Loading Stand for Single Shot Pistols

By Gary Brockmiller

A loading stand is required by N-SSA rule 20.7.1 for both individual and team competition. The following is an instructional guide to constructing a stand for the single shot smoothbore pistol (SSSP) While a number of stand designs are currently in use, there were several goals that I wanted to achieve. • Portability: The stand needed to be collapsible so that it could fit inside of my pistol box. As I already have a pistol box, scope & stand and cartridge & cap box, I’m running out of available hands to lug gear to the firing line. This should eliminate one trip back to my truck. • Stability: The stand needs to securely hold the SSSP with minimal chance for it to move and slide around during the loading process. • Durability: Needs to be strong enough that it doesn’t break but also is not too heavy.

Materials list: (1) One 2”x 8”x 12” scrap wood. (Hardwood like oak, walnut or maple is not preferred because its too heavy and dense) Standard non-pressure treat pine or fir is best. This will be the base of the stand. (2) One ¾”x 8”x 20” soft wood (pine, fir, etc.) This will be the upright section of the stand (3) One 5/16“x 3” coarse thread carriage bolt and wing nut (4) Two wood screws 2 ½ “long

This stand is built for the Harpers Ferry SSSP sold by Dixie Gun Works that has the following dimensions: Length 16”, height (bottom of the butt to top of the barrel) 4 ½”. If you are building a stand for a different pistol than you will need to adjust dimensions as necessary. (1) Cut the base to the desired width. I measured the bottom of my pistol box which is approximately 9” wide, so in order to avoid a “jam” fit, I cut the base to 5” wide. (2) Cut 2 ¼” off the base. This piece will become part of the pistol butt “pocket.”

(3) Cut the upright to the same width as the base. Then make two additional cuts from the length. The first cut is 2 ¼ inches.

This will be the upright support. Second, cut 3 inches from the length. This will be the barrel supports

With the base, make a mortise cut ¾” wide, ½” deep and 6” from the end of the base (FIG 2). This mortise is where the upright will fit into. Make the mortise so that the upright will fit securely but not so tight that it’s difficult to remove. The next step is the hardest in the building process. It is quite helpful to have a 1 ½” sanding drum that attaches to a portable drill or drill press. Mark the center line of the base on the opposite side from your mortise cut and the center line of the 2 ½” pistol butt “pocket.” This will aid in keeping everything centered when forming the pocket. On the base piece, you will want to make an oval that is egg shaped approximately ¾” deep at the end. (FIG 3) Fig 2

Fig 3

On the 2 ¼”” piece you will grind away two adjoining sides and make them match up to the base piece. This is the most timeconsuming part as you will need to constantly check the fit with your pistol. You will want the pistol butt to slide into the pocket, being neither too loose nor tight. (Fig 4) Fit upright support into the mortise you cut into the base and then scribe a line where the two pieces meet. (FIG 5) Fig 5 Fig 4

This line represents the bottom edge of the mortise on the upright piece. Now cut a mortise into the upright ¾’ wide and ½” deep. Your upright support should fit snugly into the upright. On the opposite side of the upright piece, you need to cut two more mortises. The first will be at the top of the upright, ¾’ down and ½” deep. The first barrel support will fit here, flush with the top of the upright. The second mortise will be 2 ½” down from the top ¾” wide and ½” deep.

Take the remaining 3” piece of wood and mark the center, measuring both the length and width. Use a forstner or spade bit to completely cut a ¾” hole. Be sure to use a scrap piece of wood as a backer so that you can ovoid tear out on the back side. Next, mark a line thru the center of the ¾” hole and cut the piece in half. You will end up with two matching pieces, each 3” long and 1 ½” wide. (FIG 6)

Fig 6

On the upright you will need to have an opening for the pistol hammer. The opening will be offset to the hammer side of the pistol and large enough to accommodate the hammer in both the closed and full cock position. This will allow you to use the stand for cleaning the pistol. Use a 4” hole saw to make two overlapping holes. Take a wood rasp or heavy file to join the two cutouts, making one large oval. This cutout can also be made with a jig saw. (FIG 7)

Sand all the pieces of wood to remove any splinters. Depending on how you intend to finish the stand, you may wish to sand up to 220 grit paper. Putting a finish on the stand is important so that it does not absorb moisture in the inevitable Winchester rain. It doesn’t have to be a thing of beauty because the last time I checked, the N-SSA doesn’t award style points. Using a good wood glue, attach the upright support to the upright and let dry. Clamp the pistol butt pocket to the base and from the underside drill two holes, one on either side, each ½’ for the edge. Measure the width and height of the screw head and drill a relief so that the screw head will be recessed. Now glue the butt pocket piece to the base and secure with the two screws.

