Last of the Mohicans

[PHArchivist]

Who can tell me what about the rifle Daniel Day Lewis carries in the 1992 film?

Not the exact prop, per se, but the model of firearm; are there replicas out there anywhere, etcetera...


Just got done watching the film again (love it.) -- I guess having Chingagook's hero war club ain't enough to satisfy me.

 

[Jedi-Bob]

It may be a Kentucky Long Rifle.

Check Navy Arms in New Jersey. That's where I got my musket for Rev War reenacting.

Good luck and your right...excellent movie.

<div class='quotetop'>(PHArchivist @ Jul 7 2006, 04:13 AM) [snapback]1275687[/snapback]</div>

Who can tell me what about the rifle Daniel Day Lewis carries in the 1992 film?

Not the exact prop, per se, but the model of firearm; are there replicas out there anywhere, etcetera...


Just got done watching the film again (love it.) -- I guess having Chingagook's hero war club ain't enough to satisfy me.
[/b]

 

[DARTH SABER]

The prop master who worked on the film is a good friend of mine.

He has a few props from the film as well (Tomahawk and rifle as well.)

Next time I see him Ill snap some pics if you'd like.


DS

 

[jddurst]

Dixie Gun Works
No discussion about black powder sources is complete without 'um.

 

[Kaylee]

Here's some info on it, including the site of a man who used to make copies.. he says he doesn't anymore though:

http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo10015.html

If you're just looking for a longrifle (which yes, that was) -- I personally would shy away from the Italian mass-market repros and look at one from a smaller shop. I have a good friend out Idaho way who's way into the whole black powder/trekking thing. His advice on longrifles was these folk:

http://www.avsia.com/tvm/

In addition to the Dixie Gun Works folk mentioned above, this is also a well-thought of place. They sell pretty much everything you need to build your own -
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/

 

[Apollo]

The KillDeer rifle. A shame it is no longer being made but I bet for the right price it could be. :lol

 

[tk5378]

The one for the film was a one-off, hand-made by a master rifle maker. It is 1.25 times longer than a normal black powder rifle of the period. There is no one making an authentic reproduction of it, and no one has to date. You can come close through Dixie Gun works, it's a pennsylvania style with some nice ingraving added on...but it'll still be too short in the barrel area. Can't remember what caliber it was, but I'm thinking it was .45 or .50. Beautiful gun...don't know who has the original now, but I remember on the set people talking about Daniel getting to keep it after the shoot.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Yeah, that's a real nice rifle I would love to have hanging on my wall. :thumbsup

 

[jddurst]

The neat thing about these old rifles is the fact that you don't have to go to the same source for the Lock, Stock and Barrel. If you find the lock and barrel you want, they can be easily fitted into a stock of any shape you desire. I haven't actually built a stock that I wasn't replacing, but it doesn't seem like a biggie.

 

[PHArchivist]

<div class='quotetop'>(DARTH SABER @ Jul 7 2006, 05:06 AM) [snapback]1275717[/snapback]</div>

The prop master who worked on the film is a good friend of mine.

He has a few props from the film as well (Tomahawk and rifle as well.)

Next time I see him Ill snap some pics if you'd like.


DS
[/b]

Very cool. Been thiking about trying my hand at a replica of Magua's tomahawk too... Any info you can dig up would be -- as they sa -- most appreciated.



<div class='quotetop'>(tk5378 @ Jul 7 2006, 03:07 PM) [snapback]1275915[/snapback]</div>

It is 1.25 times longer than a normal black powder rifle of the period. There is no one making an authentic reproduction of it, and no one has to date. You can come close [/b]

I don't suppose you could extrapolate and estimate the length of the film rifle then...?


Ah -- nevermind (maybe) on the extrapolation...

From the Dixie site:
PR3435 ROCKY MTN HAWKEN 54C WALNUT
"Halfstock w/ Hawken style cheeckpiece. Satin finish. 32 3/4" length. 3 1/4" drop with 13 3/4" trigger pull. Caliber is .54, browned 34 11/16" octagon barrel w/ 1" flats. Hook breech and broached rifling .011" deep. 1 in 65" twist. 7 land - .540 and 7 grooves - .562. Front sight - blued steel base w/silver blade, 3/8" dovetail..."z


Based on that it would be about 41", right...?

 

[tk5378]

No, those are measurments for a Hawken...you want to look for the Pennsylvania rifle and extrapolate from that. It should be a barrell length of about 50-55" on the production piece. I'll see if I can dig up the article I had about the rifle and some of the other pieces made for the film...I used to subscribe to a mag called Muzzleloader back in the day, and they did a number of features on the weapons and filming shortly after the film was released.

 

[PHArchivist]

<div class='quotetop'>(tk5378 @ Jul 9 2006, 04:22 PM) [snapback]1277247[/snapback]</div>

No, those are measurments for a Hawken...you want to look for the Pennsylvania rifle and extrapolate from that. It should be a barrell length of about 50-55" on the production piece. I'll see if I can dig up the article I had about the rifle and some of the other pieces made for the film...I used to subscribe to a mag called Muzzleloader back in the day, and they did a number of features on the weapons and filming shortly after the film was released.
[/b]

Good timing with your post. Just earlier today I looked up this rifle, which bears:

"FRENCH 1763 MUSKET WITH BAYONET. Modeled after the French 1763 musket this famous rifle was used extensively throughout the American Revolution. Stamped St. Etienne on the lock plate this impressive piece measures over 72" with bayonet attached. Note bayonet does not lock in place. Full length wood stock measures 55" ."

 

[PHArchivist]

Digging in the past...

But (still?) trying to figure out how long this rifle was.

If DDL is 6'2" (per IMDB), that's 74" right/ The muzzle is about even with the bottom of his eye. From my own eye to the top of my head is about 5". So the gun has got to be about 69" long, wouldn't you agree?

Even if IMDB is stretching the truth about his height, I'd say the rifle still exceeds 65".

View attachment 269330

 

[DoctorEight]

Really, no two were really alike. Having handled and owned several antique examples, and used modern reproductions, no two are ever exact. I know several gunsmiths, and none are willing to exactly reproduce the work of another. It simply is not done.

and you will never get a better gun than one made by an experienced gunsmith. Nothing wrong with a factory barrel, but nothing beats a full custom job.

Hawkens are very short rifles that came much later than the F&I era which was the setting of LOTM. I am a F&I reenactor, I play a civilian privateer conscript to a French Marine outpost. I prefer naval weaponry over the Wilderness rifle favored by Natives, and civilians.