Shooting a .50-70 WARD - BURTON bolt action 1871

Shooting a rare .50-70 WARD - BURTON bolt action Carbine built in 1871 at Springfield Armory.

[@49walker44]

That was fun, hire that girl doc. I've been trying to clean out what the next generation Won't respect and after each of the last few early bolt guns I'm out searching for one of my own. Still believe you have the best collection of historical early cartridge rifle videos anywhere. Thanks so much.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Good morning 49, Yes, She is a family treasure. As for the early bolt guns, I have another in mind to research ammo for and video, perhaps this Fall. Regards....Doc

[@steveblancard5566]

That bolt action seems very smooth and ejects very well. Surprisingly modern. Its great to see young people involved - keep up the great work!

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi Steve, pretty good for 1871 ! The bolt locks on the interrupted threads like the Palmer of 1865. Fine for black powder. And, Yes, get the next generation involved, we really have a lot of REAL experiences to expose them to. Regards..... Doc & Niece.

[@453421abcdefg12345]

Very interesting! This looks to be a very smooth action for such an early bolt action rifle, it looked like the charge was only just consumed in the short length of that barrel, what a good sport that young lady is, having a go with such a historic rifle! And I love the hand cart, just the thing to take all of your accoutrements down the garden to your range. Many thanks for posting. Chris B.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi Chris, This gun behaved very well, with no miss-fires and it never failed to eject. My Niece sincerely loves the old guns, which is so promising. The cart was old when I was gifted it from and elderly neighbor many years ago. It is handy on a shoot and lends a cool-ass factor to the video. Best regards.....Doc

[@johnolson4599]

Great video, Doc. I consider myself fairly well versed on vintage rifles, but you keep coming up with ones I'm not familiar with. Keep it up. 😁

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi John, and thanks for commenting. This was basically a trials gun so there were not to many made so seldom seen. It really was a great black powder design but most people can't handle an advanced design, so it got poor reviews from the field. Later.....Doc

[@oldscoutgp]

Another fine video Doc. I have to say that little Miss Can I Shoot It Again stole the show from the Ward-Burton.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

The nerve of that little girl eclipsing the rare Ward-Burton ! That being said,..... She will definitely be invited back.

[@Dimwit_the_last_mountainman]

What a great start of my day, Doc! Such a rare and interesting gun. Gotta love these early bolt actions. You and your niece make a great team! Thanks to the both of you, for entertaining and educating us. Now, off to the "labor camp" (cabin)...

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi John, It's been real hot and dry over here and I assume over there also. Don't work too hard in the heat, cooler days are coming soon. The carbine was a great design for the day. Fine for black powder, and fast to reload. Only about 300 were made for trial but was too aberrant for the grunts. It was loads of fun to shoot. Thanks so much from both of us....Doc & Niece

[@Dimwit_the_last_mountainman]

@@dr.durellshepard398 Not to worry, Doc! Southeastern Norway is about as far north as Hudson Bay. Our summer has been unusually cold. Very few days warmer than "roomtemperature". For years I have been waiting for this "global warmup" that we have been promised! Our winters have changed though, since my childhood. They have gotten milder, with more rain and wind. Stay cool!

[@markworden9169]

Must be some light loads from the looks of it, really fun😊.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Yes Mark, I'm all about light loads in the old guns, for a number of reasons. And my old shoulder still gets black and blue. Regards.....Doc

[@johnnyholland8765]

What a neat old piece. Have never seen one before. Odd it was built a Springfield Armory...

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hello Sir and thanks for commenting. I did enjoy shooting this gun, it was well behaved, well made and a good design for the day. I guess that General Ward had the connections needed to accomplish the build at Springfield. Regards......Doc

[@chrischiampo7647]

Awesome Video Doc 😀 Your Niece Was Great So Nice Too See The Younger Generation Experience These Older Rifles and There Importance In History 😀😊 Keep Up The Great Work Doc 👍🏼

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi Chris, I am thrilled that she sincerely loves the antique arms. Thank you......Doc

[@steveinthethumb6441]

Another great presentation Doc. It’s good to see the youth today learn about all the aspects of firearms. Including how to safely handle them and the history; which seems to be fading away. And a cute ending to your video, of the dialogue between your niece and you. Too funny. You both earned those boat load of pennies. lol. Have a great day. ~ Steve 😉

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi Steve, Glad you caught the show and commented. I'm pleased that she really likes the old guns and wants to shoot them. Good to get them outside and away from their cellphones. And it's always more fun to shoot with a friend. Regards...Doc

[@daveclemons1225]

That was a neat video of such a rare gun! Advanced for it's time. Never seen on in action, it was fun to watch! I wonder how many people in the world fired one when you both did?? I often think of that when shooting some of my old stuff. Thank you for all the work you put in to making these videos!! Hope you had fun!

