Using a cheek rest on a mares leg
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The ML was a TV gimmick gun.
That was its sole purpose.
Discussions of what a "real bounty hunter" would use are silly when we're talking about a Hollywood fantasy gun.
In 1959 I was 7 years old and I recall very well being fascinated by that cut-back Winchester when we watched Wanted.
As a kid, there were three TV guns I wanted:
The Mare's Leg.
The U.N.C.L.E. pistol.
The Rifleman's large-loop Winchester.
Since then, the itch for a Mare's Leg has never diminished, and I now have four that include two Chiappas, one Rossi, and a Henry.
The twelve-inch-barreled .44-40 Chiappa and Henry .45 are more like short carbines, much longer than the versions McQueen carried.
The .45 Rossi Ranch Hand started out that way, but I had it chopped at both ends and de-sighted to be truer to the TV gun. That one's the "coolest" of the four, to my eyes, because it's the most authentic. That one you do NOT try to shoot from the shoulder, it's just too short.
The .45 Henry's the beefiest of the bunch, and that one has my initials and DOB as its serial number, which is kinda neat & peachy keen.
It cries out to be SBR'd, and one of these days maybe.....
While, again, not trying to infuse ANY practicality into the ML idea, I do assert that exploring the actual genuine no-kiddin' inherent accuracy of the things can be quite fun, and what you may find could be surprisingly good.
I have, as I said, fired from the shoulder (cheek weld) with the first Chiappa.
.44-40 recoil was quite tolerable.
People do buy these things for actual field use.
I have never thought there was any practical value in that role, mine are strictly toys.
There are soooooo many more efficient guns to take into the wilds.
But- that doesn't stop me from acquiring and playing with 'em, and, as earlier, my two unsighted versions are just as accurate as several pistols I've worked with over the years.
They ARE limited use, and they ARE toys.
But they CAN be actually viable in putting a bullet on target down range.
And with the longer stock nubs the makers put on 'em, they CAN be fired effectively from the shoulder.
I just would not want to try it with a Magnum caliber.
I normally shoot 'em with both hands back on the wrist, true handgun style.
Firing in a normal "rifle" style, with one hand on the wrist & the other forward on the fore-end, incorporates too much wobble without a third point of contact to steady the gun.
I'm actually looking forward to wearing one out on the desert.
When I do, the inner 7-year-old still residing deep inside me will be immensely gratified.
As a wise me once said: It don't gotta be useful, it just gotta be!
And I'll quite probably take my ringlever Rossi along as a nod to Lucas McCain.
I have better leverguns, but I don't care.
Sue me if you don't think that one has any practical use either.
Denis
That was its sole purpose.
Discussions of what a "real bounty hunter" would use are silly when we're talking about a Hollywood fantasy gun.
In 1959 I was 7 years old and I recall very well being fascinated by that cut-back Winchester when we watched Wanted.
As a kid, there were three TV guns I wanted:
The Mare's Leg.
The U.N.C.L.E. pistol.
The Rifleman's large-loop Winchester.
Since then, the itch for a Mare's Leg has never diminished, and I now have four that include two Chiappas, one Rossi, and a Henry.
The twelve-inch-barreled .44-40 Chiappa and Henry .45 are more like short carbines, much longer than the versions McQueen carried.
The .45 Rossi Ranch Hand started out that way, but I had it chopped at both ends and de-sighted to be truer to the TV gun. That one's the "coolest" of the four, to my eyes, because it's the most authentic. That one you do NOT try to shoot from the shoulder, it's just too short.
The .45 Henry's the beefiest of the bunch, and that one has my initials and DOB as its serial number, which is kinda neat & peachy keen.
It cries out to be SBR'd, and one of these days maybe.....
While, again, not trying to infuse ANY practicality into the ML idea, I do assert that exploring the actual genuine no-kiddin' inherent accuracy of the things can be quite fun, and what you may find could be surprisingly good.
