoot a .535 round ball.

If you have built a rifle from a part set it shouldn't be a big deal to build one from parts.
I had the build on another forum but after the Photobucket disaster it was lost.

SC45-70

I don't have the skill or machining tools to do what you did there. Very nice job. Have you ever posted a build thread on that rifle anywhere? I certainly would like to see how you did it.
 
This thread cost me $9.99 at Amazon Kindle for a new e-book.

neat stuff here and there

-kBob

lol, the first book on Amazon that popped up on the subject was $84! I think I then saw the book you bought for $9.99.
 
I don't have the skill or machining tools to do what you did there. Very nice job. Have you ever posted a build thread on that rifle anywhere? I certainly would like to see how you did it.


I did a build thread on the muzzleloading forum, but when Photobucket started asking for ransom money I closed my account and all the pictures were gone from the forum.

I have most of the pictures from the build If you want to see some let me know

SC45-70
 
I did a build thread on the muzzleloading forum, but when Photobucket started asking for ransom money I closed my account and all the pictures were gone from the forum.

I have most of the pictures from the build If you want to see some let me know

SC45-70

By all means, please post them. I don't mind one bit if you recreate your build thread in this thread. After all, I was asking if anyone had built one, or owned one. I'd really appreciate any and all experience you'd like to share.
 
Nice work SC-4570. Did you examine or see the Ferguson at Morris Town (sp) in NJ or at the Milwaukee City Museum?
 
4v50 Gary

I remember seeing a Ferguson rifle reproduction at the NRA Museum in Virginia. have always been fascinated by how the Ferguson rifle worked and if I had the money I would definitely see about getting one built.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top