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hi Dave, Super that you could come on the shoot with us. Only about 300 were made 150 years ago, so there can't be too many left, but I hope there all being shot . The wonder and amazement is a large part of the antique gun business as you say. Thanks so much for the kind assessment of the video. ...Doc & Niece

[@versal339]

Holy cow Doc. Do you have a time machine? How in the world you keep coming up with these gems is amazing. Great job.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hello Hugh, I keep finding ones in the back of the vault I forgot about. I'm pleased to showcase them so we all can enjoy and learn. Regards....Doc

[@albertogonzalez9152]

Hola Doc como siempre me llama la atención el perfecto estado de conservación de sus armas. En este en particular el sistema de expulsión de las vainas, y en el anterior vídeo aún siendo un rifle de cartucho de papel no se aprecia ningún escape de gases por el cerrojo, eso evidencia el buen estado de conservación del mismo. Un saludo para la joven y para usted Doc desde Toledo, Spain.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Saludos desde Estados Unidos. La mayoría de las armas que tengo están en buenas condiciones. Los que no están en buenas condiciones, tengo miedo de disparar. Usé tacos adicionales en el arma anterior y funcionó bien para sellar el gas como observaste. Muchas gracias de parte de los dos por sus amables comentarios. medico y sobrina ((Hello Doc, as always, the perfect state of conservation of your weapons strikes me. In this particular one, the case ejection system, and in the previous video, even though it is a paper cartridge rifle, no gas escapes through the bolt can be seen, which shows that it is in a good state of conservation. Greetings to the young lady and to you Doc from Toledo, Spain.)) ((Greetings from United States. Most of the guns I have are in good condition. The ones that are not in good condition, I am afraid to shoot. I used extra wads in the previous gun and that worked well to seal the gas as you observed. Thank you so much from the both of us for your kind comments. Doctor and Niece))

[@feraltweed]

It’s cool that your great great grand daughter can shoot right and left handed. Just kidding. It’s nice to get the young ones involved with history

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Yes Sir, By the miracle of skillful video editing she became ambidextrous ! How isn't that Great, great, great LOL, How old do you think I am ? Regards, ...Doc

[@antoninolatorre8355]

hi, mr Durell !!! good video on a best carbine ... many kisses to the splendid girl ...!!! 💋😘🌹 bye bye to either of you ...

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hola Antonino, and Good morning from the USA. We are pleased that you enjoyed the video. Best wishes from us.

[@antoninolatorre8355]

@@dr.durellshepard398, hi, to both of you !!! thankyou very much ...!!! your videos are always every time very good and interesting ... good work for the next videos ... bye bye, from Italia ... ciao, 😘🌹👋

[@earlgrayteabeard8471]

I'd love to own a piece of history like this but because I live in the UK, these are practically impossible to find and when you find one it feels like someone's shoved hot coals in your wallet lol

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Hello Sir, and Welcome aboard. In the U.S. we are allowed ( for now ) to own firearms built before 1898 without paper work. I built my collection years ago when prices were reasonable. I totally sympathize with your assessment about today's prices. Regards...Doc

[@robertrobert7924]

I really like this bolt action rifle. All it needed was a box magazine that held 5 to 10 rounds.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Just sat down with the coffee to answer some comments........ Good morning Robert. Were only up to 1871, so in a few years we will have the Lee-Remington, that's getting close to perfection for a bolt gun. .........Doc

[@rwm4738]

The fuddy duddy's running the U.S. Army in the 1870s were far too backwards thinking to adopt this rifle, love the cartridge ejection on it.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

Yes Sir, there is always a problem with bureaucracy. It did eject very robustly, no problems. ....Doc

[@bunkstagner298]

What is a girl from the deep South doing wearing that Yankee cap? Neat rifle though but i bet it kicks like a blue nose Missouri mule

[@robertrobert7924]

She does not have a southern accent, so I'm guessing her carpet bagging family moved to the Atlanta, GA area like My brother, wife and sons did when companies in the North moved there for cheaper real estate and labor. I also had a friend that moved there for the same reason and then lost his job when politicians and corporations made it possible to move jobs to Communist China. The most short sighted thing ever done in American history. Soon we will pay the price.

[@dr.durellshepard398]

@@robertrobert7924 Hello Robert, Her side of the family is from Alabama. The short term wins of run-away-greedy capitalism is hurting everyone now !

[@johnnyholland8765]

@@robertrobert7924 In case you haven't noticed it we have been "paying the price" for quite some time now...

[@robertrobert7924]

@@johnnyholland8765 ......Yes, in vast numbers of permanently unemployed and Homeless Americans. I was refering to the Apocolypse that is on the horizon in our modern dealings with Communist China.