Flintlock rifle, .50 cal. Maple stock. Not any particular school, but inspired by post-Revolutionary War PA/VA styles.
Got it as a TOTW kit someone started and couldn't finish due to health reasons. It provided a few challenges to work through, such as a Southern Mountain style lollipop tang that didn't agree with the stock style. As the stock was already inlet for it, I decided to cut the tang back, square out the opening, and fill it in. The butt curve was cut wrong, so I recut it and also shorten the length of pull. I also had to reshape the butt casting, which had been hammered to conform to the previous curve (hence the small crack in it.)
Holes for barrel pins had already been drilled in the stock, but the tennons were poorly soldered and had come off, so I cut dovetails for new ones (and for the sights.) The barrel was set a bit far back, which necessitated the lock bolt going through some of the breech plug but it's not affecting any of the threads. Had I noticed before cutting the tennons, I would have shimmed the barrel forward a bit by adding wood at the breech. Lesson learned for next time...
This was my first time doing anything with set triggers, and getting everything placed right to work *and* fit the trigger guard was a rewarding challenge.
The L&R Durs Egg lock plate, hammer, and frizzen were polished up to remove the sanded texture. Tests yesterday showed I needed to tweak the frizzen spring as it was hard on the flints.
I fabricated the nose cap from sheet brass. The patch box and toe plate came from TOTW, with a home made release and spring.
Then it came down to shaping the forestock, adding the pipes, and carving some detail. I looked at a lot of guns on the Kentucky Rifle Association's Facebook page for inspiration. Scraped, sanded, stained with a blend of Fiebrings leather dyes, sealed with Watco Danish Oil, then Renaissance Wax. I deliberately aged the barrel a bit so the gun looks like it's been around a while.
I hope I've done an acceptable job. This was my first build from a true kit. It's no masterpiece, but it's mine.
Got it as a TOTW kit someone started and couldn't finish due to health reasons. It provided a few challenges to work through, such as a Southern Mountain style lollipop tang that didn't agree with the stock style. As the stock was already inlet for it, I decided to cut the tang back, square out the opening, and fill it in. The butt curve was cut wrong, so I recut it and also shorten the length of pull. I also had to reshape the butt casting, which had been hammered to conform to the previous curve (hence the small crack in it.)
Holes for barrel pins had already been drilled in the stock, but the tennons were poorly soldered and had come off, so I cut dovetails for new ones (and for the sights.) The barrel was set a bit far back, which necessitated the lock bolt going through some of the breech plug but it's not affecting any of the threads. Had I noticed before cutting the tennons, I would have shimmed the barrel forward a bit by adding wood at the breech. Lesson learned for next time...
This was my first time doing anything with set triggers, and getting everything placed right to work *and* fit the trigger guard was a rewarding challenge.
The L&R Durs Egg lock plate, hammer, and frizzen were polished up to remove the sanded texture. Tests yesterday showed I needed to tweak the frizzen spring as it was hard on the flints.
I fabricated the nose cap from sheet brass. The patch box and toe plate came from TOTW, with a home made release and spring.
Then it came down to shaping the forestock, adding the pipes, and carving some detail. I looked at a lot of guns on the Kentucky Rifle Association's Facebook page for inspiration. Scraped, sanded, stained with a blend of Fiebrings leather dyes, sealed with Watco Danish Oil, then Renaissance Wax. I deliberately aged the barrel a bit so the gun looks like it's been around a while.
I hope I've done an acceptable job. This was my first build from a true kit. It's no masterpiece, but it's mine.
