I know about Hagn, Dakota M10, Ruger #1, a couple of people are making Heerens in France and Germany, and some guy in New Zealand is making a Farqueson.

Any side lever falling block actions being made?

quote:

Any side lever falling block actions being made?

The only new made side lever I know, is the C.Sharps Hepburn action.
I don´t know, if there´s any maker, who´s making new side lever actions like the Rigby or Fraser actions of the 19th century.

Martin

Tom Griffin: Fraser.

Before:



After:

I believe Alan Hall is making a few more of his Benchrest-quality sidelever actions, at least "that's what I heard" (grin). A little pricey and a little uncomplicated-looking but A LOT smooth and A LOT accurate! Sorry no pics, I'm not fortunate enough to own one.
Regards, Joe

I hope he is making more of the F actions I have two of them. one of them is already built as a 308 Palma and the second one is being built now in 338/74r Keith great actions.

sure wish that some creative individual would make some new sharps borcharts ( and sell me some cheap)

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
sure wish that some creative individual would make some new sharps borcharts ( and sell me some cheap)

Butch, they're makin' 'em but THEY AIN'T CHEAP!! Al Storey of Borchardt Rifle Co makes some fine new actions but they're rather pricey. I just acquired a beater original Borchardt musket for a donor action, value was $1300. Last Borchardt action I sold was an original musket that had been morphed into a duplication of a commercial action and it went to a friend for $1500.

Sharps made only about 20K Borchardts but Winchester made over 130K high and low walls. Winchester wall parts are widely available, comparatively, but Borchardt parts are almost nonexistent.

IMO a sidelever Borchardt would be a VAST improvement, aesthetically, over the original ugly Sharps lever. Too bad no one ever made one.
Regards, Joe

JD

Who made the ones for Colt.

wow 1500 for the action. i think that's what i paid for my last borchart which was converted to 22 ppc with a nice piece of french and an old unertl 10x vulture scope on it

Butch, over the years I've owned about 10 of these puppies and I've paid anywhere from $100 to $1800. The last 7 I sold averaged well over $1000 each and most of them were the actions ONLY. However only one had been Bubbaed, the rest were quite crisp including several clean originals and a spiffy varminter by C.C.Johnson.

One problem with Borchardts is that very few smiths really understand the action and so they usually butcher the mechanics of it even if they don't buff it to death.

And Rich I don't know who made the Colt Sharps but you can find out by asking the question on the ASSRA forum, assra.com. Most of those guys are nice but.....
Regards, Joe

Rich

If memory serves, the prototype for the Colt Sharps was put together by Belmore Johnson Tool Co.

Bill

JD,

I think about 33,000 total. I just sold #31,9xx.

Argus Barker was making a few last I talked to him. Complete rifles only, $6000 single trigger, $750 more for DST's. Schoyen pattern IIRC.

Rich

Side note: www.steveearleproducts.com makes a replica (CNC) of the Frank Wesson #1 Long Range action in the $1600 range. They were close enough to the Farqy that I understand they sent an attorney over the pond to discuss patent infringements. Wesson ceased production shortly there after. I have one sitting here, waiting for me to decide a suitable chambering.

Rich

IMO the Steve Earle Wesson action is, by far, the best buy on the market today in an exposed-hammer rifle action. Wish I had the extra money!
Regards, Joe

I keep hoping Steve will do a Deely and Edge or Fraser sidelever action for my someday stalking rifle.

Jerry Liles

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Liles:
I keep hoping Steve will do a Deely and Edge or Fraser sidelever action for my someday stalking rifle.

Jerry Liles

My thought exactly!

Have you seen his new mid-range action yet?

Rich

I have seen it. I can not say I find it very attractive or that it would be something I would want to build a rifle on. Kinda fuggly if you ask me. I just finished up the metal on my long range yesterday. Pictures later today.
Steve

I just finished this Wesson long range. The action is 5 ozs lighter after the reshaping.

That is just gorgeous. Thanks for the time on the phone just now.

For the rest of you. The Guild meeting is the same week as SCI. This rifle will be on display there. Can't wait to see it in person.

Rich

I don't care for the Colt, but then again most people don't care for the Heeren and I am in love.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
JD,

I think about 33,000 total. I just sold #31,9xx.

Argus Barker was making a few last I talked to him. Complete rifles only, $6000 single trigger, $750 more for DST's. Schoyen pattern IIRC.

Rich

Thanks for the info Rich, the highest # I've ever personally seen is in the 19xxx range and you're the first reliable source I've encountered for a higher-numbered one.

It's really a splendid action but with a few shortcomings that could be easily changed. Over the years I've converted them to rimless and belted magnum, added 2 forms of sear adjustment capability, installed a bench-fabbed set trigger and am now working on a side safety design among other things. They are also super-easy to convert to takedown style, a personal preference of mine.