I have, as I said, fired from the shoulder (cheek weld) with the first Chiappa.
.44-40 recoil was quite tolerable.
People do buy these things for actual field use.
I have never thought there was any practical value in that role, mine are strictly toys.
There are soooooo many more efficient guns to take into the wilds.
But- that doesn't stop me from acquiring and playing with 'em, and, as earlier, my two unsighted versions are just as accurate as several pistols I've worked with over the years.
They ARE limited use, and they ARE toys.
But they CAN be actually viable in putting a bullet on target down range.
And with the longer stock nubs the makers put on 'em, they CAN be fired effectively from the shoulder.
I just would not want to try it with a Magnum caliber.
I normally shoot 'em with both hands back on the wrist, true handgun style.
Firing in a normal "rifle" style, with one hand on the wrist & the other forward on the fore-end, incorporates too much wobble without a third point of contact to steady the gun.
I'm actually looking forward to wearing one out on the desert.
When I do, the inner 7-year-old still residing deep inside me will be immensely gratified.
As a wise me once said: It don't gotta be useful, it just gotta be!
And I'll quite probably take my ringlever Rossi along as a nod to Lucas McCain.
I have better leverguns, but I don't care.
Sue me if you don't think that one has any practical use either.
Denis
buck460XVR
New member
Discussions of what a "real bounty hunter" would use are silly when we're talking about a Hollywood fantasy gun.
Same could be said for the discussions of using a cheek weld on a Mare's Leg......silly. Kinda the just of my posts.
At least the talk of what a real Bounty Hunter would use has some legitimate merit, unlike the use of a cheek weld on a Mare's Leg.
Just sayin'.........
Disagree.
While trying to shoot an ML from the shoulder is less efficient than doing so with a full-length levergun, it CAN be done, and it CAN be quite viable in the wilds.
It is not fast, it is not efficient, but it CAN be fired like a normal rifle, from the shoulder.
I don't see that as silly, just inefficient.
My own personal gripe about the MLs is the way most are configured: too long.
Should be a 9-inch barrel & shorter stock nub.
The original TV gun was much shorter & definitely not shootable from the shoulder.
The 12-inch barrels with long stock nubs are more like chopped carbines & CAN be used like 'em.
If you choose to shoot one that way, it's your party & you can cry if you want to.
Denis
While trying to shoot an ML from the shoulder is less efficient than doing so with a full-length levergun, it CAN be done, and it CAN be quite viable in the wilds.
It is not fast, it is not efficient, but it CAN be fired like a normal rifle, from the shoulder.
I don't see that as silly, just inefficient.
My own personal gripe about the MLs is the way most are configured: too long.
Should be a 9-inch barrel & shorter stock nub.
The original TV gun was much shorter & definitely not shootable from the shoulder.
The 12-inch barrels with long stock nubs are more like chopped carbines & CAN be used like 'em.
If you choose to shoot one that way, it's your party & you can cry if you want to.
Denis
“ML would make a Wicked cool truck gun.”
No what you need for a truck gun is a S&W 460VXR with a long barrel, bipod, and a 6 x 12 scope. The whole thing should not be much over 7 lbs. Being a truck gun you will be able to haul around a shooting bench which is the only place I’ve seen this “HANDGUN” shot from.
No what you need for a truck gun is a S&W 460VXR with a long barrel, bipod, and a 6 x 12 scope. The whole thing should not be much over 7 lbs. Being a truck gun you will be able to haul around a shooting bench which is the only place I’ve seen this “HANDGUN” shot from.
buck460XVR
New member
I'd assume this petty and immature snide remark is directed at me and my username. Lots of things I could say, but am not going to lower myself to your level.
You came on a public forums and asked for opinions. When one does that, they need to accept the fact that not everyone will reply with exactly what they want to hear.
It is my opinion that anything you add to a mare's leg abbreviated stock that would promote firing from the shoulder turns it into an illegal short-barreled rifle.