Adjustment of the pistol in the stand:

With the upright set into the base, place the pistol into the stand. Take the two barrel support pieces and just slide them into their mortises. Most likely you will find that one support fits just fine and the other support comes up a little short. Actually, its really the opposite. The support that “fits fine” is really too far away from the upright. Sand the mortise side (the side opposite the ¾” cutout) to shorten and test fit until both supports fit the barrel. Once the supports are fitted it is now time to glue them into place. (Fig 8)

Fig 7

Cutting the curve on the upright:

While not entirely necessary, having the top of the upright smaller makes it easier to grasp the barrel and stand at the same time when loading or cleaning to steady the pistol. Measure 1 ½” from each side from the center of the upper barrel support and transfer that line all the way to the back of the upright. Then measure 4 ½” down and place a mark on each side. In either a straight line or a curve, depending on your artistic mood, connect the lines. With a jig saw or band saw cut along the line. (FIG 9)

Fig 8

Installing the 5/16” carriage bolt:

Set the upright into the base and while holding firmly (a clamp is most helpful) drill a hole from the bottom of the base thru the upright support. This hole should be approximately 1’ from the side of the upright and 1” away from the back of the upright. Make sure that this hole is on the same side as the offset hammer opening. Now remove the upright and lay it flat on top of the base with the upright support piece facing up and against the butt pocket. Hold the two pieces together and using the same hole that you drilled thru the base as a guide, drill thru the upright. (FIG 10) Fig 9

Editor Note: Be sure to dry fit every peice before you go to gluing. Many of these peices have to be custom fit with some gentle sanding. Fig 10

FIG 11

Now all that is remaining is for you to put on the finish. I prefer to stain the wood and use a Tung oil finish but that process takes several days to cure because you need to wait for each coat to cure. Just as easily you could look on the shelf of your garage and find several old cans of spray paint. As long as you are shooting 10’s on your target nobody will be looking at your loading stand or care what color it is.

Gary Brockmiller York Rangers

Editor Note: I for one am a fan of the Modern day cyptec camo scheme Gary.

History at our Fingertips

The following is a special article that was emailed to me. by Jim Rogers of the Iredell Blues. It consits of c orrespondence between Confederate States of America Senator Louis Wigfall and his son Halsey Wigfall. We are lucky enough to have these correspondence from Jim’s teamate Marty who is the Great Great grandson of Senator Wigfall. I’ll Let Jim lead us in and publish the letter following it. Louis Trezevant Wigfall, his wife Charlotte Maria Cross, their son Frances Halsey and their two daughters, Louise (Luly) and Mary Frances (Fanny) spent 1861-1865 heavily involved in and concerned about the CSA. L T Wigfall was a native South Carolinian who moved to Texas and served the Confederacy as an officer in 1861 and as a Senator from the formation of its government through all four years of the war. His son Halsey, who turned 17 in July of 1861, served the Confederacy from October 1861 through the end of the war, including two and a half years in several artillery units with the ANV and nearly one and a half years as a staff officer for Generals Hood and Johnston. As the descendants of the Wigfalls, we are fortunate to have many letters and papers from the family as well as copies of “Wigfall Papers” which are in the Library of Congress. Among those letters is one from Uncle Halsey to his “Papa”, dated January of 1863, when he would have been with Stuart’s Horse Artillery. This letter answers his father’s questions about Halsey’s views on the organization of the artillery. Editor Note ~ If you’d like to see the original texts reach out to me and I can provide you a copy of the scans I was given. We will publish the transcripts here.