Rook rifles

[Guest happybonzo]

Excuse my ignorence, but what were "Rook rifles"?

[Guest rogern]

Erm, I think they were smoothbore rifles about 9 mil calibre for shooting rooks/starlings etc

[baldie]

Not always smoothbored Roger, generally small rifled calibres, most of which are antique, and off ticket. Generally, small, lightweight, and "minature" to a small degree, open or peep sighted, and usually made by all the best gunsmiths of the time. I believe "nock" of london specialised in rook rifles. You usually see them, now, having being bored out to .410 which is unfortunate, as they are worth bugger all then. I know a chap with several, and they shoot very well indeed.

[Guest happybonzo]

So if you could get one "on ticket" you would have to hand load the cartridges if they are some strange caliber?

[Jay Foxing]

Hi happybonzo,

 

As far as i know rook rifles were calibres of .255, .300, .320, .360 and .380 and they fired a solid lead projectile of arround 40gr, they were designed for shooting rook and rabbit. They were typically built in the mid 1930's with a single short octagonal barrel with a shallow slow rifle twist, drop down actions and a variety of hammer, semmi-hammerless and hammerless designs. Some of the great names in gun building produced rook rifles inc. Holland & Holland, Purdy and Rigby. The 9mm's that rogern refers to was in fact what they call a garden gun of the smooth bore type firing a shot cartridge similar to that of a .410. As baldie says rook rifles and 9mm garden guns can now be found up for sale converted to a .410 smooth bore shotgun.

Hope this answers your question.

 

All the best,

Jay.