Building the Coffee Mill Gun

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  • epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    I started working on the Union Repeating Gun/ Ager Gun/ Coffee Mill Gun. This gun was used by the union troops in the Civil War, Lincoln nicknamed it the Coffee Mill Gun. A friend of mine works at the museum at Quantico Marine Base and has one in their collection that they let me take pictures of and take measurements off us as much as I could without taking the gun apart. I got a lot of basic measurements and pictures. I am going to post some pictures of the original gun and some of the stuff I have already done. Dr. Gatling stole the idea for the chambers from this gun and the carrier too for this gun back in 1862 to build his first Gatling, and was sued in court over it. This gun was invented in the 1850's, and is a close relative of a Gatling, and I thought it was pretty cool. It used the same chambers as my 1862 Gatling, which is one of the reasons I wanted to build it so I could use the same chambers as I had.
     

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    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    Here are some pix's of the bottom plate and the carrier for the chambers being cut from 4" round stock and 1/2" plate for the base of the receiver.
     

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    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    Cutting the carrier and cam for the carrier, the gun is some what like a big revolver, it has a hand that moves the carrier to index the next round 60% in line with the barrel. I made the cam separate from the carrier to make it easier to make, it fits in the carrier and is locked in place by 2 set screws.
     

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    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    drilling the detent holes and locating barrel hole for tapping the front plate of the receiver for the barrel.
     

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    SigMatt

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 17, 2007
    1,181
    Shores of the Bay, MD
    How on earth do I learn how to do that?!? Is there a course I can take or someone I can pay to teach me? I have a couple raw forgings I'd like to learn how to work.

    Matt
     

    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    Thanks Full Clip, I'm up to welding the receiver together today. It would not be possible without your help!!
     

    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    Some pix of the original gun and cutting the ejection ramp.
     

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    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    The original gun had a one piece cast receiver, and I am making mine out of plate steel and I am going to bolt it together and once I get it all working I am going to weld it all together to make it look like one piece cast. This is some pictures of the receiver I am building.
     

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    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    More pixs, making the lifter and the wedge
     

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    smdub

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 14, 2012
    4,630
    MoCo
    Fantastic work!

    Im a hobby machinist too. Its GREAT to be able to touch/measure a real one but Im sure you'd be ecstatic if allow to just take it apart to get better measurements;) Thats the part that would drive me crazy. BTW, what lathe?
     

    epps1919

    Active Member
    Aug 9, 2010
    867
    SO.MD
    I would have loved to taken it apart, I'm just a hobby machinist to, I can make things work but not look that pretty. the lathe is a 15'' La blond
     

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