Tingle MFG. CO.

B

BirchOrr

New member
Just bought this pistol today. Got it from my pal and local BP gun shop owner Bill Hammond. This is a rare and strange one. Made by Bob Tingle of Shelbyville, Indiana. He passed away in 1978. His story from "Gun Digest" can be seen at: http://www.gundigest.com/gun-collecting-firearm-collecting/tingles-creation-still-amazes it's worth the read.

Single shot .45 cal. Very little to no info is available on these pistols. Never was a manual. Bill and I measured the barrel ID and as close as we can figure, it should take a .445 ball with a .015 patch. This is where I will start anyway. Will shoot it tomorrow and give you a full report good, bad or otherwise.

A few pics to go along with this.

The nameplate:


Side view:


Under the barrel, there is an Allen-set-screw. Loosen it just a bit to remove the barrel.


With the barrel removed. It comes out, breech, nipple and all.


Nipple (breech) end of the barrel: Treso, (AMPCO) nipple. Looks like it's been dry-fired a few times...


Well gentleman, what say ye?

Will update tomorrow with target pics, powder used, distance, etc.

:D

Birch
 
I had one just like it except .40 cal. Mine had 2 barrels, one about 12" long, and a detachable shoulder stock. Traded it for a 1st generation Colt "peacemaker".
 
Interesting !!!

I own two Tingle "clones" and mine are a fun to shoot. Not only that but you can tell by you pictures that these are very easy to work on and clean. I find the presence of the Allen screws, interesting. Thanks yor for your post and pictures..... ;)

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
Now that's an interesting looking critter! I like it. And as Pahoo said.... it sure looks easy to clean up after use. :)
 
I can temember when he was making these but I never had the opportunity to shoot one. They certainly look solid and easy to clean. The ones I remember had the longer barrels on them - this is the first one I've seen with a shorter barrel. Over the years, I don't remember seeing too many of 'em. I saw a couple down at Friendship years ago - if I remember correctly, one was on a trading blanket over in the primitive area and one was in one of the sheepsheads.

Congrats on your new "toy"! We'll be interested to hear how it shoots! Enjoy!

Kindest regards,
Jim
 
I've seen a number of these over the years at shoots, but never owned one as I've sworn I'll never own an inline. That said...they are very interesting firearms. I've never run into one quite like yours with the short barrel, and the matte finish. It almost looks to me like it has been bead blasted and reblued, but just a guess. Please let us know how it shoots, I have a friend with one that shoots great...but so does he.
 
Bob Tingle was well known in the muzzle loading community. His rifles and pistols were unique in design and sold at very reasonable prices. They also were highly regarded for their shooting and quality. We lost Bob too soon.
You have a special item there. Enjoy using it.
 
Hair Triggers?

BirchOrr
Per previous reply, I own two "Clones". Mine have the longer barrels and the only thing that bothers me about mine, is that both have hair-triggers. I can work with this but you have to be ready. ... ;)

Does your have a hair trigger as well? :confused:

4) Keep you finger out of the trigger; until your sights are on the target and;
Be Safe !!!
 
Mr. Tingle's pistol reminds me of a poor Richards clone or copy of a T/C Scout single shot pistol or perhaps it's the other way around.{Not really sure_:confused:} But all the same its nice to see something like this occasionally. Thanks for posting your unusual find.

S/S
 
Here we go...

Thanks for the kind words gentleman. :D

Finally got time today to shoot the Tingle. 1st, I wanted to build a loading stand for it, so I headed to my shop (the fortress of solitude), did that and got out all the stuff to shoot.



Have a nice place to shoot here at home (the Antler Bar) on the back of the house, complete with an exhaust fan to clear the smoke!



Spent the rest of the day shooting/tweaking. Started out with 40 gr Swiss 3F... BIG BARK!!! Eventually dialed back to 20 gr. The pistol really liked 20 gr. I started out at 25 yds. with an official NRA Slow Fire Pistol Target. It was centered pretty well but shooting high. I made several trips to my shop and milled down the rear sight a few thousands at a time. Finally got it shooting sweet. This last pic is my last two shots.



