SOLD SPF Custom 50 Cal Percussion Rifle

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jgraham1

Buckeye
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
1,050
Location
Dayton, Wyoming
SPF

Up for sale is a custom-built percussion rifle. I bought a parts set from a guy who was selling this online. He began this building project some 45 years ago and never finished it. He bought all top-quality parts including a Green Mountain 15/16" 50 caliber 38" straight octagon barrel, made most of the brass parts himself and bought a new Siler percussion lock made by Leonard Carver of Missouri. Lock is stamped L. Carver on the inside and is beautifully made. Carver passed away in August 2019. The stock is a very nice curly maple that he hand carved and scraped to shape from a blank.

I finished scraping the stock to its final shape and ensured all parts fit correctly. The wood around the lock and on the opposite side are raised like a fence. The ramrod hole was extended back, as it was not to the breech end of the barrel channel. Stock was wetted and scraped several times to remove all whiskers. No sandpaper was used. The stock was treated with Agua Fortis (AF), blushed and cleaned with a baking soda solution to stop the reaction. No AF was allowed into any of the openings. I then used Red Mahogany stain on all openings and sealed the stock with boiled linseed. After several coats of linseed oil, I burnished the stock with an antler and applied several more coats of linseed oil. I used maroon scothbrite to apply the oil and hand rubbed it. Stock is now very nice and smooth as burnishing removed most of the scraping marks. All steel parts were browned using LMF Browning Solution.

I hand fit a new ramrod with two brass ends, one with a 10x32 thread and one with an 8x32 thread. Ramrod was also treated with AF as above. The barrel is dovetailed for the front and rear sights. The front is German silver with a brass base and the rear is the long base version of the flat buckhorn type.

The three steel pins for the pipes and two for the triggerguard are 1/16". The three steel pins for the barrel are 3/32" and the barrel lugs are dovetailed in. The lugs are slotted to allow for expansion and contraction of the wood and barrel without stressing either.

The brass parts are slightly antiqued so as not to be bright. The brown on the tang and drum area were rubbed back. Although the rifle is new and unfired, it has a slightly used appearance now.

The rifle balances at the entry pipe and shoulders nicely. Length of pull is 13.75" and overall length is 54.5". Weight is around 9 pounds and twist appears to be 1X70 for a patched round ball. It is a simple rifle, without adornment, and would make an excellent hunting rifle.

Selling this for $1200, with free shipping. I accept cash, MO and personal checks. No electronic payments or trades. Contact me with any questions. Thanks.

Jerry
 
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