Just too bad that clean ones are so expensive!
Regards, Joe

Shiloh has had one in development for 5-6 years now. Kirk said they hoped to bring them out for the same cost($2000 basic rifle) as their M74's.
They bought out Axtell rifles this past June (M1877), so don't have too much hope for the near future.

Have you considered the Steve Earle Wesson #1 LR action. There is one here somewhere being shown in the white. That slick side safety is just tits! I have one, and am still puzzling over what to build.

Rich

In addition to the other single shots mentioned:

- there are several makers of 1885 Winchester replicas
- there's a Ballard from Ballard Rifle
- the Ballard Rifle site says they are working on a Farq
- there's one maker of the Stevens falling block
- there are several makers of large frame rolling blocks, and Uberti makes the small frame
- I believe you can still get a trap-door replica
- there are several makers of both 1874 and 1877 Sharps
- there's a maker of a psuedo 1875 Sharps as well as one maker of a '75 patterned on the original
- there are 3 makers of the 1878 Sharps (Borchardt)
- there's the Fenris, which appears to be a modification of the 1885
- there are numerous European makers of break open
- there's one maker of the Maynard break open
- the guy who makes the Maynards also offers the Spencer single shot
- there's one maker of the Peabody sidehammer
- there should be one or two makers of Martini's

There's no shortage of nice single shots for you to choose from. Let me know if you need any links.

as well, the beautiful CPA slightly enlarged version of the Stevens 44 1.2. They have an instant advantage, take the hex head out of the bottom of the action and just screw one barrel out, and another one in. 22rf as well. I have a really neat one with barrels in 22rf, 40-65, and 45-70. Paul offers them as big as 45-110, and I think a 120/3.25" case would fit.

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Side note: www.steveearleproducts.com makes a replica (CNC) of the Frank Wesson #1 Long Range action in the $1600 range. They were close enough to the Farqy that I understand they sent an attorney over the pond to discuss patent infringements. Wesson ceased production shortly there after. I have one sitting here, waiting for me to decide a suitable chambering.

Rich

man, the Earl action is a true work of art! Steve put A LOT of time in studying and designing the action, as well as choosing the right materials for each part of the unit. I have spoken to Steve several time and he is just a peach of a man and you can tell from talking with him that he really knows what he is talking about. He can answer any question i have ever thrown at him.

I have one of his actions and have a 28" Kreiger fit to it and chamberd for .450 BPE. The barrel is still 1.5" for the full 28" and will require a ton of work to get her ready to stock. Am also going to modify the action similarli to how SKB modified his. But when i broke my back last year everything got put on hold. maybe I can get the metal finished by the end of the year and then stock it next year.

If any of you run across one of the Earle actions for sale, i heartily reccomend jumping on it!!! Even if you do not want it for yourself, if you posted the contact info on the action seller on this forum, i am sure you will make an AR member very, very happy. the waiting list is quite long for Steve's actions.

quote:

the Frank Wesson #1 Long Range action... They were close enough to the Farqy that I understand they sent an attorney over the pond to discuss patent infringements. Wesson ceased production shortly there after.

The Wesson is patterned after the Henry side hammer. I recently read Grant's second volume, and he discusses the similarities; the various Wessons were a favorite of his. He mentions no record of a legal conflict, but he goes on to consider the possibility of it. He notes a patent law suit was unlikely since Sharp's expired patent trumped most of what Henry might have claimed. Henry at most could claim a lever latch and the direct, angled firing pin, but other guns have these, so there's no place to go with that. As it is, Wesson switched to his own improved, patent firing pin mechanism, and I believe Earle uses this. Wesson wasn't a huge maker, and I don't know if he ever came up with a gun to meet the competition that would have killed his line-up: a repeater.

So back to the subject before it got hijacked.

Any more commercial side lever falling blocks?

Ah, yes: highjacking. Your thread title is not specific; you cite only examples other than side levers; and you're "in love" with the Heeren.

I've talked with a guy in Oregon who'll fashion a new Fraser for you. It won't be cheap. If you've designed the latest, greatest side lever, he'll consider building you a one-off.

The DZ Hepburns I've handled were very nice. I didn't know the Hall was still available, but it's good to hear.

asdf,

thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. I do not mind being corrected, it is often difficult to separate legend from fact.

D99 has posted somewhere that he is leaving the forum, "too much drama" he says. A shame, but we must endeavor to persevere.

regards,

Rich

There were 3 action and 2 rifles sitting on tables at the vegas show. Joe Lozito had one as well as his Sharps Borchardt actions.

quote:

If any of you run across one of the Earle actions for sale, i heartily reccomend jumping on it!!! Even if you do not want it for yourself, if you posted the contact info on the action seller on this forum, i am sure you will make an AR member very, very happy. the waiting list is quite long for Steve's actions.