I know Gibbs farquarsons have a strong following, and are highly desireable. I was wondering if there are any flaws in the design or trouble spots that could be improved on.

Hagn/Martini, Ruger and Dakota certainly make great falling blocks, but I just love the look of a Gibbs. Call it nostalgia, but it's good stuff none the less.

So, any thoughts?

I can't give an openion on something I can't ever pronounce !

OK, say it with me.....FAR...CAR...SON

I had one...it was delightful. The Gibbs actions handle beautifully. Design wise I prefer the rebounding hammer of the Westley 1897 model. The Westley was designed for Nitro from the beginning and can also be very nice. Here is mine, in .256

A beautiful rifle as are the Farquarson's.
If only they were more readily available. In the meantime we shoot the Ruger or '85's and wish.
Frank

A farquharson looks and feels good. As far as the design is concerned, a couple negatives. There are a lot of parts; it is not a simple action. Also, the firingpin is at a rather steep uphill angle to the bore.

I like this one better - franz schmied or maybe a Highlander

quote:

If only they were more readily available.

Your wish may come true. Ballard Arms has been working to produce one. I don't know how far along they are or which variant they plan to make (the variant was mentioned in the ASSRA journal a few months back). The folks at Shiloh have been working on their Borchardt for years, so holding your breath in anticipation isn't advised.

That would be great. I've had a Ballard Pacific for some time and love it for long range shooting and fun hunting with the 45/70.

I read somewhere that extraction in very hot weather with the British ammo using cordite was a problem. Apparenty the extraction system is rather weak.
I can't remember if it was in John Taylor's book on African rifles and ammo or if it was something Finn Aargaard wrote.
I've only seen one of these rifls in the flesh and it was cased and had all the goodies that went with it. If I'd had the $4,500 asking price I damn well would have adopted it.
Paul B.

They are heavy, but that's all I can say in the negative.

I have a Gibbs that was originally a .461 military model made in the early 1880s, as far as I can tell.

That from Winfer and Kirton.

It was transformed by Mark Penrod, Paul Hodgins and Ralph Bone into a beautiful .275 Flanged, a/k/a 7x57R.

Great rifle. It will one day belong to one of my sons.

I do not see them as heavy....I think the Gibbs I owned came in around 7lbs or a little less. The Gibbs seem more refined than the PD actions too.
Steve

Here's a comparison that will illustrate what I mean when I say that a Farky is heavy (these are data from two rifles in my collection):

Gibbs-Farquharson falling block, single shot, 7x57R caliber, 24 inch barrel with quarter rib: 8.0 lbs. empty without scope.

German Guild Mauser Model 1898 bolt action, six shot repeater, 8x57JS caliber, 23.6 inch barrel with full rib: 6.7 lbs. empty without scope.

There is a lot of steel in a Farky action and breech block.

Still, they balance very well - smack between the hands - and the extra weight is not a big deal to me.

Actually, the gibbs action was quite light; a tad over two pounds. The jeffrey was heavier.

This is exciting! I've always wanted a Farquharson, but have never run across one. Does anyone know if the Farq extraction system will work with belted brass? I assume that won't work with rimless and likely not with belted either.

The difficulty will be choosing the caliber. I want a small/medium bore and I don't want any rounds that are already "obsolete" with difficult to obtain brass. This knocks out most of the old British rimmed rounds. If it will take belted rounds then 300H+H seems like a good fit. If it only takes rimmed rounds, then perhaps a 30-40 Krag, .303 British or 307 Win as brass is still easily obtainable for these. But for how long...?

Any suggestions?

Wes

38-90, simply neck up the 9,3x74R and you have it. Dies from CH4D.

Rich
Buff Killer

Most if not all of the Gibbs Farq'ns I have seen have a side lever safety instead of the handier tang safety.

quote:

Originally posted by Bailey Bradshaw:
OK, say it with me.....FAR...CAR...SON

Geez,

I've been pronouncing it FAR...QUAR...SHUN for years, feel kinda stupid now...


Hank

quote:

Originally posted by vigillinus:
Most if not all of the Gibbs Farq'ns I have seen have a side lever safety instead of the handier tang safety.

That is true, as most were originally military models (although no military ever adopted them), and those all have side lever safeties.

Mine has a side lever safety.

quote:

Originally posted by HankinColorado:

quote:

Originally posted by Bailey Bradshaw:
OK, say it with me.....FAR...CAR...SON

Geez,

I've been pronouncing it FAR...QUAR...SHUN for years, feel kinda stupid now...


Hank

"Farquharson" is pronounced very nearly the same as "Ferguson" - which is the more usual spelling of that name nowadays.