I was really impressed how consistently this pistol shot. It took the normal amount of tweaking to get it dialed but nothing out of the ordinary. It does have one flaw though. The nipple area is so tight it's impossible to get a nipple wrench in there. I had to use needle-nose pliers to tighten/loosen the nipple. It also has an Allen screw above the nipple to adjust the rear sight side to side.

thickice: I did know Tingle made add-on shoulder stocks for these. Never have seen one. Sounds like you made a great trade!

Pahoo & Beagle, Yes, it is very easy to clean!

BBB: Thank you sir!

Old Stony: I agree, I think it's been blasted and re-blued.

4V50 Gary: :D

Rifleman: Unique for sure!

Pahoo: Indeed it has a hair trigger. I like that though but like you say, don't have your finger anywhere near the trigger until ready to shoot.

SS McGee: I read Tingle started making pistols in 1959 and died in 1978. His designs pre-dated many others that followed.

Birch
 
Gee that single shot sure drops them right in there nice at 25. Your Tingle. It's more accurate than a couple modern ones I got here. I'm starting to rethink maybe I should re-invest in a Tingle and get rid of those two MIA repeaters I have. BTW like your shooting set-up. You Sir are a lucky man to have a estate large enough to accommodate such activity.

Don't want to be push'ee here. BUT
I wonder how your Tingle would do out at 50 yards there BirchOrr. Any chance of seeing a target from that distance?_:cool:

S/S
 
Tingle ... Clones

Richards clone or copy of a T/C Scout single shot pistol or perhaps it's the other way around.{Not really sure_}
Click to expand...
From what I'm seeing, it's the other way around if indeed, that is the case. The TC Scouts came out much later and although in keeping with the old west profile, design is very different. Now, there were others that most definitely, copied the tingle to a tee. ;)

My compliments on your set-up and shooting. Have you ever lost any windows? .. :eek:

Keep Posting and;
Be Safe !!!
 
robhof

There was also a Tingle B/p revolver many years before the ROA and supposedly even better, must have been; as only a few were made and the last one I saw at auction went for $1100. and it was in good, used? condition.
 
Hey . . . you've got to be tickled pink with how that zeroed in . . . nice shooting!

I wondered about the finish as well . . . the few I've seen I thought had a blued finish but I couldn't remember. From the photos, the finish almost looks parkerized?

Do you know if he made the barrels as well (i.e. machined and rifled them)or did he utilize someone else's blanks? At the time these were made, there was Numerich, Bill Large and a few others but it doesn't seem like there was a large number making ML barrels (if my memory is serving me well - which it probably isn't! :D ). With the design of this pistol, once you get it sighted in and a load worked up, I have to believe it will be pretty consistent in how it shoots.

Until mentioned on here, I didn't realize that he also had some with detachable shoulder stocks. I don't think I've ever seen a photo of one. If someone has one, it would be nice if they could post of photo of it. It would be interesting to see how it was designed.

Glad it shot so well for you. Sounds like you had a fun time with it! :)
 
AIR, this was a long time ago, there was a stud on the stock that fit into a slot in the backstrap. There was a J shaped rod that ran down a hole behind the metal stud. The short J part fit into a depression on the bottom of the grip frame and it was tightened by a thumb screw at the top of the long shaft.
 
I don't see a separate powder measure in your pics. :eek:
Never load directly from the flask into a muzzle gun. Not much fun, especially indoors, if a lingering ember ignites the entire container of black powder in your hand and face. Plus, the wife would have a mell of a hess to clean up in the house. :rolleyes:
 
Yes sir...

I don't see a separate powder measure in your pics.
Never load directly from the flask into a muzzle gun.
Click to expand...

I have 2. 1 for pistol & 1 for rifle. (not pictured).

I swab with wet/dry patches between every shot so there is no danger of that.

Thanks for watching my back though...

;)

Birch
 
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