About five years ago we published an article telling about a 19th-century 8-bore muzzleloading percussion shotgun designed by a gentleman named Moses Babcock. What sets this firearm apart is its extremely simple and ambidextrous action/lock mechanism. Marek, a TFB reader from Poland, recently contacted me and told that after reading the TFB article about the Moses Babcock shotgun, he designed and built a percussion rifle with a similar action. I thought our readers would love to see his project and Marek kindly allowed me to share it with you.
Percussion Firearms @ TFB:
As mentioned above, the Babcock action is extremely simplified using a minimum amount of parts most of which are multifunctional. For example, the trigger guard doubles as a main spring and powers the hammer, and the sear is simply the extension of the trigger. Another feature of Moses Babcock’s action is that all its parts are concentric with the bore axis allowing equally easily reaching the hammer and percussion cap nipple from either side of the gun. This makes the action perfect for left-handed shooters which is one of the reasons why Marek started the project as he is a lefty.
The lock of the original Moses Babcock shotgun. Photo credit: Chase McEvoy and Troy Griggs of Black Web Photography
Other than the 45-caliber barrel which was purchased, all the parts of this muzzleloading rifle Marek made himself. One notable improvement he added to the Babcock design is the half-cock/safety notch on the hammer.
Marek’s rifle. The hammer is on full-cock notch.
Marek’s rifle. The hammer on half-cock notch.
I think the simplicity of the Babcock mechanism should allow a firearm manufacturer to easily make a replica (or a modernized version) of a Babcock action rifle or shotgun and offer it at a very reasonable price. Let us know in the comments section what you think about the Moses Babcock design.
Many thanks to Marek for sharing his project!