Newest Flintlock Build

[jeffnles1]

I'll get some better finished product photos when it warms up a little outside. Here is one I took and a link to the album of the build:

This is gun build number 15 or 16, not sure.

It is what is commonly called a canoe gun. There are a number of original examples of fowlers and old military muskets that had a foot or more cut off the barrel presumably to make it handle better in a canoe or on horseback. 1760's version of a carbine.

When I started building this smoothbore, I wanted to build one that would have the same proportions of a full size gun but had a foot cut off the barrel at a fort or trading post somewhere along the way.
29" barrel, 54 caliber (28 ga) smoothbore, Copy of an early 1700's commercial French lock, Black Walnut stock, Brass butt plate, trigger guard and thimbles, all copies of a 1760's French fowling piece. Simple single trigger

album:
http://s18.photobucket.com/user/jeffnles1/library/French%20Fowler

I didn't photograph a number of steps because, well, because I just didn't think about it. For example the entry thimble tang was square and i mae it a point, inletting the barrel is pretty much inletting a barrel. I taught my wife and probably neighbors a few new words or new word combinations inletting the butt plate. That was not easy. I've done others similar but for some reason, the compound curves on this one took some time.

 

[GRAMPS 51]

Hi Very nice I'm going to retire in about 11 weeks and going to start a English sporting rifle a lot like yours 28 inch 54 cal swamped barrel full stock A good friend who built muzzle loaders for a living started it he inletted the barrel but passed away so I'm going to give it my best to finish it I'm sure I will utter a few choice words before its finished I have only built one Hawken percussion rifle before this

Gramps

 

[jeffnles1]

Hi Very nice I'm going to retire in about 11 weeks and going to start a English sporting rifle a lot like yours 28 inch 54 cal swamped barrel full stock A good friend who built muzzle loaders for a living started it he inletted the barrel but passed away so I'm going to give it my best to finish it I'm sure I will utter a few choice words before its finished I have only built one Hawken percussion rifle before this

Gramps

Gramps,
While not a professional full-time builder, I have built 15 or 16 (lost count) and manage to scrape together about 1 a year, 2 in some years. If you run into a snag or get to a point you're not sure what's next, send a pm to me. we can chat about it and maybe I can help answer your questions.

Jeff

 

[steveodtw]

Hi Very nice I'm going to retire in about 11 weeks and going to start a English sporting rifle a lot like yours 28 inch 54 cal swamped barrel full stock A good friend who built muzzle loaders for a living started it he inletted the barrel but passed away so I'm going to give it my best to finish it I'm sure I will utter a few choice words before its finished I have only built one Hawken percussion rifle before this

Gramps

Sorry to hear you lost your friend Gramps. I hope your friend completed inletting that swamped barrel. About drove me crazy finding out that my barrel was swamped the hard way, in addition to being octagonal to round. Good luck on your retirement project. It was the most frustrating and rewarding project of any I've done.

 

[steveodtw]

Nice job, Jeff. Thanks for showing some of the detail steps in building this unique piece. Brings back fond (and mixed) memories of building my Fusil fin C smoothbore. It illustrates how these are not just assembling and finishing a standard kit gun.

 

[pruger45]

Is this a kit?

 

[jeffnles1]

Nice job, Jeff. Thanks for showing some of the detail steps in building this unique piece. Brings back fond (and mixed) memories of building my Fusil fin C smoothbore. It illustrates how these are not just assembling and finishing a standard kit gun.

thanks

 

[jeffnles1]

Is this a kit?

No was not a kit.

I bought the lock and barrel. I did have Pecatonica Longrifle Supply out of Rockford IL, do the barrel inletting. For about $60 they can get the barrel pretty close. still a lot of scraping and final fitting to make it perfect. I have don the "inlet the barrel by hand" thing on 6 rifles and it is not very rewarding work that takes about 40 hours to make perfect. That means I'm working for slightly over $1.00 an hour.

The stock blank is rough shaped. Here's what I did to the stock:
1) I get my blanks with no lock inlet because I can do a better job by hand so I order them solid on both lock and side plate side.
2) I have the blanks left "as is" toward the butt so I can cut it to whatever trigger pull I want (13 3/4" on this one), I'll usually do 14" on guns with deeply curved butt plates.
3) cut for and inlet the butt plate.
4) raised panels around lock mortice and side plate are shaped and fitted once the lock is inlet (I have them left very large so I can shape them to appropriate size once I get the lock in).
5) shape the fore stock. A long rifle needs a very thin and elegant forestock. That is the place most folks ignore and they end up looking square. Nothing square on a rifle.
6) fit the trigger to the lock for a good pull. This one is about 3.5 pound pull which is plenty good for a smooth bore.
6) shape the wrist and taper it back into the butt stock so it looks like it is growing out of the butt stock. flow is important here.

The lock itself I bought but altered the plate some to make it look like the pattern I was copying.
soldered under lugs onto the barrel to accept the pins that attach it to the stock.
soldered front sight (only one sight as this is a smooth bore 'fowling' piece.
inlet and finished ramrod thimbles
then the final shaping and finishing of the stock.

One thing I did on this one, the screw that runs through the wrist attaching the trigger plate and barrel tang normally runs from top down with the trigger plate threaded. I ran this one from bottom up with the tang being threaded. Many French and other European guns of the 1700's were built this way. It does give a more graceful line along the top of the wrist without a screw head there.

All told, there is about 130 or so hours involved in building one of these. By starting with a rough shaped stock and barrel more or less inlet, I save about 50 hours which would make it close to a 200 hour project.

Jeff

 

[GRAMPS 51]

Thanks for the offer Jeff I will most likely be in contact I built my Hawken about 25 years ago started with a pre shaped stock and I still had 200 hrs in it this build will be from a blank I plan on taking pictures every step along the way

Gramps

 

[jeffnles1]

Thanks for the offer Jeff I will most likely be in contact I built my Hawken about 25 years ago started with a pre shaped stock and I still had 200 hrs in it this build will be from a blank I plan on taking pictures every step along the way

Gramps

Looking forward to seeing the photos.
I'd recommend getting a couple good rasps, half round, horseshoe and flat for hogging off the wood that's going to end up as dust on the floor.

Also, when you're sanding and filing on the wood, take a small medicine bottle and save a few tablespoons full of the sawdust. If you went wide on any of your inletting, you can mix a couple drops of tite bond glue and some of the sawdust to make a very proper filler that will stain up pretty close to the rest of the wood. It happens even to guys who build a lot and there are little tricks of the trade..

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Sweet looking rifle! Built the old fashion way, congradulations on your handy work.

I've seen those Canoe Rifles (already built) in a MZ catalog but can't remember which one.
Thanks for sharing.
Terry

 

[pete44ru]

.

You've done well, Pilgrim......... :mrgreen:


.

 

[jeffnles1]

thanks all for the kind words. I very much enjoy building these rifles and even more enjoy creating something unusual instead of a direct copy of an existing known rifle.

 

[WendyZXZ]

You did a great job, that is a fine looking firearm there!

 

[powder smoke]

Good Job Jeff, BTW I used the same trick with TightBond and saw dust on
other projects. Closest I've come to Musket building is assembling a kit.
Have to give it a try someday. ps

 

[pete44ru]

thanks all for the kind words.

I very much enjoy building these rifles and even more enjoy creating something unusual instead of a direct copy of an existing known rifle.

That's exactly what many of the gunmakers of the 1800's did, thereby (like you) creating firearms that will be desirable long after we go for our Dirt Nap.


.