May 1, 2022, Sunday GunDay: Falling Block.50 BMG — Beauty of a Beast
This rifle is a remarkable.50 caliber. It also features a lever-actuated falling block and a huge swing-out breechblock, much like what you would find on a field artillery item. The scope and sights are offset by the wide range of action. Have you heard of the “Beauty and the Beast?”? Here’s the Beast ….View from above. The hinged Breech-Block is also noteworthy.
J.T. Smith created this extraordinary example of gunsmithing art. J.T. Smith, Sudbury, Massachusetts. This unique rifle in.50 caliber features an aircraft machine gun barrel that was reduced to 38-1/4? and then turned octagon-to-round (in the style Schuetzen rifles). The barrel’s round section is tapered and has a boss at the muzzle. The barrel is inlaid with gold on the top flats of both the left and right sides. The receiver and the barrel are fitted with custom scope bases. These are used to hold an Unertl 15X target scope that can be adjusted externally in offset scope mounts.
The huge receiver (8? The receiver (8? Wide x 3? It is both unique in design and construction. The action is made from solid steel and features many unique features. The hinged Howitzer-style breechblock, which is Howitzer-style in design, swings to the right and mortises into receiver’s loading slot. This acts as a backup for the falling block. We have never seen anything like it on any rifle. The Ruger No. 1 floorplate/lever is one-piece. 1-style latch that locks into the trigger guard’s bottom. The entire floorplate and lever are retractable downward. The striker is mounted in the hinged (swing out) breech block. This is manually cocked using a lever located on top of each breech block. The extractor is activated by dropping the falling block. This removes the used case.
This rifle has a windage-adjustable offset sight and a custom built vernier tang sight. The aperture is offset to the left. The sights are offset to left for right-handed shooters, to compensate for the extreme width and receiver.
Cast bronze with French Walnut side panels makes the fore-arm. The buttstock is also made of cast bronze and holds the grip and rear block separately. The bronze-framed rear stock has Cocobolo grip, side panels and a leather-covered ribbed padding. James D. Julia Inc., the auctioneer of this unique rifle, shared some interesting background facts: J.T. Smith, a former U.S Marine and CIA employee, built several firearms over time but this was his apex (finest) rifle. Mr. Smith… demanded that his guns be beautiful, functional, and form-fitting. The rifle was made in Mr. Smith’s home workshop using a standard Bridgeport milling machine, an antique lathe, and a lot of hand work. While Smith did some of the work, such as heat treating, casting the bronze forearm, and applying the bronze patina, some of the processes were outsourced. Smith designed the rifle to be lighter than the 65-pound limit, so it could compete in heavy benchrest rifle shoots. J.T. Smith also designed a micrometer adjustable rear rest for this rifle. The rest features three tapered arms that radiate from a ball-shaped structure with screw-adjustable feet. This fine rifle and rest are accompanied by a set of magnificent tools in a fitted walnut box. Similar Posts Smith, Julia Auction. Side-Lock. Tang Sites. Vernier Sight
