TOAD HALL RIFLESHOP
One of my "fancy" East Tennessee style Southern mountain rifles with a poured pewter nose cap.
My little rifleshop is located amid the rolling and fertile fields of central Iowa. We fondly call this corner of Iowa, "Corn Patch". I am now generally retired from building rifles on a commercial basis. The old hands are jus not what they used to was and seem to mind like a wayward child. So, education has became my primary focus and there are a couple more books in the works. Reckon, I'll still keep my hand in for myself, family, and helpin' friends, though.
My muzzle loading rifles at Toad Hall are crafted in a traditionalist vein. I am the LAST of the Bookout gunsmiths and make only our versions of East Tennessee Southern Mountain style "hog or squirrel" rifles, "chunk" or "over the log" rifles to my pattern, and Iowa/Missouri half-stocks using our own distinctive style stock and furniture patterns. My rifles are built with the heritage founded by early American gunsmiths AND continuing in my family's traditions.
I still offer FREE nightly classes to the general public on how to construct traditional American style flintlock and percussion firearms and helping them travel that long, rocky road. Someone's always in the shop, and since it's free, why isn't it you? I no longer offer a complete, formal apprenticeship program, but will teach you on specific aspects on some parts of the arts and mysteries of the craft. Got Moon Pies?
Want to hand rifle your own barrel on a traditional wooden rifling bench with left-hand twist? You can hammer out your own rifle furniture in the smithy if you desire. How about copying one of my trademark brass-tailed locks (they're being copied by a lot of other makers, anyways) or maybe with Sterling or German silver instead? Perhaps some hand forged, double-set triggers to give your rifle a very distinctive look? Maybe a two piece butt plate that's been copper brazed? Catch your eye? Then set back, open up a Guinness an' browse the site. Enjoy yourself, both in the shop and on this little website....I often type in my "Iowegian" dialect....just like I talk! I also speak fluent Missourian.
Please be patient if some of the pages load slowly. Often there are more photos per page than what the program recommends. BUT....the wait will be worth it. If it ain't, drop me a line and tell me, please.
Steve Bookout, Master
"Keeping The Art Of The Longrifle Alive!"
"A man without a hog-rifle is like a man without a life!" Dave Case
"Here's to a long shot and a dead hog!" A toast by Flintman Bill
"In a few more decades all the mountain riflesmiths will have passed on to the better world, and they will be only a memory like the pioneer, the buffalo and passenger pigeon, and the world will have lost more of the old-time geniuses." Capt. Ned Roberts
My genuine, honest-to-God, Hacker Martin hand made flint lock. Click your mouse on it to enlarge the image.
Buildin' Since 1974
UPDATED: 27 September, 2008
Issue No. 60
Toad Hall's News
Ken wrote and said that some of the photos on the Southern Album page were not coming up. I think this is corrected. I thank him for calling this to my attention. I hate FUBARS!
*****
"A Wooden Iowa Rifling Bench" has been revised and is now available under a new cover as the 2nd edition. It has been enlarged to include a very aggressive rifling technique that speeds the rifling process dramatically.
Hacker Martin once made a statement to the effect that he could rifle a barrel in less than an hour, and, by using a sub-teenager for power to boot.
My record is now down to 58 minutes!
There's a new and simpler head stock that will allow you to use different rate of twist worms on the same machine as well as GAIN TWIST!! Or, ever think you could have only ONE worm handle multiple rates of twist? And YES! You can modify your already constructed bench in about an hour or less and even use the same head! As many of you are aware, I've studied Hacker Martin's writings, letters, and papers for several years. The outcome of these studies and my own experimentations here at Toad Hall have produced a faster, more aggressive method of rifling. To date, this method has cut my old rifling time by up to 75% !! Plenty of photos will be on hand to help you along. You're gonna like these updates.
TRIVIA: Did you know that copies of my little rifler have been built in Taiwan, Macedonia, Singapore, England, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, as well as in quite a few states here in America?
Didya know: Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist".
***** *****
Always Wanted: I've been studying the articles about, and the letters & articles written by the late Hacker Martin for several years now. There's quite a bit of material in my file from about 1940 to date, but am always on the lookout for other paper and artifacts that I do not have. Please contact me if you have something that may be of interest to me.
***
Toad Hall Rifleshop
1600 W. 14th St. S.
Newton, Iowa 50208
USA
(641) 792-2941
email: toadhall@pcpartner.net
No calls after 9 PM, or Sundays & Holidays, please!
Clapton was here.
Eastwood was here.
Bevel Brothers were here.
Site published: 14 APR 00
I reserve the moral right to be known as the author of what's on this website unless indicated differently. Some material is COPYRIGHTED. Should you desire to use something from my website, please ask me!
Houston Personal Injury Counter