Its short barrel is legal in its current format precisely because it is not intended to be fired from the shoulder...you'd have a tough time convincing a prosecutor that the cheek rest was not intended to do precisely that.
Blue1
Its short barrel is legal in its current format precisely because it is not intended to be fired from the shoulder...you'd have a tough time convincing a prosecutor that the cheek rest was not intended to do precisely that.
Blue1
DPris I so understand what you are saying about the length of mares legs. That is why I built this: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1152301
Howdy,
Just read your question. Yes, I do use the "cheek hold" method when shooting my Henry Mare's Leg in .44 mag. Just yesterday, I took my mare's leg to the range and ran about 120 rounds through it. The most effective way, in my opinion, to shoot my mare's leg is by the "cheek" method. It is not uncomfortable to me at all. It gives me a point of contact for steadiness. I am glad to have run across your post. I was wondering how many other shooters use this method. On You Tube, you mostly see folks shooting it from the hip, which is very hard to hit and inconsistent in accuracy. But using the cheek method is very accurate. Yesterday, I was consistently hitting human-size torso targets at 50 and 75 yards. Next time out, I will go for 100 yards. And, I was using iron sights, Skinner peep sight with front post. This is a powerful gun in a small package. Great truck and motorcycle gun in GA. Using the cheek hold method nullifies the argument that the mare's leg is a useless toy. Well, not in my hands, it isn't.
Just read your question. Yes, I do use the "cheek hold" method when shooting my Henry Mare's Leg in .44 mag. Just yesterday, I took my mare's leg to the range and ran about 120 rounds through it. The most effective way, in my opinion, to shoot my mare's leg is by the "cheek" method. It is not uncomfortable to me at all. It gives me a point of contact for steadiness. I am glad to have run across your post. I was wondering how many other shooters use this method. On You Tube, you mostly see folks shooting it from the hip, which is very hard to hit and inconsistent in accuracy. But using the cheek method is very accurate. Yesterday, I was consistently hitting human-size torso targets at 50 and 75 yards. Next time out, I will go for 100 yards. And, I was using iron sights, Skinner peep sight with front post. This is a powerful gun in a small package. Great truck and motorcycle gun in GA. Using the cheek hold method nullifies the argument that the mare's leg is a useless toy. Well, not in my hands, it isn't.
Hogdoc 45, welcome to the forum. Glad to hear that you are enjoying your Mares leg they are a lot of fun. I have install a Skinner front sight dove tail conversion and receiver mounted rear peep sight to mine. You should look them up well worth the money spent.
http://www.skinnersights.com/henry_rifles_18.html
http://www.skinnersights.com/henry_rifles_18.html
The Mare's Leg is a really cool little gun.
Boring Armchair Commandos can hate on it all they want as they hypocritically go on and on about how practical their new AR/AK Pistol is, but as for those of us who actually enjoy firearms and grew out of playing G.I. JOE, it remains a fun firearm with obvious cool appeal.
I would love to add a Rossi Ranch Hand in .45LC to my collection of cool firearms that make Armchair Commandos rant incoherently about how impractical they are alongside my Taurus Judge Magnum and Mossberg 590 Shockwave, but unfortunately they're no longer in production and I have my doubts that Henry is going to introduce a new Mare's Leg with a side loading gate.
Boring Armchair Commandos can hate on it all they want as they hypocritically go on and on about how practical their new AR/AK Pistol is, but as for those of us who actually enjoy firearms and grew out of playing G.I. JOE, it remains a fun firearm with obvious cool appeal.
I would love to add a Rossi Ranch Hand in .45LC to my collection of cool firearms that make Armchair Commandos rant incoherently about how impractical they are alongside my Taurus Judge Magnum and Mossberg 590 Shockwave, but unfortunately they're no longer in production and I have my doubts that Henry is going to introduce a new Mare's Leg with a side loading gate.